There has been some highly suspicious goings-on at Birkbeck University, original venue for the Islamic Human Rights Commission’s conference on Institutional Islamophobia. After a small scale threat by far-right groupsCasuals United and Britain First, Birkbeck College have decided not to host the event, necessitating a last minute change of venue. Officials from Birkbeck have cited their inability to organise security for the event, a claim which does not stand up to scrutiny when you consider that in the past, the University of London have hosted some very controversial events, that have led to large protests. In 2011, they hosted Ian Blair, ex-Met Police commissioner. This led to large and rowdy student protests but the talk went ahead. As recently as May this year, they hosted David Willetts, universities minister. The university somehow found enough security to host that talk, despite further rowdy protests. This time, however, it appears the threat of a dozen or so far right misfits has the entire university security apparatus, which has in the past dealt with occupations and demonstrations of several thousand people, utterly stumped.
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