Man aged 50 arrested over trouble at EDL protest

Police investigating offences committed during an English Defence League demonstrations in Halifax have arrested a 50-year-old man. The suspect, from Bolton, has since been bailed, pending further inquiries.

The arrest was made after officers trawled through hours of CCTV footage from earlier this year when the EDL protested in the town.

Police have estimated that there were 450 EDL supporters, with 70 counter-demonstrators also taking place in the area. As a result of their work, nine men were identified as wanted over public order offences, with officers believing they could be living in West and South Yorkshire, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Dave Pervin, of West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, said: “Like any large-scale operation it is not always possible to tackle every single incident at the time and this is where our follow-up enquiries begin.”

So far six offenders have been dealt with, either through court appearances or with fixed penalties.

Yorkshire Post

EDL demo: Five people arrested and police officer injured

EDL scumbag at the Eureka Children's Museum with
smuggled-in pint and bag of cocaine. Picture courtesy of Hope not hate.

Hundreds of police officers were deployed in Halifax today to keep English Defence League protesters under control.

Around 450 members of the far-right group came to the town, with coaches arriving from the Midlands and other parts of the country. Some clashed with a counter demonstration in King Cross but were marched to the designated protest site at Eureka car park. There was also some who arrived in Sowerby Bridge and marched from there into Halifax.

Police had to don riot gear when the protesters broke their way out of the car park and onto the childrens museum site. The protesters were herded back onto coaches and trains and out of Halifax by around 5pm.

Five people have been arrested on suspicion of public order offences. A 21-year-old has also been arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon. A police officer was injured. He suffered a broken collar bone.

Around 70 people were at the counter demonstration in King Cross.

Halifax Courier

Thanks to NewsHound for the heads-up on the pic