EDL - Off Our Streets!

Absolutely no apologies for this late post.  Could have left it but it's too important.

I was out having a drink with some friends during the week before the English Defence League's march in Middlesbrough Town Centre on 9/7.   We speculated why the EDL were marching in Middlesbrough?  The National Front failed to get a foothold back in the day and the BNP have made no impact whatsoever, ever.

Make no mistake despite their seemingly respectable public face they are the same right wing thugs that are always milling around waiting for an opportunity to appear part of the political mainstream so they can feed there poisonous hatred en masse. There's no need for me to hyper-link to other articles about them. There's plenty out there if you are inclined

We pondered over why they thought it was worth the bother of coming to Middlesbrough.  One thought they might be here because Sham 69 were due to play Redcar Rocks on Sunday,  but we were all generally puzzled.  Though, we were in agreement that there is no place for the EDL in our town. We don't have any racial tensions or problems with extremism.  You don't even see any racial graffiti do you?   I accept we do have severe economic and some social problems but  that's mainly down to 30 plus years of neglect by central government. 

A rival march and event was organised by the United Colours Of Middlesbrough and I voiced my opinion that the people of Middlesbrough needed to come out in force to  voice their opposition to the EDL.  To see them off our streets before any support they have starts building up any momentum when the impending(?) cuts start to bite.  I felt confident there would be more of us than them but we needed to overwhelm them numbers wise to show them they are wasting their time.

So Saturday came and to say I was underwhelmed by the anti-EDL march was an understatement.  It doesn't look too bad in my photo below but if there were a 100 people that's all there were.

Thank god for the support of the SWP who supplied most of the flags and banners.  I'm not particularly a fan but I might even buy the paper off them next-time.  The event?  I only stayed for Drop Dead Fred but I wish I'd stayed for The Clashed, funnily enough a Clash tribute band.  I've never seen them but I've heard they're really good.

According to this report about 500 EDL supporters met up at Square One, The Central and The Hairy Lemon (I'd rather choke than drink in any of them again).  I actually witnessed first hand the congregations outside The Hairy Lemon and Square One.

ITV reported the event here (look out for me on the video) and it didn't look too bad.  But having watched these youtube videos, 1 and 2, fair people of Teesside make no mistake we've got a fight on our hands. I don't ever remember seeing a right wing event anything on Teesside anything like this before.   It's even worse when you read that they also organised marches in Cambridge, Plymouth and Halifax the same day!

Now I could use this another excuse to get all misty eyed about Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League and I could have a moan about the need for young people to get motivated but I won't.  Frankly it's too serious.  Let's just say we're all in this together (now there's a phrase I haven't heard for a couple of weeks).  Next time, everybody be there!  All ages, all races.  This is too important to be complacent.

EDL - off our streets! 
Whose streets? 
Our streets!