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SchNEWS: EDL in WESTMINSTER

Jo Makepeace | 28.10.2012 19:40 | Anti-racism

ALL RIOT ON THE WESTMINSTER FRONT?

For full story and links -- http://www.schnews.org.uk/stories/ALL-RIOT-ON-THE-WESTMINSTER-FRONT/

ALL RIOT ON THE WESTMINSTER FRONT?

Update 28/10/12 As predicted there was a low turn-out for the EDL's Westminster shindig. Around 70-100 of the league milled around inside their pen before dispersing into the St Stephen's Tavern and the Red Lion pubs along Whitehall. There was very little of the boisterous chanting that has charmed town centres up and down the country over the last three years – they really aren't singing any more.

Meanwhile in Walthamstow the EDL's original demo point the Unite Against Fascism organised counter-demo turned into a victory celebration that defied the marching ban.

A few attempted to make a nuisance of themselves at the the annual UFFC protest and rally against deaths in police custody outside Downing St but were seen off with a mixture of police intervention and a feisty crowd action.

This piss-poor effort by the league has prompted yet more internal wrangling and fallings out with one character Paul Pitt resigning/ getting thrown out before the demo even started.

The only sour note was the lack of opposition – only a handful of anti-fascists left either the Walthamstow celebration or the Anarchist Bookfair to run the EDL out of town. A brief scuffle between the two groups saw one EDLer get nicked.



Original Story:



Well – what a funny week it's been for Tommy Robinson and his merry gang of troubadours, the English Defence League. Last Friday it was all feisty facebook boasting about heading down to the North London borough Walthamstow on October 27th for what was optimistically termed “the Rematch”. Given that previously the EDL had their demo point overrun and were escorted through the streets in a tight kettle before mostly all getting nicked for their own safety – it's fair to say that as far as local youth were concerned this was a hotly anticipated fixture.

Sadly the wind rather fell from the sails after Tommy and 53 of his mates were nicked after they crowded into two removal lorries to head for some kind of escapade outside a Whitechapel mosque. Unfortunately for our patriotic heroes they were pulled over (presumably on suspiscion of overloading) by cops on the M25 and M3 leading to a night in the cells on charges of 'conspiracy to cause a public nuisance' for all and sundry with bail conditions to not attend 'the Rematch'.

The icing on this racist cake came when Tommy Robinson (who got himself nicked barely a week earlier for attacking local preacher Sayful Islam)* got busted for being an illegal immigrant. Tommy was barred from travelling as a result of earlier court cases but somehow sneaked into the U.S under false pretences for a gathering of white supremacists and counter-jihad oddballs. At the time of writing it looks as if he might be remanded until January 2013 – and may even be fighting an extradition battle alongside long-time chum Abu Hamza.

All this led an understandable lack of confidence amongst what remains of the EDLs leadership (i.e those who aren't inside, bailed away or have split off into their own increasingly weirdzo groups in order to squabble with each other all the better) about the wisdom of heading into enemy territory.

It's fair to say that Walthamstow and it's allies were preparing a serious reception party for the league this time round and it was for this reason rather than any fear of the EDL running amok that led to the Met requesting a banning order on all marches in Waltham Forest and the surrounding boroughs. This was duly granted by the Home Secretary (well she wasn't going to say no).

The EDL have now relocated their demo to a static protest in Old Palace Yard outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster (time unconfirmed) and have hilariously tried to pass this off as a victory of some sort.

The planned UAF protests are still going ahead as is the Anarchist Bookfair – neither are a million miles away from the EDL demo. See you on the streets!!

For more –  http://antifascistnetwork.wordpress.com/

For an amusing video of Sayful and Tommy having a frank exchange of views go here.

Jo Makepeace
- e-mail: mail@schnews.org.uk
- Homepage: www.schnews.org.uk

Comments

Hide the following 11 comments

I too was disapointed with the antifascist turnout...

28.10.2012 19:54

Around 200 there but... a large portion of those were local Muslims and NOT Anti-fascists. They were out to protest their home (quite rightly so) but would not come in large numbers elsewhere to oppose the fascist.

I'd say only 40 or 50 actual Antifascists made the effort to come down which is pretty sad. Especially when again, those same Antifascists along with the local Muslims seemed more interested in trying to fight with the cops rather than oppose the EDL.

It's the same problem each time. A bunch of wannabe anarchists in university coming down purely for a chance to fight with the police rather than actually opposing the EDL and other fascists.

Actual anti-fascists who are dedicated to the cause and have been battling the fascist for years need to start getting rid of some of the pretenders. Sure, the wannabe anarchist students give a nice boost to the numbers but... what good is it when all they want to do is fight the coppers?

Give me a dozen good lads who will actually oppose the EDL and fascist over a hundred wannabe students (who once they graduate will enter the working world and forget all about activism) any day of the week.

LondonAF


Hmmm

28.10.2012 21:01

We're guessing you were in Walthamstow .. the turn out in Westminster was virtually non-existent. We're not too fussed whether folk have got a degree or not to be honest or whether people are 'wannabes' or 'good lads' whatever that means.

