The battle of Bolton and the media
Anti-fascist protesters emerged victorious on Saturday after holding Bolton’s central Victoria Square against the racists from the English Defence League.
But mainstream national media reports are presenting it as a contest between two violent groups – and blaming the anti-fascists for the violence.
Anti-fascists faced brutality from police with dogs and on horseback. There were over 60 arrests – 55 Unite Against Fascism and 9 EDL, according to Sky news – including UAF leader Weyman Bennett “on suspicion of conspiracy to commit violent disorder”. The police commander made disgraceful allegations about the protesters.
Video on the Bolton News website makes it clear, however, that the violence was not coming from the anti-fascists. It shows an elderly veteran of World War 2 who had joined the protest, and UAF stewards can be heard urging protestors to stay calm in the face of apparent police efforts to provoke a riot.
The Bolton News had a reporter in Victoria Square who described on Twitter how EDL members had broken away from the square to cause violence: “Number of demonstrators intent on causing disorder have broken away from protest site. Large numbers of officers deployed to address.” The journalist saw “missiles flying” as the EDL tried to get out of its enclosure.
Anti-fascists clearly outnumbered the EDL, yet the BBC on its website and on TV news cited the police estimates that there were 1,500 anti-fascists and 2,000 EDL. The facts suggest otherwise.
The Bolton News reported on Twitter at 3.30pm: “EDL look to have gone from the sq[uare] but more UAF supporters making their way there. Banners from Hull, London, Birmingham among those seen”
Anti-fascists continued to join the protest. Twenty minutes later the Bolton News reported a “large number of asian youths in ashburner street”, just outside Victoria Square
This was the turning point when hundreds of young Asians joined the protests.
Socialist Worker’s reporter described this moment: “Anti-racists in Victoria Square have been buoyed by the arrival of large numbers of young Asians from the town. Shafiq told Socialist Worker, ‘The police tried to stop us getting here by holding us in a side road for hours. Several times we tried to break through their lines, but they held us back. … Its disgusting that the police have allowed the EDL to do what ever they like here, but we’ve been stopped from defending our own town.’”
About the same time, UAF’s twitter feed reported: “Another huge contingent of UAF supporters finally allowed to enter the square”. Hundreds of anti-fascists had been blocked by police from entering the square.
The BBC’s reporting was execrable, quoting the EDL and repeating its claim that “it describes itself as a peaceful, non-political group”. UAF spokespeople were not quoted.
Sky news at 6pm also reported the protest as a violent confrontation, citing the numbers arrested as if they were proof of violence on the UAF side.
[...] confrontation, citing the numbers arrested as if they were proof of violence on the UAF side. exposethebnp.com [...]
Could you please answer me one simple question -
are the UAF pro or anti muslim extremism and sharia law?
[...] the super-socialist do-gooders have claimed that police were the violent ones, attacking Unite Against Fascism protesters. I really have heard [...]
Looking at the reports from yesterday i’m guessing the ‘allah is the greatest’ banner proudly displayed by the uaf goes some way to answering my above question.
So, you’re saying that anyone proclaiming that their god is the greatest is clearly an extremist? You’d have the same reaction if there was a banner saying “Jesus is the greatest” or “Buddha is the greatest”? If so, that would make you a bit of an extremist atheist yourself. If not, then you seem to be displaying a little bit of Islamophobia.
It’s all so frustrating… why all this effort to discredit UAF? Why are police approaching mosques, schools and trade unions to discourage people from demonstrating against the EDL when they don’t, for example, approach football games and dissuade people from joining EDL marches? The police behaved appallingly at the demo and am disgusted at apparently tactical smearing of Weyman Bennett and Martin Smith.
[...] of 2,000 EDL and 1,500 anti-racists – are also hotly and overwhelmingly disputed, with reports from the ground all stating figures of around 3,000 anti-racists and around a thousand coked-up football hooligans [...]
[...] was worth flagging up. Expose the BNP points out what happened in Bolton and how the media help and aid fascists from the BNP and EDL: Video on the Bolton News website makes it clear, however, that the violence was not coming from [...]
[...] was worth flagging up. Expose the BNP points out what happened in Bolton and how the media help and aid fascists from the BNP and EDL: Video on the Bolton News website makes it clear, however, that the violence was not coming from [...]
[...] of seasoned anti-Nazi protesters who were actually there, and this excellent deconstruction of the media coverage of the event. I’m sure the UAF demonstrators are really sorry for throwing their heads against police [...]
[...] the media portrays both the EDL and the antiracist counterprotestors as violent. This is largely due to overreliance on police statements — first priority to them is [...]
I feel badly let down by the BOLTON COUNCIL OF MOSQUES (BCOM), telling youths to keep away from the demo. I also noticed the police were doing everything they could to stop Asain youths from attending with arrest, yet EDL supporters were allowd to wonder freely. I am a muslim and sick to death of these self appointed style Muslim community leaders they are as much use as a glass hammer. We belive approx over 2000 youths were stopped from attending a so called democratic demonstration, but there again its no suprise therae after all the police are institutionally racist.
The locl police report Police congratulating the EDL for their behaviour.
EDL Chants.
Kill a paki kill, Nazi style salutes, if your black send them back if theyre brown shoot them down?????? not racist???
This is an insult to those 1st and 2nd world war heroes who fought this bigotry.
Shame on the police, BCOM, and the politicians who hide and divert the spot light way from themselves.
no-one has still answered my original question. ‘pro’ or ‘anti’ will suffice as an answer.
If a member of UAF choses to respond, that’s up to them, however, this is not a UAF website. Expose is an independent group of journalists and media workers who aim to expose the BNP and its fellow travellers like the EDL and to highlight bad media coverage, as well as support proper journalism. I can’t answer your question, I have no idea what UAF’s official policies are as I’m not a member. You might have a better chance of getting an answer if you actually asked UAF.
i have asked. on a facebook thread the only answer i have had to the question is ‘probably against’, everyone else just puts paragraphs of off-topic answers to other questions (like watching a labour minister on question time). i have emailed the uaf several times and no answer has returned. the one time i phoned i was insulted and hung-up on.
Like I said, that hasn’t anything to do with Expose. I honestly don’t know what their policies are, other than opposing the BNP and EDL. For the record, I oppose all forms of religious extremism, whether Islamic, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish or other.
John T Baptist,
Can you answer me one simple question – are you pro or anti racism? I ask, as you appear to be seeking to move the debate away from the issue at hand, this being why the EDL were permitted to behave in an illegal way while those seeking to exercise their right to peacefully demonstrate against them were attacked by the police.
John T Baptist,
I note that you have not answered my question – pro or anti will suffice as an answer…
[...] while the stewards did their job for them. However, just as with the anti-NF protests in the 70s, events in Bolton recently show that the police are more than willing to protect fascists, while beating up and arresting [...]