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UAF Oppose EDL March in Westminster - Pictures

Peter Marshall | 08.03.2010 21:22 | Anti-racism

The UAF opposed the EDL march in Westminster in support of in support of Geert Wilders on Friday 5 March 2010. Police largely kept the two groups apart and ensured the march could take place. Photographs Copyright (C) Peter Marshall 2010, all rights reserved.

UAF gather at Old Palace Yard 1
UAF gather at Old Palace Yard 1

UAF gather at Old Palace Yard 2
UAF gather at Old Palace Yard 2

EDL at Morpeth Arms 1
EDL at Morpeth Arms 1

EDL at Morpeth Arms 2
EDL at Morpeth Arms 2

EDL at Tate Britain
EDL at Tate Britain

Free Speech EDL style
Free Speech EDL style

St George mask
St George mask

Officer threatens EDL - he soon got told to put it away!
Officer threatens EDL - he soon got told to put it away!

Police grab an EDL steward
Police grab an EDL steward

Police escort EDL man back to pen
Police escort EDL man back to pen

EDL + BNP = Nazi-racist thugs
EDL + BNP = Nazi-racist thugs


Other reports have already been posted on Indymedia but this is my own account of what I saw on the day. The UAF gathered in Old Palace Yard opposite the Houses of Parliament at 11.00 am and I photographed there, including MP Jeremy Corbyn who gave a short speech. After and hour or so I went to have coffee at Tate Britain where the EDL were due to meet at 1pm. No one had arrived by 12.40, but the pub a couple of hundred yards further down the road was packed with them and there were a hundred or so on the pavement outside.

Together with two other photographers I decided to go into the crowd and take pictures, and other photographers soon followed us. The EDL were on their best behaviour, with many wanting to pose for pictures, although I did get abuse from a few, as well as a lot of complaints about media coverage.

Shortly after 1pm the march formed up and made its way to Tate Britain, where it was held by police. Eventually we were told that the UAF had blocked the road, and the EDL decided to go back to the pub, coming back to outside the Tate half an hour or so later for a rally.

This was addressed by their Sikh member and another speaker. During the speeches one of the stewards made repeated attempts to stop photographers taking pictures of the crowd, holding his hands in front of our lenses. It was curious and counter-productive and there were far too many photographers for it to be in any way effective.

But with one or two exceptions such as this, the EDL were obviously making a great effort to control their members, and although there were racist chants, I didn't hear those about Allah which they had asked people not to use. On several occasions too I saw the EDL stewards restraining their marchers who were getting out of hand, and although I was threatened a few times while taking pictures I felt in no real danger.

The EDL were then escorted by police and police horses to a pen in Old Palace Road. Most of the UAF supporters had by this time been moved to the other side of the road behind the permanent barriers around Parliament, with some kept behind the fence in Victoria Gardens. There was a lot a shouting and a few minor incidents, but police largely kept the two sides apart.

At one point one of the mounted police drew his baton and threatened the marchers, but he didn't actually use it and another officer quickly edged his horse across and told him to put it away.

I didn't see any arrests at this time, but a few minutes later on of the UAF supporters who approached the EDL pen was marched away to a van. I also saw several EDL being escorted back to their pen after trying to reach the UAF line. (I heard that several UAF supporters had been arrested when police had cleared the road earlier.)

After an hour or so of the two sides facing each other the numbers seemed to be dwindling (although most of the EDL were still held in their pen) and I left.

Some more pictures on Demotix:
 http://www.demotix.com/news/268576/edl-london-march-opposed-uaf
More pictures on My London Diary in a day or two
 http://mylondondiary.co.uk/2010/03/mar.htm

Peter Marshall
- e-mail: petermarshall@cix.co.uk
- Homepage: http://mylondondiary.co.uk

Comments

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The UAF are Fascist Party

08.03.2010 22:12

We stopped the British Union of Fascists at Cable St by fighting the police.
We stopped the Scottish Defence League at Edinburgh Royal Mile by fighting the police and the UAF.

Fuck the UAF


EDL Sieg Heiling in London

08.03.2010 23:08


EDL Sieg Heiling in London - the guy with the shades on the bottom left....

LondonTourist


calling the EDL Nazi/facist, and them complaining about it. .

09.03.2010 00:50

doesnt seem to be very productive... undoubtedly there are many facist elements, including people active in the BNP and whats left of the NF but i would say they probably dont even count at the majority let alone the entirity.
There also appear to be a large number of people that are completely racist and/or against all muslims, not just 'extreme fundamentalists' (who tend to be pretty scary whatever religion they are).
again this isn't ALL the people though, and you cant really engage with those who are just anrgy and lashing out or misled or whatever if you just shout 'nazi' at them. It just makes UAF look out of touch to anyone who observes them, and the left has enough trouble with that stereotype without any help!


However I don't think anyone in the EDL can complain about being labled as such when its common knowledge that facists (bnp/NF/B&H) thugs looking for people or property to attack (a large proportion, or all, of casuals united) and a whole assortmment of racists are within their group.

If i had a campaign and facists turned up i'd tell them to fuck the hell off, its hard to see why even a nationalistic group would want to be associated with facists! (unless of course so much of their leadership/membership are facists or sympathise with them that such a course of action is impossible, which would again make it hard to justify complaining about being labled facists).






Ether


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The guy Seig Heiling was chucked off the demo and bundled over a fence

12.03.2010 05:27

That bloke was an infiltrator and was physically removed from the protest and chucked over a fence. The EDL are not racists...and anyone who can see will notice that there are Black and Asian men in the EDL. Not many women [yet] but this is because [for now] most of the support was found from blokes who enjoy football together.

They might seem a bit weird to some people and they have been accused of "being MOD" ..well that atmosphere around them is because some of them, openly, are ex armed forces.

I agree that some of the stuff on their website is a bit silly [like "Don't sing the 'Allah is a pedo' song on the demo" and telling grown men to go to the toilet before the march] but they are men and every woman knows that men are silly. Many of them are football supporters who have started a campaign with ex army mates . What you see there is what you get.

The BNP have called them a state "honey trap". Pot and Kettle.

So, anyway the Nazi bloke was chcucked out folks.

anon


Morpeth Arms

10.01.2014 11:33

Please can you kindly remove the reference to the Morpeth Arms from these 2 images on your website, it is creating an association with this pub which is undesirable. I appreciate that you may not wish to remove the photos but I would appreciate it if you can remove the tag that mentions the pub name. We have had customers cancelling bookings on the basis that they got the impression that we are a pub that supports the EDL.
Many thanks for your understanding.
Jayne Nelson (Marketing Manager, Young's pubs)

Jayne Nelson
mail e-mail: jayne.nelson@youngs.co.uk


Wrong on 2 counts

10.01.2014 12:29

@Morperth Arms

1. The comments section is not the place to make this request.

and

2. Maybe you should have thought about this when you sold beer to the EDL?

2%


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