Daily Mail defames EDL

First of all, I am not and never have been a supporter of the English Defence League.

Nevertheless I am disgusted at the way they are often defamed in the national press.  Consider this report in The Daily Mail about an ongoing criminal prosecution. 

"We had a conversation with regards to the EDL, which I know stands for the English Defence League," Mr Roe said.

This is probably true, and unremarkable.  However the witness continues:

"I believe they incite hatred against different races and creeds, Asians in particular."

This is not a statement of fact but rather of belief.  Now consider this Daily Mail report about a former EDL spokesman.  The man's name is Guramit Singh Kalirai.

Are we really to believe that  Guramit Singh Kalirai was once a spokesman for an organisation which incites "hatred against different races and creeds, Asians in particular"?

The answer is of course no.  The EDL is an organisation which has never concerned itself with anything other than what it calls Islamism or militant Islam.  As an aside, what they call militant Islam is simply Islam.  I have already noted some of the teachings of Islam.

Back on topic though, why does The Daily Mail repeat the defamation of the EDL by a witness?  The law of defamation does not apply to witnesses in court, and so the EDL cannot sue the witness for defaming them.  Also, I am not sure the EDL can sue anyone for defamation, given that the EDL - so far as I am aware - is not a legal person.

(By contrast, a company is a legal person, which can sue and be sued.  A political party is not a legal person, but has officers who can sue or be sued on behalf of the party.)

The Daily Mail is entitled to report the criminal prosecution of a teenager, and also to report relevant statements made by witnesses.  I cannot see however why it should want to repeat defamatory allegations which have no bearing on the case.

But of course the national press is no stranger to misrepresentation of the facts, as I have previously noted.

I never buy national newspapers, and I hope you don't either.