The Star newspaper later added that seven had been charged with offences related to the EDL march:
There were around 800 EDL supporters in Rotherham yesterday as well as members of Unite Against Fascism which held a counter protest in All Saints Square.
Police said there were also members of far right wing organisations, including the National Front and Combat 18, in town.
There were ugly scenes when police officers and some protesters clashed.
Officers were forced to drawn their batons at one flashpoint when a crowd started pushing officers and hurling missiles at them.
Metal barriers were pushed over and thrown at officers as a splinter group of EDL supporters left the march, but after 15 minutes of mayhem order was resumed and the protestors continued along the pre-arranged route to end up at Rotherham Main Street police station.
Chief Superintendent Jason Harwin, of South Yorkshire Police, said:
Police said there were also members of far right wing organisations, including the National Front and Combat 18, in town.
There were ugly scenes when police officers and some protesters clashed.
Officers were forced to drawn their batons at one flashpoint when a crowd started pushing officers and hurling missiles at them.
Metal barriers were pushed over and thrown at officers as a splinter group of EDL supporters left the march, but after 15 minutes of mayhem order was resumed and the protestors continued along the pre-arranged route to end up at Rotherham Main Street police station.
Chief Superintendent Jason Harwin, of South Yorkshire Police, said:
Around 1,500 police officers were drafted in to police the event and to ensure the safety of local residents and those taking part in the protests.
 |
| Overtime for Police at the EDL protest in Rotherham |
Before the march Malatesta lists what is so objectionable about the self-promoting far right knuckling into this national scandal, and reports from the pre-march EDL camp:
Whilst the entire country is wondering how 1400 children could have been sexually abused for so many years in Rotherham, as inquiries are being set-up to discover what went wrong, and whilst many people have expressed heartfelt sympathy for the victims, the English Defence League have decided to help out as well. The EDL have set-up what looks like a refugee camp for thugs and drunks in a bid to 'support' the victims, and what should be a sombre vigil has turned into a rowdy, rain sodden mini-festival for the beer clutching attention seekers on the far right.
As usual the EDL complain that the media is portraying them as a bunch of drunken hooligans. But if you look like a drunken hooligan and you act like a drunken hooligan, then ...
Of course with any event hijacked by the far right all the little grupuscules are trying to claim credit and publicity, saying the demonstration in Rotherham on the 13th of September is their own. The EDL responded by saying it is their ball and no-one can play with it. The other grupuscules are naturally chagrined as they need a publicity fix for their little vanity tribes as well so the infighting has started already ...
Whilst squatting in their own filth, the EDL have claimed the entire population of Yorkshire supports them and have supplied them with beer, fags, pies, beer and fags. One of the more desperate EDL members has been on hunger strike for several days, surviving on a meagre diet of Stella and crisps (and all the millions of free pies and fags the EDL have been given by the entire population of England). It appears that the EDL's main sponsors are Stella and Charlie, their royal couple.
The EDL are merely making a bad situation worse by trivialising it and claiming it was they who 'exposed Asian grooming gangs' but in fact, they simply read it in the paper and put it on Facebook.
The BNP and the far right in general are very keen to blame the Labour council – of whom we have no political affiliation with – but conveniently forget that in 2008, there were 2 BNP councillors in Rotherham, who likewise did nothing (like every other BNP councillor).
As usual, the EDL are making up their usual inflammatory lies by saying they were 'shot at' by 'muzzies' going by in cars. This is clearly drive-by bullshit as the road is closed due to their own protest and surely plod, whose house they are besieging, would have mentioned summat.
The EDL are still politically clueless and promote the false syllogism that 'I hate pedos; anti-fascists hate me; therefore anti-fascists support pedos.' Firstly, how you 'support pedos' is anyone's guess (send them a prussic sandwich?) but this is also symptomatic of their naïve polarised reasoning and they cannot see why people are angry at their gross opportunism and vulturing over an already emotional issue. Unite Against Fascism (UAF) have declared that they will be in Rotherham to oppose the EDL but this will do anti-fascists no favours and only inflame the EDL's false theorising.
It is clear that this is a last ditch attempt for the EDL to show that it isn't completely atrophied (it is!). They are down to a few hundred members, have no idea who their actual leader is, and are sulking with Mr Tommy who left them to their own desperate devices. But at least they've got their faces in the paper so they can show their mates in the pub. Well done.
Read more from Malatesta here.
If their concern for victims of child abuse was genuine, why restrict their campaign to Rotherham?
As usual the EDL complain that the media is portraying them as a bunch of drunken hooligans. But if you look like a drunken hooligan and you act like a drunken hooligan, then ...
Of course with any event hijacked by the far right all the little grupuscules are trying to claim credit and publicity, saying the demonstration in Rotherham on the 13th of September is their own. The EDL responded by saying it is their ball and no-one can play with it. The other grupuscules are naturally chagrined as they need a publicity fix for their little vanity tribes as well so the infighting has started already ...
Whilst squatting in their own filth, the EDL have claimed the entire population of Yorkshire supports them and have supplied them with beer, fags, pies, beer and fags. One of the more desperate EDL members has been on hunger strike for several days, surviving on a meagre diet of Stella and crisps (and all the millions of free pies and fags the EDL have been given by the entire population of England). It appears that the EDL's main sponsors are Stella and Charlie, their royal couple.
The EDL are merely making a bad situation worse by trivialising it and claiming it was they who 'exposed Asian grooming gangs' but in fact, they simply read it in the paper and put it on Facebook.
The BNP and the far right in general are very keen to blame the Labour council – of whom we have no political affiliation with – but conveniently forget that in 2008, there were 2 BNP councillors in Rotherham, who likewise did nothing (like every other BNP councillor).
As usual, the EDL are making up their usual inflammatory lies by saying they were 'shot at' by 'muzzies' going by in cars. This is clearly drive-by bullshit as the road is closed due to their own protest and surely plod, whose house they are besieging, would have mentioned summat.
The EDL are still politically clueless and promote the false syllogism that 'I hate pedos; anti-fascists hate me; therefore anti-fascists support pedos.' Firstly, how you 'support pedos' is anyone's guess (send them a prussic sandwich?) but this is also symptomatic of their naïve polarised reasoning and they cannot see why people are angry at their gross opportunism and vulturing over an already emotional issue. Unite Against Fascism (UAF) have declared that they will be in Rotherham to oppose the EDL but this will do anti-fascists no favours and only inflame the EDL's false theorising.
It is clear that this is a last ditch attempt for the EDL to show that it isn't completely atrophied (it is!). They are down to a few hundred members, have no idea who their actual leader is, and are sulking with Mr Tommy who left them to their own desperate devices. But at least they've got their faces in the paper so they can show their mates in the pub. Well done.
Read more from Malatesta here.
And in the meantime here are three important and pertinent questions for the EDL and other far right "Vultures of Rotherham" from the anti-fascist network:
Why not march against the systematic abuse perpetrated by the clergy, especially that of the Catholic church?
Why have they not campaigned for the release of the “lost” Whitehall files relating to abuse and cover-ups at the heart of the British government?
The story of child abuse in Rotherham with its corrupt authorities and blind eyes turned to the exploitation of young working class girls, making them effectively disposable people, has much in common with the other child abuse scandals that have enraged us all. Jimmy Saville and Cyril Smith profited from a similar disregard for lives not important to the establishment.
The story of child abuse in Rotherham with its corrupt authorities and blind eyes turned to the exploitation of young working class girls, making them effectively disposable people, has much in common with the other child abuse scandals that have enraged us all. Jimmy Saville and Cyril Smith profited from a similar disregard for lives not important to the establishment.
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