September 05, 2009

Anti-fascists clash with right-wing protesters in Birmingham

The EDL in action
There were angry clashes in a city centre today as right-wing protesters fought with anti-fascist campaigners in a busy shopping street.

A planned demonstration by The English Defence League in central Birmingham descended into violence as the group charged along New Street, close to the city's main train station. One onlooker said: "There were about 250 people in total, fighting and throwing bottles at each other."

The disorder spilled onto the adjoining Bennetts Hill, a street lined with a number of pubs, popular with shoppers. Dozens of riot police worked to contain the disturbance and a police helicopter hovered overhead. A police spokeswoman said there had been "pockets" of trouble but could not confirm whether any arrests had been made.

West Midlands Police said it would deal with anti-social behaviour or criminal activity connected to the protests "robustly" after a demonstration last month turned violent.

Earlier this week the force, along with Birmingham City Council, obtained an order from the Home Secretary banning protesters from the Bullring area of the city, under section 14a of the Public Order Act. Under the same legislation, Chief Constable Chris Sims passed an order restricting the protests to two locations - Lancaster Circus and Old Square. But after meeting on Broad Street in the city's entertainment district, demonstrators proceeded to New Street, around half a mile away, and trouble ensued.

The street, which houses a large number of banks, cafes and chain stores, is a major pedestrian route from Birmingham New Street train station to the Bullring shopping mall. The exact location of the first outbreak of violence is close to the city's Town Hall and central library.

Birmingham Post

36 comments:

Davey BCF said...

The Border City Firm couldnt make the trip with us having a home game today so we got one of your tossers last night.

http://newsandstar.co.uk/news/police_hunt_thugs_after_carlisle_street_attack_1_608250?referrerPath=home

Were on the march to get you all !! Killington lake was nothing compared to whats going to happen .
so you better post this you pathetic fucking bunch .

Brummie said...

I am not blaming the EDL here as backward hooliganism is their business. It is Birmingham City Council - we told you it would happen and it bloody well has but you chose to ignore us in your own beligerence ignorance stupidity and contempt for the Brummies you are elected to serve.


This Birmingham City Council are a disgrace and a liability to our City and its people of all ethnic backgrounds (at the top of that list are the people who were frightened by these yobs in town today.)

The best thing now that can happen from this mess is the Labour and Respect opposition must table a motion of no confidence in the Council, as they have sat back and allowed TWO fascist riots to take place on the busiest day of the trading week.

Harry said...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/8239818.stm

It's no surprise that the BBC are helping the EDL Casuals propaganda by repeating stupid claims that they urged their supporters not to use violence.

Nowhere did the fash-friendly BBC admit that the group contained a large number of football hooligans.

This must be because the EDL has close ties to their neo-Nazi darlings the BNP.

Why are the BBC running scared of the BNP? Is it because lots of BBC journalists are on Redwatch, by any chance?

Anonymous said...

Early reports are suggesting a repeat of August 8th, and battles in Bennetts Hill, between New Street and the Anglican Cathedral RIGHT IN THE HEART of the shopping area. There are reports of scared innocent shoppers and workers who'll remember this next time they have to come into town on a Saturday.

Anonymous said...

The death threat looks sinister, and I hope that you can get Google to release the IP address so this homocidal-minded maniac hooligan can be banged up for a long jail sentence.

P.S., the BBC have painted the picture that the organisers of the EDL Casuals are blameless and peace-loving, failing to mention that they are banned from every football ground in England and Wales.

Typical BBC pro neo-nazi spin paid for from OUR licence fees.

Brummie said...

The Border City Firm couldnt make the trip with us having a home game today so we got one of your tossers last night.

http://newsandstar.co.uk/news/police_hunt_thugs_after_carlisle_street_attack_1_608250?referrerPath=home

Were on the march to get you all !! Killington lake was nothing compared to whats going to happen .
so you better post this you pathetic fucking bunch .

What lovely peace loving English patriots you are, and fine ambassadors for the green and pleasant country you claim to be in defence of!

Jen said...

What's with the neo-nazi football hooligan death threats?

Antifascist said...

"What's with the neo-nazi football hooligan death threats?"

We get thousands of posts like that one and every now and again we let one through just to remind all our readers of precisely what we're dealing with.

Anonymous said...

"Were on the march to get you all !! Killington lake was nothing compared to whats going to happen .
so you better post this you pathetic fucking bunch"

Obviously one of the BNP's more intellectual members!

Haven't we been here before (yawn) ?

1960's White Defence League
1980's British Movement
1990's C18
2000's EDL/CU (BNP's bitches)

charley said...

I hope the ringleaders of the EDL Casuals are locked up for sentences of at least four years each without parole to act as a deterrent against neo-nazi rioters!

Anonymous said...

All nazis and football hooligans should be jailed for a very long time.

Anonymous said...

Dont care what you get on here from fans defending the sport of soccer football is to blame along with Birmingham City Council.

. said...

So busy rioting these patriotic football thugs are, they have missed the start of the England match.

Is football only an excuse to inflict violence upon others?

Anonymous said...

"We didn't see it coming", the council and the police chief will say, when the official post-riot analysis begins.

Of course the blinkered beaurocrats didn't see anything coming, as they ignored almost three thousand letters of complaint and warnings from several politicians also.

Anonymous said...

"Dont care what you get on here from fans defending the sport of soccer football is to blame along with Birmingham City Council."

