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Live EDL updates

Jack 9 | 03.09.2011 09:08 | Anti-racism | Social Struggles | Workers' Movements

Jack 9

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11.30 - Small numbers at Euston and KX

03.09.2011 10:51

Small numbers of EDL on the Euston Station concourse and hanging around Kings Cross, O'Neills pub is open but with bouncers on the door, most other pubs shut but might open at mid-day. Police and London Transport staff watching the Euston lot like hawks.

Author


Hope not Hate say 500 EDL in Covent Garden

03.09.2011 10:53

Hope not Hate say 500 EDL in Covent Garden 11.53

Anon


edl going to rbs aldgate east

03.09.2011 13:20

Edl being taken to demo site: car park behind RBS on Leman St near Aldgate East

Look after eachother everyone

NO PASARAN

@


My take on events

03.09.2011 17:56

Been a rough day for the EDL. Really low turnout, esp from up north. The entire Leeds division dropped out, coach cancelled, and only 2 people came down in a car! 2 people for the whole of Leeds EDL! Same story in Bradford, Dewsbury, Huddersfield, Hull and Halifax, all found it impossible to fill their coaches, despite begging their keyboard warrior membership up until last night. Coaches cancelled and regional organizers being made to refund money.

Also heard about coaches either half-empty or cancelled in Stoke, Liverpool, Middlesborough and a lot of other places up north. Apparently Liverpool EDL only managed to bring 8 people down despite booking a 80 person coach! haha!

So, police said there were 1,200 EDL in total, although eyewitnesses and photos suggest that there were no groups any larger than 300-400 in any one place at one time. Because of the RMT, and because of anti-fascists helping sabotage the EDL’s planned meeting points, the actual organization of the day was a farce. No-one knew where to go when they got there, or where to meet, and basically wandering around aimlessly until the police could find them a nice quiet car park in Aldgate to have their shitty demo in. At the demo site itself, I’d say there between 500 and 700 of them, so this shows that they are a fading force and perhaps on the verge of splitting up into about 5 or 6 smaller groupsicles.

According to private EDL facebook messages, they had expected 2,500 people, after 2,500 had paid and confirmed they were going. So at least half of them bottled out at the last minute and made their excuses. Along with Tommy Robinsons arrest today, for breaching bail conditions, this has been a very bad day for the EDL.

At this point in time it is worth re-focussing on the groups Casuals United and the North West Infidels. These are likely to be the major splinter groups from the EDL. the North West Infidels are based in Lancashire and Yorkshire (geography isnt their strongpoint) and perhaps one of the reaons for such a low turnout in the north of england is that much of the previous EDL support in places such as Oldham, Halifax, Bolton and Dewsbury has gone over to the NWI. The NWI are openly racist and anti-semitic and are making links with the National Front and other neo-nazi organizations in the area, with a planned demonstration on the 8th of Octobert location TBA.

The Casuals United ones are a bit harder to find information about, but apparently they are unhappy with the direction that the EDL are taking and growing as an independent organization. They recruit exclusively from footie firms, dont plan anything on facebook, and are rumoured to be able to bring up 500 people onto the streets at a weeks notice. More organized and more violent than the EDL, but far less politically aware and definitely not a group that will attempt to stand for election any time soon. Finding out where their meetings are held and infiltrating directly is the best bet because they dont talk about it on Facebook and so we’ll need to collect information the old-fashioned way, by getting people to join it.

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