EDL demo to go ahead in Bolton

Paul Britton

March 17, 2010

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Ten people were injured when the EDL clashed with the UAF in Piccadilly Gardens last October.

The English Defence League rally in Bolton will go ahead on Saturday after the Home Secretary said he had no power to ban it.

The council was hoping that Alan Johnson would outlaw the demonstration on safety grounds, fearing violence could erupt in the town centre.

A delegation of council chiefs and faith representatives including the Bishop of Bolton travelled to London to meet Alan Campbell, a parliamentary under-secretary of state responsible for crime reduction.

Hopes of a ban however have been dashed after Mr Johnson responded in a letter to say he was powerless to intervene.

The Home Secretary said he had examined all relevant law but the government had no power to prevent an assembly. Laws to ban marches do exist but the demonstration is expected to be static and confined to Victoria Square near Bolton Town Hall off Le Mans Crescent.

The leader of Bolton council said he was 'disappointed' at the news but said the Home Secretary had only 'limited powers'. Coun Cliff Morris said: “We and the faith and community leaders have done everything within our power to prevent this demonstration due to the risk of violence.

“We are disappointed that the Home Secretary has been unable to ban this demonstration, however we understand that under current law his powers are extremely limited. In the anticipation that a ban was unlikely, we have been working for some time with the police and local communities.

“We are confident that our excellent community relationships will not be harmed by this proposed demonstration and we urge local people not to be provoked into taking part in any counter-demonstration.”

Log on Saturday for live up to minute coverage of the EDl demo, including video and photographs.

The government only has the power to ban a static assembly if it is on private property.

In the letter the Home Secretary said that the government supported the right of people to peacefully express their views in public under the principles of free speech.

He adds however that it must be balanced against the rights of local communities to go about their daily business without fear of intimidation.

The controversial far-right group describes itself as a peaceful, non-political group campaigning against 'militant Islam'.

Ugly scenes marked an EDL protest in Manchester last year, with 44 arrests and 10 injuries.

Further details about the specific policing operation were expected to be released Thursday.

Log on Saturday for live up to minute coverage of the EDl demo, including video and photographs.

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Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All

Stickman, Bury (17/03/2010 at 20:12)

an excuse for hooligans to cause havoc!

Emjay See supporting City is not being able to wake from a dream that keeps getting better and bette (17/03/2010 at 20:16)

If you want to defend England from the EDL what do you do?

When in Rome (17/03/2010 at 20:35)

The enemies of our society are those that wish and have tried to ban freedom of speech, in this case includes the Bishop of Bolton, the leader of Bolton councIl and the UAF.

Hamish Macbeth, Whitefield (17/03/2010 at 21:00)

Perhaps the Anti-Nazis, Socialist Workers Party and other assorted protestors could stay away instead then!
With no "opposition" the EDL march would pass off as a damp squib - and there would be a lot less violence.
I am no fan of the EDL - but the opposition are not much better either.
Have neither anything better to do on a Saturday afternoon.

Breezeblock, Manchester (17/03/2010 at 21:45)

Will Peter Hain be there, giving his orders from the back?

thoughtful, East of Manchester (17/03/2010 at 21:53)

Wouldn't it be nice if everyone ignored them and the shouts just faded away into the pennines? But no the other side of the same coin the UAF come along, attracted like the other pole of a magnet and we end up with scenes of violence.
Why is it that the extreme left is so wedded to violence? nearly every time there's a problem at a demo you'll find the extreme left, I'm sure that this weekend will be no different.
With a group like the EDF it would be reasonable to assume that Moslems would take offence and make a counter protest, but they've got more sense and are not up for a fight like the other two obviously are.

citypedro, manchester (17/03/2010 at 22:30)

And so the EDL demo should go ahead, this is a civilised, democratic country and they have a right to march. All they are trying to do as far as I am aware, is highlight the threats to our democracy, culture and freedom from some religious nazis.

It may be 34/35 yrs but it will never be 37yrs., Mossley (17/03/2010 at 23:57)

Whenever I have seen the EDL and the BNP march anywhere they are doing it peacefully it is only when the anti-fascist brigade arrive on the scene that trouble breaks out. It always seem to be the anti-whatevers that start and cause the trouble why did Bolton council want to ban the EDL why didn't they ask to ban the anti-fascist is it because they condone the violence of the anti-fascist.

The EDL & the BNP are doing what a majority of English people are thinking you read it everyday in the nationals how the human rights is being used against the English by foreigners and what about the the firm that will only employ Polish workers, someone has to have their say for the English.

A Saracen (18/03/2010 at 08:24)

If Alan Johnson banned Islam4UK then why cant he ban the EDL? Hypocrite

Black Flag (18/03/2010 at 09:41)

It may be 34/35 yrs but it will never be 37yrs: "The EDL & the BNP are doing what a majority of English people are thinking you read it everyday in the nationals how the human rights is being used against the English by foreigners"

Well, if you oppose the concept of human rights, surely you should be backing the council in their move to ban the protest, rather than allowing the EDL to claim that they have a human right to protest. Or are you just parroting the usual tired inaccurate nonsense churned out by some of the nationals?

"someone has to have their say for the English."

I'm perfectly capable of speaking for myself. I don't need a bunch of knuckle-draggers to do it on my behalf.

