Live-Blogging the EDL in Tower Hamlets

Live-blogging for the EDL demo in Tower Hamlets has concluded. Follow-up photos, videos, and articles will appear as separate posts.

1:23pm EDT:

The EDL at Kings Cross:


Hat tip: Nilk.


11:51am EDT:

martinuaf martin smith

#uafeastend police confirmed Tommy Robinson been arrested - only few hundred edl - thousands of us great day
https://twitter.com/#!/martinuaf/status/109998544370405376 I like this one from an hour ago because it states there were only a few hundred edl.

As a matter of interest, an EDL member on the scene put the crowd at around 3,000.

@jeronimo218 Jon Perryman

The community stoppped EDL and defied the police ban with a victory march. A victory for multiculturalism Theresa May #fail #uafeastend

In what way did “the community stop the EDL”? The EDL still turned up en masse, and then the UAF went against the police ban. Not good PR.

Another one of our peaceful lefty friends from a few hours back:

@ShellyAsquith Shelly Asquith

Just been told the EDL coach coming from Oxford had its tyres cut at a service station #uafeastend

[commentary by Nilk]


11:44am EDT:

@PennyRed Laurie Penny

by roblugg
Violent clashes between police and EDL on corner of minories street. EDL trying to break through to aldgate. Horses gearing up.

@james_haywood James Haywood

by roblugg
There is a group of women on bikes going after EDL, literally riding their bikes into them and screaming in their face. Bloody heroes!!

@policemonitor The Network for PM

400 anti-fash on whitechapel rd. some heading down Lehman st. EDL rally almost finished. No arrests reported yet #uafeastend #towerhamlets

JoshAJHall Josh Hall

Massive crowd surrounding police stop and searching an antifascist behind Aldgate East #EDL #uafeastend twitpic.com/6ffn0x

Hat tip: Nilk.


11:20am EDT:

Tommy Robinson, dressed as a rabbi, climbs on stage at the demo:


Hat tip: Kitman.


11:13am EDT:

Update from an EDL source: “Tommy Robinson was NOT arrested. The EDL got him away before the police could reach him.”

Photo from earlier:



11:04am EDT:

Police say English Defence League east London demo is ‘calm’.

Hope Not Hate:

It seems that Yaxley-Lennon might have evaded police arrest. Four police officers went to arrest him but he escaped. Either that or he broke free of the police. Will try to find out more.

Getting reports of 500 police heading down Minories, towards Tower Hill.

Hat tips: KGS, Kitman.


10:51am EDT:

From The Grauniad:

Anti-fascist protesters gather as EDL holds London demonstration

Huge crowds assemble to oppose ‘static’ protest by far-right English Defence League in Tower Hamlets

And what’s it all about? Why, the Oslo massacre, of course!

Tensions have been heightened by the actions of the anti-Muslim extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who admitted killing 77 people in July when he detonated a bomb in the Norwegian capital, Oslo before embarking on a shooting spree at a youth camp on the nearby Utøya island.

The EDL demonstration is its first since the killings by Breivik, who had praised the organisation in the past and claimed to have 600 EDL supporters as friends on Facebook.

Nothing about why the EDL is demonstrating. Nothing about the Islamization of England. Just a reiteration of “Anders Breivik, EDL — same thing!”

Hat tip: Nilk.


10:35am EDT:

“Kevin Carroll is currently speaking about the ineffectual politicians who have sold out to the Islamists. He’s calling them Judas to their people. Tower Hamlets is England. If the government can’t police the Islamists and ensure freedom of speech, they should use the army.

“He asks for the government to make military covenant law and pays tribute to our troops, and also emphasises peaceful protest.

“He also pays tribute to Israel. He asks for people to go home peacefully from demo.”


10:34am EDT:

Tommy Robinson has been arrested. Nick Lowles at Hope Not Hate:

15.18 Stephen Yaxley-Lennon has been arrested

He was goading the police that he was breaking his bail conditions and invited them to arrest him. It seems they did just that.

Confirmed by EDL sources.


