The following is the eye-witness testimony of an NUJ member who joined the anti-fascist protest in Bolton on Saturday
I was one of three stewards on a UAF coach from north London that went to Bolton. We ran through the spiel on where we were assembling; how we expected the day to pan out; that we would be taking non-violent direction action to challenge the EDL’s bid to spread terror on the streets of Bolton as they did on their last outing in Stoke.
For those who were not comfortable taking such action, the UAF were told there would be a ’sterile’ space in the square arranged with the agreement of the police.
I explained how the police in preceding weeks had been doing their best to undermine the counter protest and to facilitate the EDL, with a campaign among the Muslim community urging people to stay away, but with no such campaign with regards the EDL.
Continue reading Journalist: I witnessed Bolton police violence →
BOLTON, UNITED KINGDOM -
20.03.10. An anti-fascist campaigner is arrested as the far right English Defence League congregate in Bolton on Saturday 10 March 2010 in Lancashire, England. Police in full riot gear used the controversial tacit of ‘kettling’ along with dogs, horses and riot police snatch squads to control the demonstration organised by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) in Victoria Square. Police made dozens of arrests, including UAF organiser Weyman Bennett.
(Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2010.
The following is the eye-witness testimony of an NUJ member who joined the anti-fascist protest in Bolton on Saturday.
On arriving in Bolton at 10.30am, the group from the East London coach walked to Victoria Square, where we assembled on the north side of the square, opposite the eastern corner of the town hall.
We had only been there for 10 minutes when the police attacked. I have never witnessed such violence at a demonstration. People went flying for safety, and I escaped to the area where a local Bolton choir was singing. It seemed the police were determined to break up and intimidate protestors from the word go. Police-dog handlers took particularly savage animals into groups of people who were just standing around, doing no more than speaking to each other.
At about 11.30, the police set up cordons to prevent further UAF demonstrators from entering the square, thus preventing hundreds of people from joining us. At about 1pm, the police did let one group of people through, however – EDL supporters, who were then escorted to their demonstration on the south side of the square.
The following is the eye-witness testimony of an NUJ member who joined the anti-fascist protest in Bolton on Saturday
My first and only face-to-face encounter with the EDL on Saturday wasn’t even in Bolton. It was at the motorway services in Newport Pagnell.
My coach, which had left central London at 6.15am, had stopped to pick up the last of our passengers. It was around 10am, and raining lightly, yet the EDL’s young supporters were all dressed in T-shirts. They were all young men, all in their late teens or early 20s, with the exception of one or two well-spoken older men, who I didn’t even realise were with the EDL until they began ushering the younger men back onto their coach.
Shivering, despite my four layers of clothing, I didn’t have to wait long to understand why the EDL lads weren’t cold. Those who weren’t downing pints in the boozer were clutching cans of Strongbow, waving at the UAF supporters from a half-empty coach.
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. Continue reading The battle of Bolton and the media →
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