Sunday 11 November 2012

Three men charged after marches in Norwich

From the Norwich Evening News by Mark Shields:

Three men arrested during yesterday’s marches in Norwich have been charged, and another man cautioned.

Four arrests were made during yesterday’s march to City Hall by the English Defence League and counter-march by the We Are Norwich group.

Around 400 officers from 11 police forces were drafted in as part of a large-scale operation to ensure the protests passed off peacefully.

Scott Maddox, 22, of *****, Norwich, was charged with possession of an offensive weapon, namely a form of baton. He has been bailed to appear at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on November 30.

Darrell Copeland, 45, of *****, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, was charged with using threatening words or behaviour, and has been bailed to appear at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on November 26.

Matthew Berryman, 28, of ******, Norwich, was also charged with using threatening words or behaviour, and has been bailed to appear at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on November 27.

A 44-year-old man from Telford, Shropshire, who was arrested on suspicion of assault was later cautioned for a public order offence.




9 comments:

  1. The chap with the baton was not an edl supporter,he was grabbed amongst waiting, we are norwich group, so much for peaceful protest. I found as a shopper out with my wife and two children,two nasty groups of people wanting to beat each other up, shame on all of you bringing terror to my fine city .

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have to admit this post took me by surprise. We Are Norwich was marked by our resolve for peaceful protest. There were so many banners calling for love, reconciliation and inclusiveness. I assure you there was no desire to beat up the EDL, only to show by our numbers that they were a minority and unpopular
    point of view.
    What was it about We Are Norwich that brought "terror" to you?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Some of this is false information, falsely reported by the EDP. I can't think why no one bothered to fact check, but the person in question didn't actually have a baton, a random 3 inch, rounded piece of metal left over from building renovations was mistaken for a "kung fu knife". There were plenty of people who witnessed the search who could have told you that, so before you try to desperately try to distance yourselves from your fellow anti-fascists get your facts straight. If you had any solidarity, the real story you could be reporting here is the danger of the misinformation spread about this incident and the shocking FACTS of the arrest.
    Why put the safety of one of your supporters seriously at risk by reposting their name and address?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ava, I honestly don't know what you are talking about, and I am certainly not trying to "distance" myself.
    Here's a platform for you. What happened? Did you EDL group actually feel threatened?

    ReplyDelete
  5. ??? Scott is not EDL! He came to protest peacefully against them and was arrested! Do you understand the problem now?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Ava,
    He will have his opportunity to explain I'm sure.
    Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yeah he will... in court, for fighting your cause, thanks for the solidarity as always.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh my dear Barbara,

    Have we got trouble in your ranks?

    Gutted i never got to meet you, but there's alway's next time, take care.

    The Captain.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ava,
    I cannot reply privately to you as I do not have any contact details - all mail to the blog is anonymous unless you specifically add details.
    If you want a personal reply, then give your contact details here or through the We Are Norwich site or contact Nick, it's up to you.
    Take care.

    ReplyDelete