"Gay Free Zone" Posters In London: Is EDL Behind Them?

Being a thoroughly modern kinda guy I was chatting to people on Facebook last night.
A friend had posted about some anti-gay posters that have appeared in Hoxton, near the gay pub The George & Dragon;
"Loads of these posters have been seen around London. Who is behind them?"
There's been a lot of chatter about these "Gay Free Zone" posters this week.
They were first noted by blogger, Trial By Jeory, Extremists declare Tower Hamlets “gay free zone”, on February 2nd. A friend of his had seen some stickers [both posters and stickers have appeared] in Spitalfields, in East London.
On Thursday, The Daily Star picked up the story.
They're not usually known for getting angry about homophobia - but boy do they love any excuse to demonise Muslims.
FURY AS ISLAM FANATICS DECLARE GAY-FREE ZONE
"MUSLIM extremists have declared a “Gay Free Zone” by launching a hate campaign at homosexuals.
"They have plastered an inner-city area with posters warning gays they will be “severely punished” by Allah.
"Angry locals in Tower Hamlets, east London, say the messages have been placed near schools and are aimed at children.
"One resident, who helped take down 20 posters, said: “They are an incitement to violence, an incitement to kill gay people.
“To put them opposite a school is shocking. There were also kids in a playground in the park where I found one. It’s a campaign of hate.”
Hmmm...
On Monday, the great Charlie Brooker devoted his column in The Guardian to a much praised attack on The Daily Star, and its rampant Islamophobia;
'Q: When does a tabloid become crude propaganda? A: When it starts printing it'
"...the Daily Star is either grossly irresponsible in its sloppy representation of the facts, or engaging in overt anti-Muslim propaganda.
"Who can blame a reader who, after reading such a skewed version of events, is gripped with anti- Muslim fervour?
"On the same page was a phone poll: DO YOU AGREE WITH THE EDL POLICIES? 98% of the respondents did. If I read the Star every day, and believed it, I'd join the EDL too."
Do you know my first thought when I heard about the anti-gay stickers? It's what I posted on Facebook last night;
"I think it's probably the English Defence League doing this, in all seriousness."
My friend replied; "Yeah, i agree that this may not be what it first appears. I made that point a few days ago and think it's really important to establish who's behind it. Quite easily a far-right tactic to create tensions."
Several people commented that they had suspected the same thing.
The EDL is often banging on about homophobia and Islam - and appear keen to attract gay supporters; they even claimed in December to have dis-invited Koran-burning Pastor Terry Jones to adddress a rally, in part because of his homophobia.
Of course, there is a strong homophobic current among Islamists.
Last month five Muslim men were arrested in Derby for distributing a leaflet that called for the execution of gay men.
So we shouldn't be surprised if some hate-filled Islamic fuckwits have been plastering east London with these posters.
But equally I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out the EDL were behind it.
Here's how Charlie Brooker concluded his column on Monday;
"I believe this is a wonderful country. All of it. The people are inherently decent and fair-minded. All of them. We should resist crude attempts at division, wherever they come from. Because we deserve better. All of us."