Violence flares at English Defence League protest in Leicester
Officers wearing riot gear and dog handlers worked to keep a crowd of EDL supporters under control as bricks and coins were thrown at police. The EDL held a static demonstration and Unite Against Fascism (UAF) staged a counter-protest in the Humberstone Gate East area of the city.
At least 1,400 officers were drafted in from 12 other forces to deal with the demonstrations, the city's largest policing operation in 25 years.
EDL supporters arrived from across the country in coaches throughout the morning. They were permitted to gather ahead of the protests in Hotel Street, Leicester, with police monitoring the groups in four different pubs.
With many wearing EDL branded hoodies and carrying banners, they met in and around the pubs, monitored by officers and police evidence gatherers. Some chanted ''EDL, EDL" while others carried banners reading slogans including "Sharia laws will destroy Britain and all our British values''.
Before the protests started, police said one person was arrested for drugs offences and another three people were also arrested.
Earlier this week, Theresa May, the Home Secretary, authorised a blanket ban on marches in Leicester, but the groups were still permitted to hold static demonstrations in Humberstone Gate East in the city from 2pm to 3.30pm. The area was shut down by police today, with rival groups placed either side of metal barriers.
Much of the city centre appeared quiet and some shops were boarded up near to the protest site.
Police were using Section 14 of the Public Order Act which meant officers could take action against anyone who protests outside that place and time. They were also using stop and search powers, and were supported by the dog unit, mounted unit and East Midlands Air Support Unit.
At one point a policeman was put into a buggy-style ambulance on a stretcher. Some EDL protesters were also treated by police medics, it is unclear what their injuries were.
Police said around 1,000 EDL supporters had turned up and approximately 700 UAF demonstrators.
Telegraph
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19 comments:
The city centre was quiet!
turned up at the UAF point, quite a few there but all calm.
Couldnt hear the Extremely Dense League at all!
As I left @4 there were quite a few gangs of Asian lads lurking but no hassle.
Basically, the edl turned up, got kettled, go pissed, stamped their feet a bit and got bussed home.
EDL national mobilisation = 1000
Leicester local mobilisation = 700
Nice peace festival going on in Leicester tomorrow if anyone is in the area... feel free to turn up and see what Leicester is really like!
edl, spent force at best, waste of time for them. Many edl will be well miffed at spending all that money and not even getting a proper fight.
Thanks Leicester, you let them show themselves to be the ignorant nobends they really are, you did yourself proud.
Peace
Basically, the edl turned up, got kettled, go pissed, stamped their feet a bit and got bussed home.
Like every other EDL Demo then.
Even they must be getting bored of all this by now.
Jeff "Stabber" Marsh got his ugly mug into The Atlantic by spitting at a reporter:
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/10/f.html
what 'Leicester' were you at? Doesn't surprise me that you 'saw nothing' being amongst the UAF.
I can assure you that the EDL took it Asians/Blacks and had them on the run!
Yeah you dick, you beat up on some passerbys and shopkeepers, harly 'Islamic extremists' were they?
And even outnumbered, they gave it back to ya lol!
I can assure you that the EDL took it Asians/Blacks and had them on the run!
"Asians/Blacks".....Not that you're racist or anything!
Felt good beating up on Black people, did it?
Anon @10:21
You chased a few kids for 100m, then bottled it when you realised you were entering an area where you would get a good hiding.... thats the truth!
Now then chasing a few kids down a street is hardly Agincourt is it?
You smashed a few windows in an art centre.
You chucked a few smoke bombs at the cops.
EDL taking back the streets, my arse.
Sorry 'Northern Leicester Lad' but it sounds like you missed all the drama then!
At the end of their alloted time, around 15:30ish, the EDL broke out of the kettle to the rear of Humberstone Gate East, (the other end from the UAF demo), and charged into the city centre indiscriminately attacking anyone who wasn't white.
There were some ugly scenes on Charles Street, with very few (if any) anti-fash or locals able to defend the city against the mob.
Around the same time a sizable group of locals, (around 40-50, of which nearly half were female), appeared at the far end of the police cordon from the EDL, (Dysart Way/St Georges Circle), saying the EDL were rampaging through the city and trying to find a way through.
The group moved off north up Dysart Way towards the train station and then came running back down the road, scattered and pursued by 100-200 EDL, who were being led on their pogrom by none other than 'Tommy Robinson', (known by his parents as Steven Yaxley-Lennon), and Kevin Carroll!
A few of the locals got hurt, but the majority managed to make it back to the edge of St Matthews were reinforcements were guarding the entrances to the estate, (which has a number of halal butchers etc).
