EDL "National" demo in Westminster / Walthamstow

Auto | 27.10.2012 17:56 | Anti-racism | Policing

80 far-right cannon-fodder bother to show-up in London

After their disastrous demo in Walthamstow on Sept 1st, and amid much bluster and threats of violence, the EDL threatened to return to Walthamstow today, Oct 27, to get their revenge on the locals, on anti-fascists, on the left-wing, on anarchists and on the police. As it panned-out the We Are Walthamstow coalition mobilised hundreds of people to oppose the EDL, while recent web-chatter suggests that at best just one EDL supporter bothered to travel down to East London.

Around the same time the official EDL protest was moved to a police pen outside parliament, where, massively outnumbered by police and journalists, a miserable 80 right-wing cannon-fodder responded to their leader's national call-out, barely one-quarter filling an already small police pen.

Towards the end of the Westminster demo, the EDL had a brief scrap with alleged "anarchists", resulting in one Fascist muppet arrested, handcuffed and abandoned by his mates, who promptly fucked-off to the nearby boozer, filling approximately one half of the smoking area in the alleyway down the side of the pub. After treating anti-fascist photographers to a fine selection of close-up mug-shots, the EDL were escorted to Westminster tube, to a chorus of almost total disinterest from a handful of slightly bemused tourists. What did the EDL achieve today? That they can just about organise ordering a few drinks...

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EDL Analysis

27.10.2012 19:08

The vast majority of the EDL probably realise that their leaders have betrayed them in
becoming Zionist cocksuckers.
They also realised that the police would kettle them and stifle everything like they always do.
The EDL need to deal with the issue and elect a real leader, same as the BNP.

Oswald Nosey

EDLosers

27.10.2012 19:54

Utter humiliation for the laughing stock EDL. The tide that turned at Tower Hamlets has continued to turn and flow back out to sea. This must be the most shameful day of their pathetic history. Even when they had the numbers they still got chased out of Brum (x2) and Cardiff. Now that only a handful of the muppets are still stupid enough to turn out they get chased out of everywhere they hold a demo - Brighton (x2), Walthamstow etc. Surely it can't be long before these losers call it a day completely. EDL gone, BNP on the ropes and all the other groups way too small to be a serious menace. The far right flash in the pan has turned into a damp squib and faded out in a puff of smoke

IHTF

Fascist Flop...

27.10.2012 20:18

And there was me thinking that they may just ruin the bookfair by causing us all to have to dash down to 'stow!
Fat fucking chance!
Bunch of nonces, grasses and cowards every last one of them.

South Coast Sab

E-D-Who?

27.10.2012 22:10

As we passed Westminster earlier we saw tiny group of sad little muppets in a pen. A bunch of nobodies by the looks of it. Someone told me that it was a 'national' demo for the E-D- something-or-other. I was struck by how embarrassingly small it was for a national demo especially when you compare it with the anti-austery demo the previous weekend which was at least 100,000 strong. In comparison the E-D-whoever's demo 80 or so was truly pathetic. Oh well, we just pointed and laughed and got on with the rest of our day.

Curious

Local paper now think TWO of the EDL showed in Walthamstow :)

27.10.2012 22:23

Local paper now thinks a whopping TWO of the EDL showed in Walthamstow :)

http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/wfnews/10011758.WALTHAMSTOW__Anti_EDL_campaigners_defy_march_ban/

Ben Palin

excellent logic

27.10.2012 23:14

In comparison the E-D-whoever's demo 80 or so was truly pathetic. Oh well, we just pointed and laughed and got on with the rest of our day.

I've seen smashedo protests that are a 1/10 of that number. So i assume that means i need to laugh x10 as much?

im right

There wasn't enough strawberries

27.10.2012 23:59

to make jam today. Shop closed.

right though innit jeff? .. where were you?

Game Over!

28.10.2012 09:20

pathetic and feeble turnout. they have been conned by their leadership and its taken this long to figure out that iot was a money spinning piss up with absolutely no politics, strategy and endgame. not only that, they have all split off into their little groupuscules which are generally ignored. this is our take on it!

http://malatesta32.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/game-over/
no pasaran!

Malatesta

EDL photo round-up

28.10.2012 14:15

Walthamstow - Sikhs against the EDL

Westminster - Cockneys vs Zombies

Westminster - not very many Fascists

EDL Result? "Embarrassing" (quote)

Elementary, my dear Watson

SUV

Anarchist Failure

28.10.2012 18:41

In reality the day was a failure for both the EDL and Anarchists. We can gloat all we like about the EDLs piss-poor performance but in actual fact only around 30 anti-fascists of any stripe went to confront the EDL in Westminster. Thus they've been given the chance to breathe again.

Meanwhile barely three miles up the road 3,000 people dressed up as anarchists sold each other zines about vegan bike maintenance or whatever, probably while moaning about how the UAF are a bunch of placard waving sell-outs.

Truly pathetic.

Fed up

@Truly pathetic.

28.10.2012 21:17

Thats because people have got a life.

80 EDL + 30 Anti-fasc = 110 people who spend their spare time (precious lifespan) standing around telling everyone what they think about 'the other side'

Who cares!? Its better just to not turn up (whatever side your are a supporter of) and do something useful with you time for yourself that you enjoy.

No one likes sitting around 'show solidarity' and no one cares.
You want evidence? 110 people thats the evidence.

not pathetic

Anarchists and Anti-Fascism

28.10.2012 21:55

As someone (and myself a life-long anarchist) who made a point of taking anarchists to task about this exact issue in advance, fair-play to the anarchists who DID take time-out from pamphlet collecting at the Bookfair to confront the EDL in Westminster... but my message to the 2,970-odd who couldn't be bothered is please don't EVER express an opinion about Anti-Fascism you worthless cunts

As for self-styled "militants" who condemn everyone else in anti-fascism and, more often than not, lazily equate liberal anti-fascism with the UAF (as if the SWP/UAF's Trotskyism was somehow a form of liberalism), the fact is the credit for both Walthamstow victories definitely goes to UAF, not because UAF are in any way perfect, not because UAF don't make alot of mistakes, but because UAF actually bothered.

