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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