Stop using this forum to bash football (soccer!?) - It's a sport loved by millions all over the world.

The racist EDL are to blame for this and nothing and nobody else.

Anonymous said...

EDL BNP KKK

all the same

Brummie said...

The BBC's Dominic Casciani said police filled two double-decker buses with protesters from the English Defence League and transported them to Lancaster Circus.

"Police made them hold their protest in an underpass at Lancaster Circus, where no-one could see them," he added.

This quote is from a BBC journalist at the scene, so why does this contradict the 'ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS OUT' photo which looks like it was taken in the Central Business District of Colmore Row, Waterloo Street or Bennetts Hill, a good 10min walk from Lancaster Circus??

Brummie said...

Why are the BBC running scared of the BNP? Is it because lots of BBC journalists are on Redwatch, by any chance?

I'm not scared to turn on the Today programme now or Newsnight - listening to both of these programmes' love for all things BNP and racistly far right reminds me of how we Brits used to listen in to Lord Haw-Haw during WW2 for comedic value and nothing else.

'Welshpool calling!!'

Road to Damascus said...

Ths has absolutely nothing to do with the cuddly, fluffy, squeaky-clean NuBNP!

Anonymous said...

Looks to me like they got very little publicity, apart from the Beeb.

Maybe we should all stop paying our license fee as they seem to be the only ones promoting the fash and their agenda.

Brummie said...

Looks to me like they got very little publicity, apart from the Beeb.

Maybe we should all stop paying our license fee as they seem to be the only ones promoting the fash and their agenda.

Like Simon 'Donkey' Darby???

Anonymous said...

I don't watch the BBC much but that corporation got burned a few years back when the 'Secret Agent' documentary case against Gri$$in and Collett ended with 'not guilty' verdicts.

From then the BBC have been wary of mounting anything too challenging against the BNP - they tend to be ultra-conservative about possible litigation. They also may view the massive amount of e-mails they recieve from armchair-bound BNP supporters as indicative of a massive groundswell of support for the fascists in the country. We know, however, that relatively small groups of people generate a hell of a lot of this mail.

Jamie The Antifascist said...

Well B.C.C, don't say we didn't warn ya, if it wasn't for that stuck-up Tory tosser, the only thing waiting for the EDL once they got of the trains would be a whole platform full of bobbies souped up in riot gear :)

BNP/Tories=same

eric the fish said...

Many people having a go at the BBC.

I wonder sometimes...

the circus said...

The Chief Constable of the West Midlands Police must surely do the honourable thing now and resign for failing to protect the citizens of Birmingham from the football hooligans.

Like all fascists, they take pride in double-crossing people who do deals with them. Just as Stalin did a deal with Hitler, the Chief Constable agreed terms of engagement with the EDL Casuals, which should have meant the football hooligans would stick to their designated area, but just like their idol Adolf Hitler, the nazis doublecrossed the deal-makers once again, leaving the Chief Constable with plenty of egg on his face.

If a bunch of ragtag soccer bootboys can outsmart the entire high-tech West Midlands force to create a riot that the squad insisted could not and would not happen, the sword must fall on his head.

So do the honourable thing, please, Mister Chief Constable, and resign. Yes, it will mean losing your salary, and possibly some of your pension but YOU DIDN'T DO YOUR JOB!!!

Don't worry, there's plenty of jobs going as nightclub bouncers, which, to put it frankly, is up your street.

You're just a clown!!!

Anonymous said...

If EDL have nothing to hide and they are as they say they are, ie a peaceful non-fascist racist or confrontational organisation why do they have to hide their faces?

Anonymous said...

Sorry is not good enough!!!

(the BBC photo)

CRIMESTOPPA said...

URGENT: - KETLAN AND DENISE:

I've just spotted an EDL Casual committing a criminal offence captured on BBC video.

On the following BBC video, does a fascist run down an allweyway (man on the left-hand side of the picture), and out into a shopping precinct, making an illegal Hitler salute?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8240064.stm

If so, this dipstick should and must be arrested for doing this.

Does anyone else notice this man?

If this is indeed a Hitler salute, this proves the EDL are neo-nazis, despite claiming they are not!

Yes said...

It looks very much like this EDL football hooligan did indeed make an illegal stiff-arm Hitler salute.

Why didn't the BBC notice this, and remark upon it during the news report?

And the cops. Why the fuck wasn't this fascist bastard arrested for making the Nazi salute??????

joe said...

With this Hitler salute clearly captured on BBC Video, this should be the end of all pretence that the EDL are not hardcore fascists.

Hope you can enhance the photo of the Hitler salute and put it on the blog as a seperate story, LUnity!

Anonymous said...

Knowing the BBC, they will quickly remove the video when they realise it contains damning evidence about the true nature of the EDL.

Anonymous said...

Hope this Hitler-saluting dickhead will be shortly get a knock on his door for inciting racial hatred!

EDL CASUALS YOUR TIME IS UP!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

It's close to a nazi salute, but his fingers remain open in more of a taunt/victory yob salute.

Anonymous said...

@Eric the fish

Please don't be so cryptic.

What do you wonder?

Anonymous said...

You've got one giving a nazi salute and others holding up an Israeli flag (see the Daily Mail website).

Could make it up, could yer?

Brummie said...

You've got one giving a nazi salute and others holding up an Israeli flag (see the Daily Mail website).

This was the EDL's 'pisstake of the day' in their last visit they brazenly displayed a Black and White Unite poster, well in front of the BBC cameras anyway.