10:24am EDT:

Video: Tommy Robinson breaks bail conditions & shows up at EDl demo dressed as a rabbi.

edlsupportgroup EDL Support Group

MDL supporters encouraging others to attend Liverpool street station to confront EDL. fb.me/YUFFNmfl

Hat tips: Nilk, Kitman.


10:17am EDT:

Photo:

Police following behind protesters in Liverpool street #EDL

From a lefty on twitter, SofiaEfree aka So Fiyah:

Reports of #EDL attacking innocent bystanders in Kingscross,kicking off in Liverpool street&shouting racist abuse in Aldgate @everythingedl

@shanecroucher Shane Croucher

Pol conf to me that #edl being taken to Whitechapel Rd cordon, but w’re being pushed down Mansell St. Inkling they’ll be taken behind RBS.

Hat tip: Nilk.


10:07am EDT:

Report from the scene:

The crowd is loud, but it certainlydoesn’t sound threatening. There are plenty of police around and that’s about it. It’s a bit too noisy to talk, though.

More UAF violence, HJMcQuarrie HJ McQuarrie:

@anne_schulthess i went fascist hunting. The #uaf rally is miles from the edl! Edl is police escorted and protected. Shame! Are you staying?

Twitpic:

Police coming in hard to break the two sides off. #EDL

Hat tips: Nilk, Tattzman.


10:02am EDT:

@hoxbot shoreditch

RT @hackneyhaz Overheard in Brick Lane, copper: “The #EDL have done what they were told, it’s you lot that haven... bit.ly/nB7fbI

According to the Socialist Worker, UAF are ignoring the Home Office ban on marches:

2.45pm. Several hundred anti-racist protesters have marched from their rally to Osborn St, at the bottom of Brick Lane—in defiance of Tory home secretary Theresa May’s ban on marches.

They have stopped close to where the EDL are hoping to rally. Demonstrators are chanting, “Whose streets? Our streets!” and “Black and white, unite and fight”.

Hat tips: Nilk, KGS.


9:53am EDT:

Socialist Worker:

A speaker from the Islamic Forum of Europe said, “This time last year we stopped the EDL from coming here. This time we are going to do it again because I see Muslims, Christians, Jews, gays and lesbians all here today.”

Hat tip: KGS.


9:48am EDT:

Video: UAF east end against EDL

Notice the “Anders Breivik = Tommy Robinson” placards.

Hat tip: Nilk.


9:43am EDT:

Twitpic:

Loads of police vans going into the direction of cable street. Got the feeling #edl is going there. Or just Precaution

Tweet from ThatSpidey TheSpidey:

The police can’t control this. Too many EDL arriving from all directions

Hat tips: Nilk, Tattzman.


9:28am EDT:

HOPE not hate:

Update from Tower Hamlets: It seems that Kings Cross station is now open and a group of 500+ EDL are coming on the tube. We’ve heard that they will come into Liverpool Street, where they will link up with 3-400 already there.

Police are talking of 1,000+ EDL

So Kings Cross is open again.

Hat tip: Nilk.


9:22am EDT:

HOPE not hate:

Update from Tower Hamlets: Just got news from the site of the EDL protest that they are being given the whole of Aldgate. Huge police activity.

[…]

Update from Tower Hamlets:The EDL are moving off from Liverpool Street in groups of ten. It's going to take quite some time to get them all to Aldgate.

9:19 am:

a snippet of video of the EDL at Kings Cross

live streaming from kings cross


Hat tip: Nilk.

9:17am:

http://twitpic.com/6fe0ez

Vinny James in Hamilton Hall Liverpool St reports of Hundreds of police in body armour & helicopter overhead #EDL (screen cap supplied by @everythingedl)

Update 9:11am EDT:

From HOPE not hate:

Update from Tower Hamlets: The police began escorting the EDL towards Kings Cross station only to find the RMT (transport workers’ union have closed the tube station. There’s 300+ EDL outside the station and no-one has a clue what is happening.

Well done RMT!

http://yfrog.com/nwb4uaj

Heavy police presence on Mansell St. Putting riot gear on.

Hat tip: Nilk.


The demo is beginning about now (14:00 London, 9am EDT). Reports indicate that the demonstrators have been denied access to Tower Hamlets proper, and that the demo is being staged just outside.