You are:

We can't abandon towns to fascists

29 March 2010

PCS rep Rachel Edwards provides a first-hand account of the anti-fascist protest against the English Defence League in Bolton.

I joined other PCS members from London on one of 68 coaches to Bolton to protest against the English Defence League.

For much of the day, our members were on the frontline, linking arms and blocking the main side street after we had been stopped by the police from getting into Victoria Square.

Groups of about 10 EDL members ran past several times looking for a scrap but, rather than chase them, which would have risked members getting injured, we held our line.

Inside the square, events turned nasty as police used 'wedges' to get at demonstrators. A couple of protesters ended up in hospital with injuries while others were punched in the face and threatened with police dogs.

Although the media reported that 64 anti-fascists were arrested, the majority were released without charge or with a fixed penalty notice.

The police are trying to criminalise anti-racist protest and, as part of that, are now targeting leading members of Unite Against Fascism.

They are threatening to charge Weyman Bennett, joint secretary of UAF, with conspiracy to cause violent disorder.

And Rhetta Moran, an NUJ activist and joint secretary of Greater Manchester UAF, was arrested while reading out a supportive statement from Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC.

Rhetta was detained at the police station and police took her house keys, went to her home and, without a warrant, took papers and copied files from her computer.

The police also threatened local Asian youths with instant ASBOs and parents were warned that if they did not leave with their children, they would be reported to the child protection authorities. This treatment of peaceful anti-racist protesters by police is outrageous.

For many, they were simply defending their town against the EDL’s racist poison.

Defend our communities

We should be in no doubt that wherever the EDL goes, they bring violence. The Bolton News reported that a 49-year-old man was stabbed by three EDL thugs in a pub near Bolton after he had asked them to tone down their behaviour.

And on the demonstration itself, the EDL were throwing broken bottles and other missiles at the anti-racist demonstrators.

The EDL claim they are neither racist nor Nazis. But the reality is they make ‘sieg heil’ salutes and chant “If you’re not British, go home”.

Overall, we felt we had succeeded in stopping a small but significant minority of the EDL from joining in their hate fest.

Though hindered by the police, our demonstration ended in a joyous march through Bolton after the EDL were made to leave.

They may be back in similar numbers at Dudley, and we will need to redouble our efforts to oppose them.

We cannot afford to leave whole towns to the mercy of the EDL. In Stoke on Trent, they went on the rampage, daubing mosques with swastikas, throwing bricks through people’s windows and shouting “race traitor” at anyone who was white who didn’t join in with their race-hate.

Through counter-demonstrations, we can prevent them from gathering. But if we allow the police to intimidate us away from these protests, the fascists will grow stronger.

View from the unions

The trade union movement was at the heart of the protest against the EDL in Bolton, with contingents and banners from Unison, Unite, PCS, USDAW, NUT, RMT, NUJ, TSSA, UCU and several trades councils.

A week earlier at the north west TUC conference, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said we have to defend the region’s multicultural and diverse communities against the EDL. Our protest was vital. There was no repeat of the unchecked rampage of Stoke on Trent two months ago.

Contrary to police statements, we massively outnumbered the racists whose support was down on previous turnouts. And the violence of the EDL was largely ignored by the police and the mainstream media.

Analysis of the media coverage is on the Expose the BNP website, a new campaign launched by media workers and students in the media unions NUJ and BECTU.

An edited extract of a statement issued by Manchester Trades Union Council

  • Demonstrate against the EDL: Market Place, Dudley, 11am Saturday 3 April; and Bradford on 30 May
  • Book your place on the Dudley coach, free for PCS members and £15/£7 for others, and register interest for Bradford by email stop_edl@unionbranch.org.uk or phone 07790 748455

 

 

Tab Comment

  1. View comments
  2. Add a new comment

Tab Comment content

  1. Comments are yet to be posted for this article.
  2. Add new comment

    All comments will be moderated before publication. PCS does not guarantee that all comments will be published. Please see our comments policy for more information.