September 04, 2011

EDL protest in East London sees 60 arrested

Not quite the trip of a lifetime for a heavily kettled EDL mob
Thanks to Paul Maul for the image link
Sixty people have been arrested after English Defence League (EDL) members clashed with police in East London.

Police said 16 arrests were made during a demonstration by the group, while 44 people on a coach were held later on suspicion of violent disorder. The protest went ahead despite a ban on marches in the area, with police estimating 1,000 EDL supporters and 1,500 counter-protesters had gathered. Missiles were thrown by activists as 3,000 police tried to maintain control.

The supporters of the EDL, which says it is protesting against Islamic extremism in the UK, assembled near Aldgate Tube station, with the counter-protesters gathering in nearby Whitechapel Road. The EDL protesters were later led to Tower Bridge by police to disperse.

The 16 arrests during the demonstration were for offences including assault on a police officer, common assault, drunk and disorderly and affray. The later arrests came after a coach taking EDL supporters away following the protest broke down outside Stepney Green Tube station, at about 18:30 BST. Police said there had already been one altercation with local youths after the vehicle stopped in Whitechapel Road and some passengers got off the coach. When the coach broke down outside the station there was a further disturbance, the Metropolitan Police said, and all the passengers were arrested.

Officers from London were joined in patrolling the protests by colleagues from around the UK. Vans from forces as far away as Cumbria, Lancashire and Grampian were in action, with riot police, mounted officers and dogs also employed.

EDL founder Stephen Lennon, 28, breached his bail conditions by attending the protest in Aldgate, but was not one of those arrested. He stood to address the crowd disguised in a wide-brimmed hat and fake beard before revealing his identity.

He said: "I'm meant to sign on at a police station on a Saturday, I'm not doing that. I'm not allowed to go to a demonstration, I'm not doing that. The credible outcome is I will be put on remand in prison for my democratic right."

Lennon was convicted in July of leading a street brawl with 100 football fans in August last year.

Home Secretary Theresa May had imposed a ban on marching in Newham, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Islington, Hackney and the City of London. The EDL had claimed the ban on marching sent out "completely the wrong message" and insisted a static demonstration would go ahead.

The activists were supposedly prevented from chanting or waving their flags while walking as that would constitute a march. The protest was moved however, at the behest of police, as the EDL protesters were led towards Tower Bridge by mounted and riot police. They were held on the bridge for about 40 minutes before being allowed to disperse.

Police had not requested powers to stop marches in London since the Brixton riots 30 years ago.

BBC

Thanks to NewsHound for the heads-up

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

According to Hope not hate, "We are hearing that EDL leader Stephen Yaxley Lennon aka Tommy Robinson was arrested by the Police last night and is being held in custody and believes he will be taken to Preston Magistrates Court on Monday to appear for breaking his bail conditions."

RK said...

I know you're not going to want to repeat all this but it's a lot of bad publicity for old one lamp.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/2011/09/04/bailiffs-seize-bnp-boss-nick-griffin-s-car-115875-23394542/

Angry ex-BNP member said...

Nick Griffin just tweeted this:

"My dad's 9Oth birthday. Family do tonight. Think he's had one too many, but reckon he deserves it."

Why, because he's told you how to avoid paying your debts and thus destroyed legitimate businesses? Because you avoid paying tax? Because you now know how to lie to bailiffs and avoid having your home repossessed after ripping off BNP members for millions over the years? Or for avoiding any trace of the vast amounts of money provided via the Trafalgar Club?

He deserves nothing, the old bastard, and nor do you - except prison for fraud and theft.

Anonymous said...

http://uaf.org.uk/2011/09/victory-over-edl-in-tower-hamlets-they-did-not-pass/

Anonymous said...

No flipping mention of the thousands strong and militant Unite Against Fascism/United East End demo?! Edl had a poor day, no more than 8oo of them, they didn't passinto Tower Hamlets and were lucky not to have been met by so many anti fascists.

This could be aturning point in the fight against them, a great day for our side, hats off to Uaf/UEE and the RMT!

Anonymous said...

http://uaf.org.uk/2011/09/victory-over-edl-in-tower-hamlets-they-did-not-pass/

Anonymous said...

Not only did they not pass but they got a surprise when they shouted racist abuse from their coach -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AP9DTdIDn5A

Antifa said...

Talking of racism, the Nazi-sympathising newspaper owned by Richard Desmond has been deliberately referring every day to the Irish travelling community as "the travellers", in a dehumanising perjorative manner.

People used to refer to "The Blacks", and 2The Asians or The P*kis", lumping everybody together within one particular ethnic group as an identikit enemy.

How Richard Desmond's late relatives must be turning in their graves at a Jewish man copying the racial hatred of the Daily Mail, who in the 1930s "The Jews" as a singular person to be despised.

All the more so, now Rabbis have visited Dale Farm to lend their support to protest against the racist eviction.

Isn't Richard Desmond aware of The Holocaust?

If not, he is not fit to own Channel 5.

Shame on him!

paul.. maul said...

Please add this "EDL Trip Of A Lifetime" photo, AntiFascist, to take the chuffing piss:

https://london.indymedia.org/system/photo/2011/09/04/7801/02_kx_containment.jpg

For the EDL, is was anything except ....

Paul Maul said...

https://london.indymedia.org/system/photo/2011/09/04/7801/02_kx_containment.jpg

Please add this "EDL Trip Of A Lifetime" photo to the story, enlarging this bit of the photo, to take the f*ing piss...

(see photo)

Anonymous said...

I haven't seen so many ugly people in one place since my last time at Ibrox.

Anonymous said...

HnH now reporting SYL is on hunger strike.

I would ask who the fuck does he think he is - but that's already obvious.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

I haven't seen so many ugly people in one place since my last time at Ibrox.

Funny that, it was my last visit to Parkhead for me since I saw that many ugly people in one place.