Thursday 1 November 2012

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.


2 comments:

  1. (name and email address were given)2 November 2012 at 10:16

    Hi
    Having just read the Evening News and seen ther EDL March will be on
    that day, I and several friends were wondering if you were having a
    counter march? And if so we would like to join you but there are no
    details as to where/when it starts.

    We'd be very grateful if you could let us know any information as we
    want to participate in showing the EDL that they are far from welcome
    here. It would be so great if a massive, peaceful, dignified and well
    attended We are Norwich/HNH March totally distracted any attention away
    from a handfull of nasty thugs spewing hate.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, that is exactly what we are hoping for, and we plan to all gather in Chapelfield Gardens for our peaceful counter demonstraton from 11 am on Saturday November 10.
    Keep checking this blog and We Are Norwich website for further information:- http://www.wearenorwich.co.uk/
    In the meantime We Are Norwich is on Future Radio107.8FM today from 13.00 on Friday 2nd November - please listen and support!
    AND leafleting at Haymarket Sat 3rd November between 11.00 and 14.00 - come and join us and stay as long as you like.
    Hang on, I'll summarise all this activity in another blog -

    ReplyDelete