Anti-EDL demonstration in Walthamstow 1 September 2012, photo P Mason

Click for gallery. Anti-EDL demonstration in Walthamstow 1 September 2012, photo P Mason   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

The racist, hooligan EDL were blocked in Walthamstow today by a great show of strength from local young people, workers and anti-racist campaigners.

Protected by a massive police operation, a motley crew of as few as 150 racists tried to march from Blackhorse Road station to a rally in front of the Town Hall.

Disgracefully, the Labour council appears to have been prepared to allow the EDL to rally in front of the Town Hall.

After speeches from a whole range of organisations, anti-cuts union convenor and Socialist Party member Nancy Taaffe gave a fighting send off to the anti-EDL counter demo before it set off, calling for working class trade union action to fight racism and the austerity that breeds it.

Nancy refered to the announcement by the RMT trade union the day before that they would try to stop the EDL leaving Kings Cross station. 3000 marched on the counter-demonstration against the EDL in Walthamstow – local Asian, black and white youth and workers joined in as we marched up Hoe Street to block the EDL’s path.

The demonstration occupied Forest Road which the EDL intended to march along. When we heard that the police were escorting them to their destination via a back street route, Socialist Party members and Youth Fight for Jobs supporters worked with Daymer Turkish and Kurdish activists to help young protesters break the demo out of a police blockade to confront them at the Town Hall, where local youth had gathered.

The EDL never made it to their rally. Their speakers scuttled away in the face of the angry protest in front of them, and the police were forced to escort them away.

Paula Mitchell

Dundee

The far-right racist Scottish Defence League were sent packing from Dundee on 1 September. After months of hype from the SDL that they were coming to Dundee in big numbers along with their cohorts of the English Defence League and North West Infidels, they totalled a sorry mob of around 40.

They were seen off after about 45 minutes from their tiny static protest outside the back of a shopping centre.

Read more at www.socialistpartyscotland.org.uk


This version of this article was first posted on the Socialist Party website on 2 September 2012 and may vary slightly from the version subsequently printed in The Socialist.