I think I'm right in saying that either the Kate Sharpley Library's booklet about AFA or the No Retreat book about AFA (I forget which) says THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT ANTI-FASCISM IS TO TURN UP

October

Near MILLION people who voted BNP

28.10.2012 22:12

"Not pathetic" you cite your figure of 110 people as a justification for political apathy but the real measure of anti-fascism's relevance is the near MILLION people who voted BNP in the 2008 Euro election and the near 70,000 Londoners who voted BNP candidate Richard Barnbrook onto the GLA in 2008 (compare these figures with the numbers of people who actually support anarchist groups). The far-right was on a rapidly accelerating upward climb. People realised this HAD to be stopped before the far-right could benefit from the effects of austerity, we got it together and we stopped British Fascism in its tracks, before it had a chance to cross-over and go properly mainstream. We didn't do this because we thought anyone would thank us for the vast work we put in, we did it because it simply had to be done, and if you want to know what would have happened if we hadn't, look at Greece.

In that situation the EDL were the far-right's plan-B, the EDL were for a while commanding significant street support (regularly pulling around 3,000 to 5,000 on demos). The EDL have since also been beaten down by years of dedicated opposition, so don't get all smug about how you've got better things to do because some people can be bothered to actually finish the job

oh my days

Euro 2009

28.10.2012 22:23

Should have said Euro election was 2009

@oh my days

28.10.2012 22:27

Malatesta says that the EDL are a pipedream, a damp squib and a laughing stock. He regularly posts that they are nothing, that they are done.

So i don't see the point of turning up given that the EDL are 'finished'

A lot of other commenters are saying the same. That the EDL are are just to be laughed at and that they are nothing. Read the comments.

So whats the point of spending a whole day (and expense) standing around on something pointless?

You're saying that the EDL are serious and that there are over 1,000,000 bnp but Malatesta says haha to that and that it is nothing?

Im not turning up if so many people say that the EDL are nothing and are finished. Whats the point?

anon

@anon

28.10.2012 22:36

I think you can take it as red that at some point people who bother to oppose Fascism must think Fascism is a serious threat. Strategically the idea of constantly ridiculing and belittling groups like the EDL is to try to undermine the macho posturing Fascists typically use to cover for serious insecurities and fragile egos

Here's some clues ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authoritarian_Personality

Max

So what happened?

29.10.2012 09:03

As it happens, I wasn't in London that day, but if I had been there I would've been at the bookfair. What's so bad about that? If people not showing up to oppose the EDL is the big deal you're making it out to be, something bad must have happened as a result of it. Please explain the negative effect caused by 80 fash standing in a pen which wouldn't have happened if more people had opposed them, cos I'm not convinced.

ANARCHIST FAIL < THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED

29.10.2012 13:35

So what happened is that nearly 3,000 Anarchists conclusively proved their total irrelevance to Anti-Fascism. And, Einstein, the reason 80 EDL in a pen didn't cause serious bother was because the POLICE were there to contain them, which pretty much sheds light all over the Anarcho party-line about how it's the working class who will defeat Fascism not the police. As for how "something bad must have happened as a result", it's easy to be smart after-the-fact, but no-one knew for sure the EDL's call-out would be successful or whether it'd flop, and if significant numbers had turned-up, if the cops hadn't been there to contain them, and/or if the Fash that did show had seriously kicked off (and 80 serious nutters can do alot of damage, ask Anders Breivik) most of the Bookfair geniuses would have been congratulating themselves on finally completing their collection of Spectacular Times pamphlets

An Anarchist

saturday

29.10.2012 14:43

walthamstow was a UAF victory parade and time was spent better elsewhere. westminster had a small turnout of antifascists and the day was documented by several antifascist websites. the EDL turnout was pisspoor, 85 max at a proper headcount, so a large antifascist mobilisation would only have attracted more attention for them. the anarchist book fair is once a year, i went to both. but really trafalgar was a non-event for the EDL and we should be mobilising for the next one in liverpool and norwich etc. though these might be as puny as last weekend. here's our version!

http://malatesta32.wordpress.com/

Malatesta

@Malatesta

29.10.2012 15:10

"A large antifascist mobilisation would only have attracted more attention for them"? Hmmm, that's the exact argument Greek Communists used for not bothering to oppose Golden Dawn over the last decade. Anyway, please read the arguments about being wise with hindsight before posting "responses" which are dis-proved by material that's already been posted!

As for Liverpool etc, there isn't going to be an Anarchist Bookfair in Liverpool. As for UAF, maybe the victory they were celebrating wasn't just their victory over the EDL. Believe me mate, if Walthastow had been an Anarchist demo you would have been trumpeting it from the rooftops for months

Ology

Evening Standard

29.10.2012 15:12

Smile

EDL Nazi Salute in Westminster

29.10.2012 15:14

EDL Nazi makes Hitler salute in Westminster

"It's probably only people who were stupid enough to get an EDL tattoo that are still desperately trying to make it work" (nail - head) "Which is not to say that we can get complacent about racism. An animal is at its most dangerous when it's cornered"

http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/the-slow-painful-death-of-the-edl?

Just to re-prove the obvious

Malatesta

29.10.2012 15:28

If "a large antifascist mobilisation would only have attracted more attention for them" because "the EDL turnout was pisspoor", what that means is that we should NOT be mobilising for Liverpool, where in fact the last far-right turn-out numbered less than a dozen people

Malteaser