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Riot: Anti-Fascist English Defence League Street Battle in Bolton
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by Paul Conneally | March 20, 2010 at 12:11 pm
1790 views | 22 Recommendations | 11 comments
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Bolton EDL UAF police tactics fighting and arrests March 2010
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Anti-fascist protesters fought street battles with 2,000 right wing anti-Islamic English Defence League supporters in Bolton UK today.
The English Defence League, in an act bound to be provocative in a town like Bolton with a large Muslim population, organised a rally against "militant Islam" according to members "to support England, against the Taliban bombers". The EDF claim to be non-political.
The ant-fascist counter-demonstration was organised by Unite Against Fascism (UAF). The UAF joint secretary, Weyman Bennett, organised the protest against the EDL, and was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit violent disorder. 67 arrests were made in total.
The Greater Manchester Police attempted to keep the two groups apart but failed.
Protesters were herded into separate areas of Bolton town square by riot police and mounted officers armed with batons. UAF supporters claim that the police were over confrontational and violent in conduct towards the anti-fascist demonstrators. Two UAF supporters were taken to hospital and two police officers were also injured, one by a police dog.
There is some evidence that Anti-Islamic feelings are being exploited by right wing groups such as the EDL and British National Party to ignite racial and religious hatred in the lead up to the forthcoming UK general election. Anti-facist groups have pledged to stop the rise of what they describe as nationalist fascist organisations. Interestingly members of both sides believe the current war in Afghanistan should stop and British Army troops brought home.
Hundreds of officers, some horse-mounted and armed with batons, separated supporters of the English Defence League (EDL) and members of Unite Against Fascism (UAF).
Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan, from Greater Manchester Police, who is leading the policing operation, said: "There have been unwarranted attacks on police lines that have resulted in injuries.
I am determined to identify the offenders by whatever means and bring them to justice."
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Paul Conneally
Loughborough, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (11)
at 13:08 on March 20th, 2010
The growing Islamophobia is being used to great effect by ultra right wing groups such as EDL and BNP. I feel that we will see more of these demonstrations. The general population of the UK will hopefully get together to see off any neo-fascist groups. Maybe the police and home office will start to pay as much attention to these right wing groups as they have to muslim groups as part of the PREVENT / PVE (preventing violent extremism) agenda. Such right wing groups and their activities clearly contribute to fuelling violent extremism using fear to promote hatred. The old sayings are the sometimes the best 'Black and White Unite and Fight'
Racist Friend - Specials AKA 1984
at 15:16 on March 20th, 2010
Very scary, that is a lot of people.
at 19:05 on March 20th, 2010
IRONY! The group that comes out to protest radical Islam (which is a completely fascist ideology) are met with opposition from a group that claims to oppose fascism. That is true irony!
at 01:44 on March 21st, 2010
Yes - so many ironies - this said groups such as the EDL are essentially hijacking the concerns that some have around Islam and the 'war on terror', plus the troops deployment to hook people in and then pursue wider underlying fascist aims - there are pictures on the net now of the EDL leader giving Nazi salutes etc. yes it goes beyond any discussion of worries about Islamification.
The EDL and BNP are always on the look out for scapegoats groups that they can breed hatred towards. All groups with 'ectreme' views do this - fundamentalist releigious groups too - Islamic, Jewish, Christian....
I don't think that the anti-fascists were out in support of Islamist extremists but against fascist nationalist groups - but its true that I haven't seen the UAF speak out against some of the religious groups that by any other name seem fascist too.
at 20:16 on March 20th, 2010
Fascism is gradually permeating so-called democratic societies.At one time it was anti-communism,a sort of fascism.Fascism can not be beaten with its own stick.Radical Islam is as dangerous as radical Christianity.
It is an irony that in order to keep a group of people coherent and well knit,an imaginary enemy is fabricated.It was communism,now it is Islam.Radical Islamists have projected West as a serious threat to Muslims,one more wrong of the right.
at 23:50 on April 5th, 2010
I don't hold with extremism of any form but if we wish to understand how these people feel, I suggest the 'general population of the UK' begin to understand WHO they are and WHY they feel so aggrieved. I suggest they might be saying 'We're not British but English and this is England NOT Britain'. Perhaps they feel their country, England, and their English identity has been stolen from them and England is not longer English. That the Celtic countries and immigrants to England (invited here by the British Government) are getting a better deal racially, politically, culturally and economically than the native English. Most frighteningly, the increasing number and size of these rallies are perhaps an indication that the English are just beginning to understand that they, the indigenous people of this land, have been conned. I suggest that while the English remain powerless and have no separate voice in their own country, there is potential for the violence to increase. Finally, empathy and tolerance are words we reserve for immigrants and ethnic minorities. Perhaps we might direct some of this towards the English for a change. Just a few thoughts.
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