No Pasaran! They did not pass. Mobilised at 18 hours notice, a sizable counter demonstration in Wolverhampton's Queen Square prevented the English Defence League's attempt to march though the city to the Cenotaph.
Sat 20th November 2010
Local Hope not Hate and Unite Against Fascism activists, trades unionists, Labour councillors and local Labour MP Pat McFadden joined the call from Wolverhampton & Bilston Trades Union Council to oppose the EDL in our city.
Once we raised our placards "Hope not hate", "We are all Wulfunians", "One city one community" and with chants of "racist scum off our streets", the police asked us to move from the central square out of public view into a side street. We argued that we should remain where we were and not allow the EDL to further intimidate shoppers and occupy our town centre. The police accepted this and we remained. They imposed an order under Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 to hold us behind a police line, this was extended after we continued our protest until the racists had all scurried away.
To our chant of "Not in OUR city", the police moved the 100 EDL supporters, many masked, around our peaceful counter protest, to wait for their coach. The EDL did not get anywhere near the Cenotaph.
500 Hope not Hate leaflets were distributed to onlookers. Bystanders joined in the counter protest but none joined the EDL.
Nick Kelleher, Secretary Wolverhampton Trades Union Council said that ”Our presence prevented EDL violence. This is our city not their city. We are the people who live here. We want to keep this place decent, diverse and happy.
We have not had a bad history in recent years of racial violence or disputes and we don’t want it started now. We have enough problems here already with unemployment, the cause of that is the capitalist system and the ConDem government and our ConDem council, the sooner we get rid of all them, the better for all of us working people, black and white.”
The police held them away from the public, while they waited for their West Bromwich coach which got most of those remaining back in time to end their afternoon in further unhappiness as the Potters gave the Baggies a hammering. the handful remaining were escorted away by police.
Local Hope not Hate and Unite Against Fascism activists, trades unionists, Labour councillors and local Labour MP Pat McFadden joined the call from Wolverhampton & Bilston Trades Union Council to oppose the EDL in our city.
Once we raised our placards "Hope not hate", "We are all Wulfunians", "One city one community" and with chants of "racist scum off our streets", the police asked us to move from the central square out of public view into a side street. We argued that we should remain where we were and not allow the EDL to further intimidate shoppers and occupy our town centre. The police accepted this and we remained. They imposed an order under Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 to hold us behind a police line, this was extended after we continued our protest until the racists had all scurried away.
To our chant of "Not in OUR city", the police moved the 100 EDL supporters, many masked, around our peaceful counter protest, to wait for their coach. The EDL did not get anywhere near the Cenotaph.
500 Hope not Hate leaflets were distributed to onlookers. Bystanders joined in the counter protest but none joined the EDL.
Nick Kelleher, Secretary Wolverhampton Trades Union Council said that ”Our presence prevented EDL violence. This is our city not their city. We are the people who live here. We want to keep this place decent, diverse and happy.
We have not had a bad history in recent years of racial violence or disputes and we don’t want it started now. We have enough problems here already with unemployment, the cause of that is the capitalist system and the ConDem government and our ConDem council, the sooner we get rid of all them, the better for all of us working people, black and white.”
The police held them away from the public, while they waited for their West Bromwich coach which got most of those remaining back in time to end their afternoon in further unhappiness as the Potters gave the Baggies a hammering. the handful remaining were escorted away by police.
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Iranian EDL member????
21.11.2010 14:48
You ask "Why it is right to oppose Islamic extremism"
I ask why tf would you join the EDL?????
You are obviously not a very good troll if you were you would know that Muslim women in Britain aren't beaten for wearing the hijab. As an Edl member you will not have gone to University if you do go to any University in the country you will see the VAST numbers of young Muslim women enrolled in courses like dentistry pharmacy optometry medicine law etc etc
The Muslims of Britain are from Pakistan Bangladesh & India they have nothing in common with the Iranians they don’t speak the same language have the same food or culture etc and they are sunni whereas the Iranians are shia. There may be opposition in Iran as in every country but there are also many government supporters and Iran is probably the most democratic country in the middle east unlike arab Western allies which are nothing more than fascist dictatorships who dont even let woman drive like the Saudi family who were handed over and entire country as long as they supply cheap oil and use their own armies to suppress their populations for uncle Sam! Iran for all its faults is much more progressive and is changing for the better compared to the other nutters in the neighbourhood!
pat stanley
EDL organisers are proven Nazis
21.11.2010 17:35
Opposition to Islamic extremism in Iran always has been and still is organised (at massive personal risk) not only by liberal Muslims but also by Iranian socialists, and EDL activists like Bill Baker have called for nuclear war against Muslims and for the murder of socialists as well. Being an EDL troll however, "Iranian EDL member" (sic) is unlikely to be well informed about Iranian politics or about liberal Islam ;)
EDL Organisers are Proven Nazis -
Close knit
English Defence League Nazi Salutes
22.11.2010 11:20
"No-one is opposing them, apart from the EDL"? No-one except One Law For All, Women Against Fundamentalism, British Muslims for Secular Democracy, Southall Black Sisters, United Shades of Britain, the Quilliam Foundation, the Centre for Social Cohesion, the Barelvi and Ahmadiyya Muslim communities, the Awami League, and last but definitely not least the entire British Army in Afghanistan
Maryam Namazie of One Law for All writes on their website "The nationalism that the EDL, BNP, SIOE and their likes promote is segregationist, divisive, anti-working class and inhumane; it denies universal human identity. In fact, nationalism is by its very nature discriminatory and a reactionary trend and incompatible with human freedom and progress"
Close Knit
Fair play
22.11.2010 16:42
Savo