Jo Makepeace


Students

28.10.2012 22:31

Sure the Bothering : Bookfair ratio was pathetic, but spare us the idiotic comments about students, you may have a prejudice against students but in truth you have no idea who the young people who ran the EDL out of places like Harrow and Walthamstow were or what their lifestyles were or are. A dozen good lads are... well, they're a dozen good lads, but a dozen good lads will never defeat Fascism on their own

Thanks to everyone who made the effort on Saturday

Slim


enough complaining

28.10.2012 22:54

I can only speak for myself but I reckon I work hard enough on the projects I'm involved in (including the occasional antifa mobilisation) to deserve a break every now and then.

So on Saturday I went to the bookfair. I kept my ears open for updates and if the EDL had turned up in Walthamstow, or in the middle of some community elsewhere in London, I would've headed over ASAP. But if they're just gonna sit in a pen in Westminster that doesn't sound like such a priority. So I'll pick my battles, cheers.

You start respecting my priorities - ie stop guilt-tripping - and I'll respect yours.

x


@London AF - sort out your crap politics

28.10.2012 23:56


>Around 200 there but... a large portion of those were local Muslims and NOT Anti-fascists.
>I'd say only 40 or 50 actual Antifascists...

What makes you think the Muslims weren't antifascist? How do you know that? And who qualifies as an 'actual' antifascist as you keep putting it? Do they have to be full-time antifa warriors? I suggest you read the section on 'experts' here:  http://www.eco-action.org/dod/no9/activism.htm

>Give me a dozen good lads who will actually oppose the EDL...

Lads eh? Don't you accept women too? I see you've already ruled out student participation.

So by your understanding, we can only fight fascism with some mob of full-time antifa-pro blokes.

Call yourself an antifacist? Get your shit politics sorted out before you start guilt-tripping other people about why it was more worthwhile to come out and oppose a few dozen pathetic fash (from a nearly-dead movement) standing in a pigpen than it was to go to other events (deaths in custody demo, Bookfair etc).

A No Borderer


London AF Is An EDL troll

29.10.2012 01:23

Sad that the EDL are now reduced to trolling Indymedia. They have to do something when they cannot be arsed attending fash marches, LOL

Troll Alert


Troll alert...

29.10.2012 06:59

...beat me to it. Blatantly an EDL idiot trolling. The actual words used are a good imitation of genuine Left/Antifascist/Anarchist posts but all the usual EDL prejudices were there - all antifascists are students, a dig at the UAF, male dominated worldview.
Lets face it the EDL protest was the latest - and largest - fuck up in their recent history. They are angry. They are going to try to make out the antifascist presence was as pathetic as theirs to save face. Signing it London AF is an attempt to cause a fall out and make London based Anarchists look bad.

IHTF


Under the bridge

29.10.2012 07:34

I suppose SchNEWS are EDL trolls as well by that logic. The anti-fascsist presence in Westminster was tiny. It would have been great to have had an antifa or anarchist presence on the UFFC (deaths in custody) demo but there wasn't one.

Please stop writing off the EDL entirely. Realistically due to a series of bad decisions made by their unelected leadership they're in decline. But 100 fascists making it to Westminster after a march ban and 50 odd of their hardcore being bailed away is still serious.

Yes it's fun to laugh at the EDL .. but nobody's laughing at the Golden Dawn right now are they?

Really?


@enough complaining

29.10.2012 13:12

"Guilt tripping" has nothing to do with it, it's a question of pure practicality. It would have taken at least an hour, by public transport, to get from the Bookfair to Walthamstow, probably longer by car, so if you had received word of EDL kicking-off, you would have arrived somewhere in the region of at least 55 minutes late

Sure everyone does deserve a break (thanks, Einstein). Problem is that you seem to think that during a far-right mobilisation, on a day when you're going to be in the same city as that mobilisation anyway, is, in your opinion, the best time to choose to take that break. Anarchist logic!!

Baker


Agreed

29.10.2012 14:18

We can't write off the EDl yet, they are still a threat. And if not them then another fash group will fill their void. We need to be vigilant. I still maintain that the person claiming to be London AF is a fash troll though, the sentiments are what you would expect from an EDL mug.

IHTF


@Baker

30.10.2012 18:36

" 'Guilt tripping' has nothing to do with it, it's a question of pure practicality. It would have taken at least an hour, by public transport, to get from the Bookfair to Walthamstow, probably longer by car, so if you had received word of EDL kicking-off, you would have arrived somewhere in the region of at least 55 minutes late"

Tube to Leyton, bus to Walthamstow. 40min max. I realise it's much better to be there on the spot in advance, but arriving from the Bookfair would not have been as pointless as you make out, because we would v.likely have had warning of them gathering.

Of course, this does rely on at least a few of us being there as spotters. It should go without saying that I appreciate the people who prioritised doing that, even though I personally chose not to myself on this particular day.

"Sure everyone does deserve a break (thanks, Einstein)."

Well, it's stating the obvious, but people like you seem to need reminding.

"...Problem is that you seem to think that during a far-right mobilisation, on a day when you're going to be in the same city as that mobilisation anyway, is, in your opinion, the best time to choose to take that break. Anarchist logic!!"

No, I decided the best time to take that break was on the day of the bookfair, which was on that day and only happens once a year.

You know what I think the "problem" is? People who think they have the right to dictate priorities to other people in the movement. Lacks basic solidarity.

x