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Police attack UAF demonstration against EDL in Bolton

Bob Shepherd | 07.04.2010 23:39 | Anti-racism | Repression | Social Struggles | Liverpool

The British state’s response to the Unite Against Fascism (UAF) counter mobilisation to the English Defence League (EDL) event in Bolton on 20 March was a change in tactics from previous confrontations. The police used a clear strategy of attempting to criminalise the UAF demonstrators and leaders, by using ‘kettling’, snatch-squads and dogs to attack and arrest people.

From mid-morning they blocked entrances to Victoria Square, preventing many anti-racists from joining the demonstration. Over 50 people were arrested with many suffering head wounds as police riot squads covered in body armour lashed out all around with extendable truncheons. UAF Joint Secretary Weyman Bennett was lifted by a snatch-squad from the speakers’ area and arrested, apparently on suspicion of ‘conspiracy to organise violent disorder’. He was later released on bail. Rhetta Moran, a leading figure in Greater Manchester UAF, was also arrested and released on bail, with conditions which prevent her from attending any EDL or UAF gathering in the country. While she was being held the police entered her house and copied the data on her computer.


The UAF strategy had been to mobilise nationally in an attempt to swamp the EDL turnout. In the event the UAF mustered between 1,000 and 1,500 and the EDL probably around 1,000. However, the strategy failed as the EDL succeeded in holding its rally, while the numbers mobilised by the UAF weren’t enough to even fill the half of the square the police had allocated for them. As in Manchester in October 2009, Mosque leaders had attempted to prevent Asian youth from attending the protest; however a large group did manage to join the demonstration towards the end, adding some much needed militancy.


The events in Bolton demonstrate that the UAF leadership’s strategy of calling on the state to ban the EDL and its events is both futile and counter-productive. Instead of acting against the EDL, the police has in effect begun the process of criminalising and banning the UAF. Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan, who was in charge of police operations, was open in his praise for the EDL: ‘we have also seen groups of people, predominantly associated with the UAF, engaging in violent confrontation… I would also like to praise the efforts of the EDL stewards who worked with us in the face of some very ugly confrontations’ .


Unfortunately, this appears to have had no effect on the UAF line. After the police attack, Sabby Dhalu, the other UAF Joint Secretary declared: ‘the police's primary role is to ensure safety and public order. It is not in the public interest to allow EDL demonstrations to proceed. These so-called demonstrations should be banned’, while a shocked Weyman Bennett told the BBC that his arrest was not ‘a good sign for democracy’, that the police are ‘hostile to anti-racists’ and that their ‘neutrality needs to be questioned’. This position simply reinforces illusions in the state.



FRFI’s (Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!) position is clear: only an independent working class, anti-racist movement, independent of the British Labour government and its police force will be able to successfully confront racist and fascist mobilisations on the streets.


No to BNP! No to EDL! No to Labour!
No to all racists!
Don't vote, Organise!

Bob Shepherd
- Homepage: http://www.revolutionarycommunist.org/

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Comments

Hide the following 16 comments

OOOh

08.04.2010 00:14

NO TO TROTS the fucking swappy middle class wank stains

CL(A)SS WAR


tactics

08.04.2010 00:27

see  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/manchester/2010/03/447918.html?c=on#c245327 for comments and photos on police tactics on the day, plus a link to our Guide to Public Order Situations

linked


EDL are not racist. The have Black and Asian members.

08.04.2010 00:32

That racist tag isn't working.

anon


horseshit

08.04.2010 08:28

yeah yeah, and some of my best friends are EDL members too, so I'm not racist! No really, that's not true, and nor is the old chestnut of "I'm not racist/sexist/etc, some of my best friends are..." - horseshit. EDL leadership have racist and fascist link, lots of people who go on them are too and use racist chants & symbols. Just because a few are switched on and realise they have to have flags showing their not racist, and others who search the net for comments and say "we're OK", doesn't change anything.

No platform to EDL, BNP, etc

anon 2


EDL= nationalists and patriots

08.04.2010 09:19

This is enough reason to fight them - Burn England, the Queen, the Army, the whole fucking lot.

Who gives a fuck if they are 'racist' or not by definition- they support the State, military imperialism and capitalism.

Blow them up.

