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Bradford Defence League

Aha | 31.08.2010 19:24 | Anti-racism

Saturday 28th August brought the EDL to Bradford for the BIG one. Seeing as the word big contains just one syllable we have to assume they understand what that means. After the event (such as it was), they can only call it one big pathetic failure.

With all the boasting and build up of a big boxing bout, the EDL strutted around youtube and facebook like a group of Hitlers poodles. Hell bent on constructing (three syllables, look that one up!) a fantasy of what was to come in Bradford. And with the help of the predictable ineptitude of England’s finest coppers drafted in, their hopes ran pathetically high.

The day began with the UAF tucked nicely away from the EDL demo, probably with fast cars on standby, just in case anything did actually happen, and the hierarchy would be saved by running to the furthest point from. Tucked away and irrelevant the police had little to concern their woefully overstretched minds in regard to the UAF.

When it came to the EDL arriving, the copper welcoming committee was out and about to show them to their patch of grass. Unprepared for the fact that some of the people involved with the EDL might actually believe they had come to Bradford to run amok, the coppers were slow to react to the fact that they hadn’t put a barrier up at the front of the EDL demo! Ooops! Whose job was that? Only needed to be a little fence, but no, had to use most of the coppers available to be the fence instead. This left just a smattering of brave police to wander the surrounding area. Excepting of course those blocking rival protestors in nearby roads.

As the EDL grew in number (but desperately short of their true hopes) where indeed were the rest? Getting ready to stir trouble at the local football match? The beer got flowing and a few pebbles were thrown at protestors who had turned up to oppose the EDL. This led to a minor panic unfortunately, no real need to let yourself be ushered away by the cops to a safer distance. Stand your ground.

After a while and a few more beers, the more committed cases at the front of the EDL demo attempted to press out of their grassy knoll. Almost wholly unsuccessful, where were they hoping to go is anyone’s guess? Back on the coach probably as they hadn’t thought any further forward, as was clearly evident later on when a few jumped over the barriers surrounding the demo to go on the rampage, tearing down some green peace banner. Oh no!

After the mighty few had failed in their first attempt and they’d all been spoken to by their leaders, the real breakout did occur, a few less weighty individuals managed to get over the fence, which then exposed the flaw in the coppers strategy. They hadn’t expected any to get out! Oh dear! They’re running about, tearing down peace banners, and there’s only a few cops with dogs to follow them about Bradford.

Fortunately, in Bradford unlike in Leeds previously, local residents and anti fascist campaigners were not going to allow halfwit racists run about town. And a diverse group of people assembled to ensure that the wantaways, went back to their pen with the heads hanging in shame over their failure to ‘take the city’. Will they be back for more? Who knows? But if they bother we’ll be ready for them once again.

Aha

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