Massive Counter-Demonstration to Manchester EDL March Planned
Article published: Thursday, September 24th 2009
The English Defence League (EDL), a far-right group with links to the British National Party (BNP) and other neo-fascist organisations, looks set to march through Manchester on October 10. Their demonstration will be met with an enormous counter-mobilisation from anti-fascists.
The EDL are a newly formed group who claim to be protesting simply against ‘Islamic extremism’. However, their previous demonstrations contradict this, all have involved racial violence, racist chants and fascist salutes. The EDL also claim to have nothing to do with the BNP, and that they were formed in response to disturbances around the Royal Regiment Parade in Luton. However, many of the groups leading figures have links to the far-right party.
Davy Cooling, a fully-fledged BNP member and football hooligan, is one of the main activists in the ‘Luton division’ of the EDL. Several of the people arrested in the violence have been BNP and National Front members.
The City Council attempted to ban the demonstration after faith groups and city traders raised concerns. “These people do not have a legitimate cause – they merely wish to vilify, insult, intimidate and provoke one section of our community,” said Jim Battle, deputy leader of the council.
However, their application was rejected by the Home Office on the grounds that the EDL would be holding a ‘static demonstration’ rather than a march. However a quick look at the EDL’s online forum shows members discussing possible routes for ‘the march’ and vowing to ignore rules that keep them in one place. Anti-fascist protestors have in turn vowed to prevent the EDL having any presence on the streets of Manchester.
At previous demonstrations in Luton, Harrow and Birmingham EDL activists have been documented making Nazi salutes and chanting racist slogans such as “I hate Pakis more than you.” One protest in Luton ended with EDL supporters attacking Asian businesses, smashing cars and threatening passers by.
Videos and blogs put out by supporters of the group have called for the protest in Manchester to be “the day of reckoning” when “English lions will rise up,” with some going so far as to call for “all out war against Islam”.
Manchester residents have vowed to resist attempts by the group to demonstrate in the city. Unite Against Fascism (UAF) and Antifa are organising counter demonstrations to show the strength of feeling against the group.
Weyman Bennett, Secretary of UAF, says that the group is a front for neo-Nazis, “In the 1970s the National Front used to organise racist demonstrations against black people through ‘anti-mugging’ front groups. Today the EDL and other racist and fascist organisations use the issue of ‘Islamic extremism’ in exactly the same way.”
A statement from the Antifa mobilisation reads, “The EDL came about as a outlet for fascist violence that can claim not to tarnish the BNP’s ‘legitimate democratic party’ line of defence … they are the return of fascism to the streets.”
Antifa have also cautioned against an anti-fascist strategy which involves calling on the state to ban EDL marches, asserting that “Any such powers used against the far right would doubtlessly in future be used against the left … people have the inalienable right to defend their communities and use THEIR right to freedom of speech to say NO to fascism and racial scapegoating. Manchester is racially integrated, working class and let’s face it, not soft.”
For more information and updates on the counter demonstration join the facebook group ‘Stop EDL fascists marching Manchester 10/10’
More: Manchester, News
Comments
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The got a right walloping in Birmingham and Harrow, lets hope Manchester can give more of the same!
Comment by Anti fascist on September 24, 2009 at 4:55 pm -
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Matt Hill, The Mule and anotherwhitemug.com. anotherwhitemug.com said: Massive Counter-Demonstration to Manchester EDL March Planned / MULE- The English Defence League (EDL), a far-right… http://bit.ly/17T4Yz […]
Pingback by Tweets that mention Massive Counter-Demonstration to Manchester EDL March Planned / MULE -- Topsy.com on September 25, 2009 at 10:18 am -
There’s bound to be more of them here this time, but there’ll be more of us to meet them too.
Comment by paddy on September 25, 2009 at 4:39 pm -
The problem is if Muslims turn out in an anti-demo, the focus of biased media will be to label all muslims there as extremists, watering down the fact that the ones who are actually insiting the hatred and extremism are predominantly white british extremists who mostly happen to be christians, but the term christian extremist will never be published in any press, it seems so much easier to highlight the word muslim or islamic extremist than christian extremist.
Comment by anti-racist on October 7, 2009 at 2:14 pm -
[…] covered the EDL before and after their demonstration in Manchester back in October. Afterwards Ruth Michaelson discussed […]
Pingback by Fascist violence in Stoke as the EDL march again — MULE on January 27, 2010 at 2:58 pm
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