Police struggle to keep English Defence League marchers

[Pete_London]

A MARCH by the far-right English Defence League (EDL) escalated into violence today after thousands of anti-fascists turned out to stage their own counter-demonstration.

EDL supporters had planned to set off from Blackhorse Road station in Waltham Forest at 1.30pm, before heading to Forest Road and staging a rally in front of the magistrates’ court.

But a crowd of anti-fascist protestors staged their own march, leaving Walthamstow Town Square flanked by police at 1pm, waving banners, and chanting ‘they shall not pass’.

The crowd was directed from Hoe Street to Bell Corner, where a dozen police vans were used to pen them in.

The delayed EDL march, which numbered only around 300, and was escorted in by almost as many police officers, left Blackhorse Road at 2pm and was diverted down Bromley Road.

Shopkeepers along Hoe Street and Forest Road lowered their metal shutters and locked their premises as the EDL group approached.

Despite police efforts to prevent the two factions meeting, a group of anti-fascists broke away and made it to the Bromley Road turning where fighting started with bottles, flower pots and firecrackers being thrown.

Police have yet to confirm how many arrests have been made.

Source: WALTHAMSTOW: Police make arrests as far-right march turns violent (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

 

[D 8 RCS]

The headline is "Far Right March turns violent" yet it says anti fascist broke away from their protest and clashed with the EDL.
Surely it should be "Anti-Fascist protest turns violent".
Such one sided reporting is one of the reasons why groups such as EDL will always attract the militant racist lunatics and the anti-establishment lunatics will be able to hide under the banner of numerous other anti groups and stir up disorder.
I am sure those "anti-fascists" who broke away will also be the same one that were at Dale Farm and other flash points.

 

[Pete_London]

The headline is "Far Right March turns violent" yet it says anti fascist broke away from their protest and clashed with the EDL.
Surely it should be "Anti-Fascist protest turns violent".
Such one sided reporting is one of the reasons why groups such as EDL will always attract the militant racist lunatics and the anti-establishment lunatics will be able to hide under the banner of numerous other anti groups and stir up disorder.
I am sure those "anti-fascists" who broke away will also be the same one that were at Dale Farm and other flash points.

Yeah seems like, unite against fascism was actually causing more trouble then the edl.

 

[little_pob]

The headline is "Far Right March turns violent" yet it says anti fascist broke away from their protest and clashed with the EDL.
Surely it should be "Anti-Fascist protest turns violent"[?]

No, because the violence occured on the EDL march, rather than the anti-fascist march (even if it was caused by the anti-fascists).

"Anti-fascists provoke outbreak of violence on far-right march" may perhaps have been a more accurate headline. But playing to stereotypes in headlines is what invites people to start reading the story and ultimately what sells the newspapers.

Such one sided reporting is one of the reasons why groups such as EDL will always attract the militant racist lunatics and the anti-establishment lunatics will be able to hide under the banner of numerous other anti groups and stir up disorder...

Agreed, these clashes are often just hooliganism by a different name.