Kenyan activist charged with supporting hate cleric rally riot

A Muslim activist in Kenya is facing charges of deliberately inciting violence following the rally held in support of notorious hate-cleric Abudullah al-Faisal which descended into chaos last Friday.

Al-Amin Kimathi was the organiser of the rally which expressed anger at the planned forced deportation of the preacher Abudullah al-Faisal but denies charges of inciting violence.

The riot itself saw some 300 violence-related arrests resulting in 141 charges of immigration offences. The remainder of the mainly ethnic Somali protestors – who the government also blamed for the violence – were eventually released without charge. The actions of the Kenyan government has led to accusations that they are stoking the fires of ethnic enmity according to human rights campaigners. To compound the confusion, the government’s decision to round up Somali’s for their involvement in the melee led to the arrest of twelve MP’s from that country. The group was released after a very strongly worded letter from the Somali government to its Kenyan

In addition to charges laid against Mr Kimathi, a further seven people are facing charges over the Nairobi riots which led to at least one confirmed death with several more expected to be confirmed in the next few days.

The Kenyan government is now investigating the causes of the riot through the state-sponsored Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights although Kimathi’s criticism of Faisal’s treatment has been well publicised.

While his lawyers claim that Kimathi caused no offence in the riots he has a history of support for the cleric Faisal who has been jailed previously in the UK for allegedly inciting the murders of Jews and Hindus.