In Wrexham town centre a couple of days beforehand, there was a palpable atmosphere of fear, no doubt fuelled by:

- warnings issued to students at the local college about the likelihood of serious violence;
- Wrexham Maelor Hospital cancelling all leave in Accident and Emergency on the expectation of large numbers of head injuries;
- extra police drafted in from other forces.

That's what I'd heard anyway, and so had plenty of others judging by conversations going on in local shops. What actually happened was that 50-60 EDL/WDL members and supporters spent a few hours getting tanked up in a local pub right in the middle of the town centre, seeing as police had helpfully advised the original out of town pub chosen by the E/WDL as their meeting point to close for the day. As they attempted to leave the pub for their 'static demo', they were kettled by the cops, did a bit of chanting and shouting from inside the kettle and were then sent on their way.

Meanwhile, the 'Communities Against Racism' event went ahead a few hundred yards down the road. By the time I arrived in Queens Square, it had been going some three hours, the rain had set in and numbers had apparently dwindled, although there were still maybe 50 or so people in and around the marquee. There was music from local bands, poetry from 'The Absurd' and participatory drumming with Mold Youth Forum, interspersed with the usual speeches from politicians. A Socialist Party stall stood alongside, and there were placards supplied by Socialist Party and the SWP, most of which had been abandoned on a nearby bench.

Here are a few extracts from other reports:

"Around 40 EDL (mostly Bolton hooligans) stayed in Wetherspoons for most of the day – and when they came out on to the street they were opposed by 150+ working people (not anti-fascist campaigners but ordinary Wrexham folk) who made it clear that they did not welcome the EDL... The EDL responded by unfurling a St George’s Cross and chanting racist slogans but were heavily outnumbered by Wrexham people outraged at the EDL. The community festival in Queens Square was entirely peaceful and was such a positive place to be, with people from all walks of life, some excellent music, some rousing speeches, and people dancing in the streets! ...We demonstrated the true face of Wrexham; a peaceful, proud, tolerant and diverse working-class town; and we did it the right way – by having a good time together. Proud of everybody involved and proud of Wrexham."

 http://tenpercent.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/edlwdl-routed-in-wrexham/

"The EDL organised the protest as part of a UK-wide tour, claiming to be highlighting the dangers of Islamic extremism. However, their target has always been the whole local Muslim community... Contrary to some reports, the community event ignored the racist ‘day-trippers’ and stayed in Queens Square, ensuring there was no conflict. The vast majority at the festival were from Wrexham and had no intention of having any disorder in their home town... The EDL gathering did not exactly sell any local links, by displaying a ‘Bolton Wanderers’ FC English flag and Singing ‘God Save the Queen’. After a period of drunken singing, North Wales Police moved them on and their ‘standing protest’ was over."

 http://welshcommunists.org/index.php?id=292

"Four people were arrested at an anti-Muslim demonstration amid a strong police presence in Wrexham. Around 40 members of a group calling themselves the Welsh Defence League (WDL) shouted racial abuse and gestured towards locals, saying they were protesting against plans for a new mosque. Four people were arrested for public order offences, and North Wales’s Temporary Deputy Chief Constable, Ian Shannon said the day passed without “significant incident”. Meanwhile Unite Against Fascism held a counter-protest, near where the WDL gathered on Saturday. And a Wrexham Communities Against Racism festival attracted around 200 people. Residents were joined by faith groups, the Wales TUC, Searchlight, Unison and members of Wrexham Council."

 http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2009/11/23/four-arrested-in-protest-against-mosques-in-wrexham-55578-25228522/

"Communities Festival went off without incident - even though the weather was terrible. By contrast the English Defence League's invasion of Wrecsam consisted of 30 Bolton Wanderers thugs commandeering Wetherspoons and chanting "We want our country back" and then singing "God save the queen" while waving the flag of St George. That went down like a cup of cold sick with local shoppers, who told them plainly to go back to their own country and that these are our streets. There's a lot more to say about the way that 30 thugs were able to disrupt an entire town. The people of Wrecsam can be incredibly proud of how they stood up to the racist provocation of the EDL and showed them up as the pathetic boneheads they are."

 http://wrecsamplaid.blogspot.com/2009/11/not-in-our-town.html

"150 Lads turned up from Wrexham, North Wales, England and Scotland. Police treated them like shit but the publicity will be massive."

 http://casualsunited.webs.com/