Efforts to kill the anti-Islamization Congress in the bud not only failed, they provided an “excuse” for Agence France Presse to cover the event. An article in which the anonymous “journalist” admits that at least 800 people attended the all-day Congress, was headlined “Demonstration against the anti-Islam colloquium.” There were, reportedly, no more than 200 demonstrators. Apparently no high profile personalities led the charge against the anti-Islamization event, which was closely protected by a no man’s land of several hundred meters and a cordon sanitaire of policemen who, according to the AFP release, “filtered” people at the entry. So far the AFP release has been picked up by three of the four major national dailies: Le Parisien, Le Figaro, and Libération.

Parismayor, Bertrand Delanoë and the 12^th arrondissement police chief resisted pressure from a long list of leftwing parties and pro-Islamization organizations. However, two days before the event, the police department issued a solemn warning to organizers and speakers who, they claim, have been associated in the past with “initiatives” that disturb the peace. Agents present in the meeting hall would be attentive to any statement that might cross the line, for which speakers would be answerable in the French courts.

No solemn warning was addressed to the demonstrators. One of the participating organizations, Euro-Palestine, spearheads the BDS campaign here in France. Commandos film their illegal operations in shops and supermarkets and proudly post the videos on their site: http://www.europalestine.com/  Their call to oppose the “islamophobe fascists” on December 18^th apparently didn’t generate much enthusiasm among their islamophile fascist fans.

Mouloud Aounit, president of MRAP [movement against racism and for friendship among the people], interviewed this morning on the highbrow France culture (state-owned) radio station, declared that “these organizations” –associated with the anti-Islamization Congress--have been belching hatred for Muslims on their sites. “We know,” intoned Aounit, “that violent words lead to violent acts.”

STOP RIGHT THERE. Isn’t this the point where the handful of protestors and the hefty audience of today’s momentous event come to a meeting of the minds? Let’s hear that again: violent words lead to violent acts. And the Islamization of our society is marked, precisely, by an intolerable level of violence. And this violence is fomented by the hatred of Others inscribed in Islam. The violent words preached in far too many mosques explain why Europeans are becoming “intolerant” of the craze for mosque construction. Oskar Freysinger, initiator of the Swiss minaret ban referendum, was greeted, according to the AFP release, like a hero.

Aounit was followed, on France Culture, by a police official who explained that the pork and wine street party planned for the Goutte d’Or neighborhood on June 18^th was banned because it was likely to disturb the peace. On the contrary, he said, the anti-Islamization Congress is held indoors. It is discreet. There was no big poster campaign. The document announcing the event is rather moderate. So authorities decided to respect the right of assembly and free expression.

Isn’t that the point? The other big Islamic issue this week is Muslim street prayers. Maxime Lépante of Riposte Laïque, major organizer of today’s Congress, has been posting videos of the prayers all year. They finally came to the attention of the general public when Marine LePen, daughter of the retiring president of the Front National, compared them to an “occupation” of our territory. (I’m covering this story for Family Security Matters here http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.8167/pub_detail.asp). A pork and wine street party in a [Muslim?] neighborhood of Paris would be offensive, but hundreds of prostrate Muslims praying in the streets of a [French?] neighborhood of Paris is not? Pork and wine are provocative but “allahu akhbar” isn’t?

For a variety of practical reasons I was not able to attend today’s anti-Islamization meeting… which is why I am here to inform you now, as the participants file out into a snowstorm. I will have inside information in the coming days. My attempts to follow the debates online were stumped but I see from readers’ comments on newspaper websites that many people were successful. I’m told that there were five thousand visits to the site.

And we can be proud that our friend Tom Trento (Florida Security Council) was quoted in the AFP release: “All the speakers focused on the ‘dangers’ of Islam. An American militant, Tom Trento, declared—according to the French translation of his speech projected on screen, that ‘political Islam’ is a greater danger than Hitler was.”

Speaking of “political Islam,” the UOIF is listed among the organizations that took part in today’s protest against the “Assises.” The UOIF is known to be a Muslim Brotherhood front.

We don’t intend to wait for proof that these guys are worse than Hitler!