I’ll paraphrase one commenter on this Daily Mail story by saying the English authorities are all but ceding control of the streets to the angry mobs of unemployed hooligans their massive welfare state produces:

A St George’s Day parade through an inner-city area hit by race riots has been canceled following police advice.

Community groups had planned to stage the multi-cultural event in Bradford and 1,500 schoolchildren were due to take part.

Many of the youngsters had already made flags of St George to carry on the parade on April 23, which was designed to boost community cohesion.

But last week police and council chiefs told the organisers that the event could not go ahead as planned for ‘health and safety’ reasons. At a meeting, police demanded a shorter route which avoided two streets at the centre of the race riots in 2001.

As a result, organisers have decided to call off the event, which was due to attract more than 10,000 people.

Bradford City councillor Quasim Khan said: “We were told by the police at the meeting that the original route had not been risk assessed and if we wanted a march to go ahead on that date, St George’s Day, we would have to accept a smaller, different route.

“The police officers were getting quite animated, saying things like ‘look, this just isn’t going to happen’.” Police and council officials said they did not have sufficient warning of the event.

However, community leaders planning the parade said the event was blighted because of fears it could stoke up violence. They claimed a police inspector had actually begun the plans for the parade nine months ago.

The Rev Tony Tooby, chairman of governors at St Philips primary school, which was due to take part, said: “We wanted the route to include where some of the riots had taken place to educate our young people.

“The police and council just kept telling us that the reason for their objection was ‘health and safety’. They proposed another route which was ridiculously short. The march would have been over before it began.

“Unfortunately, there’s a fear that someone may have used it to cause violence.

“The day seems to have been taken away from us because of fears of thugs. “The council and police say something could go ahead on July 1, but it won’t be a St George’s Day celebration.’

The police are afraid that a parade that celebrates the cultural heritage of England will cause a race riot. If that doesn’t tell them they’re in trouble nothing will.

The parade was to be an inclusive event meant to heal the wounds caused by riots in 2001, riots which started when neo-Nazis and Muslims clashed. The police, in airing their fears of Muslim anger, are both equating St. George Day with White Nationalism and promoting the view of Muslims as unwilling and unable to assimilate into British culture.

There are Muslims who want this to be the case, who want to isolate British Muslims so as to recruit them into Islamist groups. The police have played right into their hands.

Gates of Vienna reacts. Gateway Pundit fleshes the story out with more links.