I have written previously about how Richard Desmond’s Daily Express has consistently over the years carried highly inflammatory anti-Muslim headlines. Today’s front page story based on yesterday’s arrests of six men thought to be mainly of North African origin is no different.

The six men have not yet been charged with having committed any offences and it could be that they may have done nothing wrong and have been arrested due to mistaken or misleading information given to the police. We will just have to wait and see what the police investigation uncovers.

But this has not stopped Richard Desmond’s vile rag the Daily Express from running with its ‘Muslim Plot To Kill Pope’ story and claiming in the standfirst (the bit immediately below the main headline) that ‘Bogus street cleaners held’.

Can you imagine what the consequences would be if the situation was reversed and instead of a Jewish proprietor inciting bigotry towards Muslims with his UK newspaper it was a Muslim proprietor who was inciting bigotry towards Jews with his UK paper? Can you really imagine him getting away with this type of incitement week in and week out? And yet, Desmond not only does get away with it he has recently been allowed to purchase Channel Five television too.

When it comes to large sections of the UK media, some people are clearly more equal than others.

Update: The BBC are now reporting that Scotland Yard sources are saying that they believe the six arrested men posed no threat to the Pope. No prizes for guessing whether or not Desmond’s Daily Express will report this news on the front page.

Inayat’s Corner