The EDL then turned north of Humberstone Road and tried to force their way into the Highfields, (specifically the mosque), but again the locals managed to hold them back until the police intervened and kettled them under the railway bridge for their own safety.
Most estimates were an EDL turnout of around 1500, which would probably be a fair estimate. It was certainly their biggest turnout to date, and their bluff of saying they'd also go to Coventry and Nuneaton paid off as it was clear the police resources were split.
The Leicester mobilisation was MUCH higher than 700, however at least 90% of the locals remained in defensive positions guarding the mosques and estates. The UAF turnout was pitiful, around 300, and the 'militant' anti-fash turnout was even worse with around 20-30 maximum.
The community of Leicester defended itself against the EDL, with virtually no support from anti-fascists...and with the EDL outnumbering the police the stage was set for the sort of scenes seen on Charles Street, Dysart Way and St Georges Circle Retail Park.
To suggest the EDL are a 'spent force' and that 'many will be well miffed at spending all that money and not even getting a proper fight' is utterly ridiculous, and symptomatic of the kind of keyboard posturing that the EDL so rightly take the piss out of.
Most estimates were an EDL turnout of around 1500, which would probably be a fair estimate. It was certainly their biggest turnout to date, and their bluff of saying they'd also go to Coventry and Nuneaton paid off as it was clear the police resources were split.
The Leicester 'mobilisation' was MUCH higher than 700, however at least 90% of the locals remained in defensive positions guarding their mosques and estates. The UAF turnout was pitiful, around 300, and the 'militant' anti-fash turnout was even worse with around 20-30 maximum.
The community of Leicester defended itself against the EDL, with virtually no support from anti-fascists...and with the EDL outnumbering the police the stage was set for the sort of scenes seen on Charles Street, Dysart Way and St Georges Circle Retail Park.
To suggest the EDL are a 'spent force' and that 'many will be well miffed at spending all that money and not even getting a proper fight' is utterly ridiculous, and symptomatic of the kind of keyboard posturing that the EDL so rightly take the piss out of.
There was plenty of fighting with the police and some serious confrontations with the locals, which will have given them plenty of encouragement, and best of all for the scum...they were led into battle by their dear leader, 'Tommy Robinson'!
The only good thing to come from the day was the fact that the community wasn't provoked into Bradford style rioting, and that is thanks to the amazing work of the community leaders who kept calm in the neighbourhoods and had absolutely fuck all to do with the few anti-fash who actually bothered turning up!
As for anonymous, (who posted at 10:21 AM, October 10, 2010), it is true that the the 'EDL took it [to the] Asians/Blacks and had them on the run' but it was only a small group, (about 40-50), comprised mainly of kids and girls. However, when faced with the real local opposition on route to the mosque in Highfields it was a completely different story!
A BNP member decided to throw a beer in my face, nice to see 3 policemen pounce on him as soon as he did it ;)
Why is it that most Nazis are fat?
Run rabbits run.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/oct/10/english-defence-league-tea-party
So we can safely say that the edl claims of wanting to peacefully protest were complete lies then.
"The community of Leicester defended itself against the EDL, with virtually no support from anti-fascists"?
I've dedicated the last 2 years of my life to fighting tooth-and-nail against the BNP and EDL, and have never been involved with any formally constituted Anti-Fascist group, but I'm still most definitely an Anti-Fascist.
Like me, ALL members of the community who oppose Fascism, in fact all members of the community who don't even actively oppose Fascists but who aren't actually Fascists themselves, are still by definition Anti-Fascists. Anti-Fascism is not some sort of political sect, it's a definition that includes virtually everyone in society
Dear EDL,
you went to Leicester, you got drunk*, you shouted abuse, you threw smoke bombs at the police, you smashed some shop windows, you terrorised locals, whose crime against 'England' appeared to be shopping and the "EDL took it Asians/Blacks..", so I suppose you had a few fights.
Can you tell me exactly which part of 'Englishness' you are defending on my behalf?
I am seriously stuck on this one, none of the above represents ANYTHING to do with the England I want to live in.
And you, my little closet racists (who appear to have so little work ethic that you despise people who work hard), are not English.
* Why do your 'demonstrations' HAVE to involve pubs? And, why on Earth do the police allow you to get bladdered?
"Run rabbits run"
Another cowardly neo-nazi EDL troll who enjoys chasing people of colour down the street???
Why do so many "nationalists" as they like to call themselves, read this blog, Ketlan?
" And, why on Earth do the police allow you to get bladdered? "
I can only think it is a cheap way for the state to identify the edl members. Each weaselspoons pub they visit has cctv and the edl fools happily drink in view of the cameras. Then of course they don their masks and hit the streets to mispronounce the country they are supposed to be defending in their chants lol
That isn't Jeff Marsh in that photograph.
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