EDL plans to march on City Hall November 10

From EDP24:
Two rival political factions will both march on city hall on Saturday November 10

The English Defence League (EDL) will gather at Castle Gardens while counter protesters, a group called We Are Norwich, will march from Chapelfield Gardens.

The EDL, whose protests are frequently marred with violence, are demonstrating in Norwich to protest at the city council’s decision to ban a preacher from a stall on Hay Hill for publishing “hate-motivated” leaflets.

Police promised a “substantial” operation to keep order in the city.
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So reads this brief article in today's EDP24.

It does not explain that the counter demonstration is planned to express the opposition there is amongst most citizens of Norwich for the politics of hatred and division as preached by the racist far right. 

There would be no counter demonstration had the EDL not threatened this unnecessary and disruptive march on Norwich, with EDL members coming from all over the country in order to display their free-floating rage here.

In the past, EDL marches have been associated with drunken violence and thuggish destruction.  The cost of policing these marches, of cleaning up afterwards, and the cost of lost business is considerable.  There is a growing opinion that although the EDL have the right to march, with that right comes responsibility, and the EDL should be held to account for the excesses of its members.

The group We Are Norwich is more concerned with the content of the negative EDL message, with its racism, homophobia and scape-goating. 

We Are Norwich is a broad coalition of many organisations, and has made frequent assurances that they plan nothing but a peaceful protest.



The EDL has made no such assurances.

Norwich city hall is in a central position above the market,
and above the newly-restored war memorial.
A protest here will cause maximum disruption to ordinary life in the heart of Norwich.