To Tower Hamlets for the EDL demonstration, the one they couldn't ban. Theresa May banned all marches through five London boroughs and the City of London for one month frm yesterday but she couldn't ban a static demo.

I started in Bethnal Green and met up with two friends. We walked through Whitechapel to see what was happening with the counter demonstration. On every corner and all along both sides of Whitechapel Road there were stalls, mobile sound stages, barriers with placards. Socialist Worker, subscriptions to Militant, Trade Unions, some that had nothing directly to do with the EDL like 'free the Cuba 5", bookstalls of Communist literature, and suchlike.

Some pictures below to give you an idea.

Outside the East London Mosque stewards and security guards were lining up. We saw a delegation lead by the Mayor Grand Vizier Lutfur Rahman and (I think) the MP Rushanara Ali sweep to the main door. Left.

Picture by Lattymax, one of the Asians on the EDL demo.  

Below - young Muslim men were gathering in a state of barely suppressed excitement.

Every weekend for the last four years half of London's underground system has been closed for the 'planned engineering work' necessary to drag the system kicking and screaming into the 21st century in time for the Olympics next year. This weekend it was the turn of the eastern end on the lines so travel was limited. The head of the Railway Union said that if his workers had to carry 'trains with facists on' through Liverpool Street he would order them to strike. Strictly speaking he cannot do that but the threat was enough for the police to decide that the EDL muster point was to be, first Euston Station, then adjacent Kings Cross, some 3 miles away from the nearest part of Tower Hamlets. We duly made our way to Kings Cross by bus.  

After a lot of hanging about we were eventually allowed to walk to Kings Cross station where began the rather lengthy process of getting us onto Northern Line trains commandeered especially for EDL use. I am informed today that the delay was because the RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) had closed the station. I don't know how the police got it open again.

I won't bore you with the details but it was a trying and difficult journey. Thanks are due to the police officer and the young man behind him for holding me up in a crush at the bottom of the down escalator; had I gone down things could have been uncomfortable.

We came out at Moorgate station where we were escorted down Broad Street at the side of Liverpool Street Station, into Bishopsgate, past St Botolphs Within, down Camomile Street into Bevis Marks. In Bevis Marks there was heckling from a group standing in one of the alleys off the street. I would like to know how they knew we would be there, when we had no idea ourselves where we were being led to. We then turned the corner round St Botolphs Without and into Aldgate High Street. The demo area was 20 yards past Aldgate Pump, the boundary marker between the East End and the City. We were in Tower Hamlets, just! The police had stopped all traffic and made sure no one could wander the few yards into Whitechapel High Street.

 Speeches began. Rabbi Benjamin Kidemon reveled himself to be Tommy Robinson. He detailed the Islamisation of Tower Hamlets and said that London isn't for terrorist but for Londoners, for the Cockneys. He accepted that his attendance is a breach of his bail conditions but he is prepared to accept the consequences for something as important as free speech.

Kevin Carroll spoke next, followed by

The crowd was very mixed. There were quite a few elderly people, among them the veteran serviceman above, gay couples, several people had made the awkward journey on crutches and by wheelchair. There were divisions from all over the country including Scotland and some Australians now resident in the UK. And the patriots of March for England who were there in some numbers.

When the demo was over the police surrounded us and we were moved down the Minories to Tower Hill and the approaches to Tower Bridge. Two forces were involved, the Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police, distinguishable by their red and white hatbands. There were mounted police and dogs as well.

Every so often the police either side of the march, for such it became, would join hands or clasp each others belts and pick up speed. Every time they did this manoeuvre we sang to them.

Do, do do, the conga, la, la, conga.

Theresa May refused to allow us to march. But apparently if banners are not waved and there is no chanting it isn't a march, merely walking. However no one was told to be quiet or put the banners away. It was a sight I won't forget as we marched past the Tower of London and over Tower Bridge. We had stopped all traffic through Aldgate for several hours and made our presence known through the City.

We were then kettled on Tower bridge Road the other side of the river for longer than I thought necessary.

We were not going anywhere. Thanks are due to the staff of Bet Fred for a supply of drinking water and use of their toilet. Eventually the coaches were summoned to Tooley Street and everybody was allowed to leave in small groups. It was a long day, but well worthwhile.

London belongs to everybody.  

Photographs E Weatherwax and lattymax September 2011