Greater Manchester Police have claimed a turnout of around 2,000 demonstrators in total, with anti-fascists outnumbering EDL by around three to one. Despite this, the EDL’s turnout was far greater than previous demonstrations, numbering in the several hundreds. Unlike past counter-demos too, young Muslims were conspicuously a small minority, after many local Asian leaders advised their communities to stay away in light of the negative coverage given by the mainstream media.

With the city centre closed down by hundreds of riot cops, 48 arrests were made during the day “on suspicion of public order offences” several of them “racially motivated”, and 10 people were injured, one seriously.

Anti-fascist protesters began to gather in the town centre from 10am, having been informed via a press release that the EDL would be assembling in the Wetherspoons in Piccadilly from midday. A UAF rally was scheduled for the same time.

Around 12.30pm a group of EDL protesters formed in front of Wetherspoons holding placards decorated with phrases such as “No More Mosques in the UK” and “This is England NOT Englishistan”. They were met with a line of anti-fascists from around the Northwest region. For the next four hours, the situation became a slow burn cat-and-mouse chase around Piccadilly Gardens, with the police in the middle.

Eventually, GMP’s finest imposed a “lock down” on the whole area meaning both groups were confined to the centre section of the gardens to trade insults. Scuffling between police and protesters on both sides broke out as attempts were made to break lines and confront opponents. EDL supporters are reported to have thrown bottles, planks and coins, and engaged in racist chanting and Nazi salutes. Several anti-fascists were injured by police as they attempted to reach the EDL, with one person being badly mauled by a police dog.

The standoff continued until around 5pm when the Police escorted the EDL on their march through the Northern Quarter. Many EDL supporters rushed out of surrounding pubs to join the rally, having previously stayed inside in order to avoid the police. They were then ushered onto transport to aid their return from Manchester.

The EDL have since released a comment on the protest stating that they had participants of all backgrounds and races as part of their march, despite the only evidence to support this being the Israeli flag carried by one protester and as few as two women spotted among the EDL ranks. When asked by MULE about his motivations for attending the protest, one EDL supporter (a white, middle aged man) explained that “he just felt like coming down, really…I felt like a day out”.

Many Manchester residents not directly associated with the UAF turned out to express their disgust at the EDL’s choice of Manchester as the site to protest. One local resident explained that he had felt the need to attend as he “[doesn’t] believe they are what they say they are”, the reality being a “motley crew of thugs” who are unwelcome in Manchester in any form. “Not in my town,” he added.

UAF have claimed victory, with spokesman Mike Gilligan stating that it was “a tremendously successful day for the anti-racist movement. The EDL were run out of town, they were not very powerful, they completely failed.”

 http://themule.info/article/edl-outnumbered-in-manchester-protest