@


A bit of advice

08.04.2010 13:15

Bob, have you considered anger management classes?

Pete


nationalist patriots

08.04.2010 13:58

youre right we are patriots so if you wanna smash us of our streets you know where to find us were coming to youre meetings chances are you wont make it homework that night

@@


re: nationalists and patriots

08.04.2010 14:24

Were Germans right to be patriots and nationalists in the 30s and 40s?

Do you think you should *always* support your country, even if they are in the wrong?

anon


@anon

08.04.2010 14:36

this isnt 1930s germany and i dont allways support my country i am against the wars but 100pc behind the soldiers we live in a democracy and the people we elected make the decisions it will all change after the election when the far left race to victory oh no thats never gonna happen the swp types support free speech as long as whats being said they wanna hear why dont they go and live in the utopian north korea

nationalists patriots


Yes, BUT...

08.04.2010 16:44

This is all well and good, except for the minor details that FRFI + Revolutionary Communism are...

a/ minuscule
b/ couldn't draw even one 20th of the supporters UAF can
c/ their anachronistic Communist nonsense is even worse than the Trotskyism of the SWP
d/ their anachronistic Communist nonsense is a PR gift to the BNP and EDL

Sorry ;)

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q188VcY6LF0

Bob-a-job


Yes, BUT...

08.04.2010 16:44

This is all well and good, except for the minor details that FRFI + Revolutionary Communism are...

a/ minuscule
b/ couldn't draw even one 20th of the supporters UAF can
c/ their anachronistic Communist nonsense is even worse than the Trotskyism of the SWP
d/ their anachronistic Communist nonsense is a PR gift to the BNP and EDL

Sorry ;)

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q188VcY6LF0

Bob-a-job


Yes, BUT...

08.04.2010 16:45

This is all well and good, except for the minor details that FRFI + Revolutionary Communism are...

a/ minuscule
b/ couldn't draw even one 20th of the supporters UAF can
c/ their anachronistic Communist nonsense is even worse than the Trotskyism of the SWP
d/ their anachronistic Communist nonsense is a PR gift to the BNP and EDL

Sorry ;)

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q188VcY6LF0

Bob-a-job


Yes, BUT...

08.04.2010 16:45

This is all well and good, except for the minor details that FRFI + Revolutionary Communism are...

a/ minuscule
b/ couldn't draw even one 20th of the supporters UAF can
c/ their anachronistic Communist nonsense is even worse than the Trotskyism of the SWP
d/ their anachronistic Communist nonsense is a PR gift to the BNP and EDL

Sorry ;)

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q188VcY6LF0

Bob-a-job


Yes, BUT....

08.04.2010 16:45

This is all well and good, except for the minor details that FRFI + Revolutionary Communism are...

a/ minuscule
b/ couldn't draw even one 20th of the supporters UAF can
c/ their anachronistic Communist nonsense is even worse than the Trotskyism of the SWP
d/ their anachronistic Communist nonsense is a PR gift to the BNP and EDL

Sorry ;)

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q188VcY6LF0

Bob-a-job


Sorry for the repeat postings

08.04.2010 17:19

Sorry for the repeat postings... attack of the web weirdness :( not deliberate

Bob-again


trollololol

10.04.2010 16:35

" EDL= nationalists and patriots

08.04.2010 09:19
This is enough reason to fight them - Burn England, the Queen, the Army, the whole fucking lot.

Who gives a fuck if they are 'racist' or not by definition- they support the State, military imperialism and capitalism.

Blow them up.

@ "


Get a life you provocatuer-Troll!!!

This thread is like another sketch from the FLying circus innit, Jezuz,

their all a bunch of c**ts Mr Bone yes,
FFS though Myra Hindley,ian Brady were nazi loving racists!!,
Baby Ps killer was C18-BNP,& no doubt loves EDL!!,
the famous chemist poisoner& friend of Brady nazi lover,
& the list goes on of Nazi's who tortured & murdered their own & other children besides the holocaust. The UAF are also against 8-10million children dying unecessarily around the world unecessarily of malnutrition& disease that UNICEF have proven, this is something again the BNP& many EDL generally cheerlead4, they should go into therapy or hang themselves.

Those are serious whopping lines they cross, its hard to be more of a C**t than Stalin,
but fascists do it all the time

Maknovista


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