Rujibabes, Rochdale (18/03/2010 at 10:09)

I agree with Hamish, i'm a Muslim and don't really want to see the EDL march, however of the anti-facist groups stay away, then at least the march will pass off peacefully instead of people making a big deal about it..this us just what they want, so let's just all stay away let them chant for an hour or two and no harm done!

Theowolfe (18/03/2010 at 10:36)

"this is a civilised, democratic country and they have a right to march."
citypedro,

Well not really, the police have too much power and are out of control. It is becoming a less free "civilised democracy" by the day.

TREVOR THOMAS (18/03/2010 at 11:04)

The EDL demo should go head. It is their right to peacefully express their views. Just because the violent morons of the UAF are looking to cause trouble is no reason to stop it. If the UAF scum were not looking for a fight here they would be doing it somewhere else.

Esso Blue. Apple Blossom time, Manchester (18/03/2010 at 11:13)

Why don't they do something useful, like staying at home and dunking their biscuits in their tea.

m69 alty (18/03/2010 at 11:22)

Just a couple of points -

"Ugly scenes marked an EDL protest in Manchester last year, with 44 arrests and 10 injuries" - yes its a shame the UAF turned up, always seems to get violent when the lovely socialists and unwashed appear, but I'm sure the MEN meant to include that some of the arrests and scuffles with police were UAF.

"The controversial far-right group describes itself as a peaceful, non-political group campaigning against 'militant Islam'." - lets hope the 'impartial' Manchester evening news report this in a 'fair' and 'balanced' way.

Dan North (18/03/2010 at 12:05)

Here we go again, a group of drunken thugs marching up and down our high streets, attacking police, abusing the public and shouting offensive songs. This is not acceptable in any decent society. The EDL is in reality, a group organised by football hooligan ‘firms’ who offer no solution except violence and intimidation. It sounds more and more like they are finding an outlet for fighting, now that the authorities have prevented trouble at and around football stadiums.

Extremists of any kind offer nothing good whatsoever, and the EDL are firmly within this bracket despite their slick PR claims.

No doubt after another trouble filled protest, the message boards will fill up with EDL supporters applying the same old ‘honest, it wasn’t us, guv’ line. Sorry, not fooled anymore.

arachne, The Web (18/03/2010 at 12:06)

The EDL are just like the National Front in the 70's. They deliberately hold demonstrations in areas where they know there is likely to be trouble because that is what they want. In the 1970's whilst serving with the St John Ambulance brigade, we were called out of church parade at the Cathedral to go on duty at a NF demo in Tameside and despite us being in a big coach ambulance in the middle, NF missiles still rained down on us. The EDL want a scrap and they are determined to get one and that's why they come to areas with large ethnic populations and not to places such as the Isle of Wight or Bagshot or Alderly edge which have low ethnic populations.

Anne Coates, Jersey Street (18/03/2010 at 12:09)

I suspect that if there were more celebration of England and all things English - without being accused of being a Nazi, then the EDL wouldn't have a platform or a message.

My self and Mr Coates have just arrived back from a few days on the continent - Spain to be precise. I am amazed how Spanish it all still feels. We've also been to Italy, Greece, France, Eire etc etc and they all feel as if they have an identity. England, on the other hand, appears to have no single identity these days. On the one hand you have the skin-headed, tattooed morons, on the other the hijab-wearing, urdu-speaking asians. And in the middle me and millions like me who aren't allowed to have a view for fear of being accused of being one or the other.

I wish I'd have left years ago.

CorneredAllTheLuck, Tameside (18/03/2010 at 13:11)

They are hatemongers and thugs trying to subvert the democratic process 'cos the BNP can't get in power. Just Combat 18 with more (but not much more) media savvy.

Esso Blue. Apple Blossom time, Manchester (18/03/2010 at 14:09)

Do you like holidaying in foreign lands where foreign people live but you don't want to have them living around you? do you want your cake and eat it?.

Is It Me? (18/03/2010 at 14:24)

Somebody has got to do something to stick up for England. Nobody else is,apart from UKIP!

davefb, bolton (18/03/2010 at 14:25)

'the uaf should stay at home' NO. Stopping the blackshirts marching and fighting the nazi's in the past was something that we should be proud of. The EDL have no place in this country and should be treated like the dirt you might walk in.

Black Flag (18/03/2010 at 14:46)

Dan North: "Extremists of any kind offer nothing good whatsoever"

I find that a very worrying approach. It risks allowing the government of the day to silence dissent by labelling any opinion which diverges significantly from its own as extremist and therefore inherently wrong, irrespective of what that opinion is. Don't forget, at one time, being a democrat would have had you labelled as an extremist.

It reminds me of the Barry Goldwater quote: "I would remind you that extremism in the defence of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!"

Andy., Bury (18/03/2010 at 15:26)

Whip round for Anne's flight? ;-)

Anne Coates, Jersey Street (18/03/2010 at 15:42)

England is over as a nation concept. We are now just a destination for people who no longer want to live in their own country.

If you are happy to ignore the marxist extremists (UAF by any other name) whilst vilifying the extreme right, you are idiotic and should spend some time reading up what lovely Stalin did rather than nasty Hitler.

Most anti-EDL posts read like politically naive pap.

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