EDL in West London

To Marble Arch in the West End of London for the EDL’s first London demo since Walthamstow last year. Downing Street or City Hall were the favoured sites; however those areas were given priority for the many pro remain, anti austerity, anti-tory, left wing demonstrations all suddenly arranged for today in the City and Westminster since the EU referendum and the change of Prime Minister.

The aim of the EDL demo was to highlight:

1. Local issue: How the election of a Muslim to be Mayor of London marks another milestone in the transformation of England from a confident Christian nation into one with a timid, fraying identity.

2. National issues: 
•(A) To stir our political class into implementing speedily and fully the will of the majority of referendum voters who want the UK to leave the EU.

• (B) To raise the still-suppressed issue of Muslim grooming/abuse gangs. Also the continuing threat of jihadist terror recruitment, support and attacks, the need to control all immigration, the need to stand up for our culture and have pride in British values, and the need to stop enabling Islamification in Britain.

The muster was on the Piazza at Marble Arch. For our non UK readers that really is a large arch, made of marble, designed by John Nash  and originally intended to be the formal entrance to Buckingham Palace. How it ended up on the site of the Tyburn Gallows instead is for another time. 

There was only a very small counter demonstration; the big event(s) were at Downing Street, Trafalgar Square and points east. But there were a few people to shout through a megaphone.

“We are black, white, Asian and Jew, there are many more of us than you”. Except there wern’t. Not today. The modern British left wing can be very anti-semitic. However they are prepared to overlook that the victims of the Nazis were Jewish when it is a handy weapon to bash patriots with. The other chant was “Go and do like your leader – shoot yourself like Adolf Hitler”
And the ubiquitoius “Racist nazis off our streets”

After the march moved off from the piazza down Park Lane they didn’t follow. I think they went to join the main hive. 

And into Hyde Park for a rally and speeches at the world-famous Speakers Corner. Where speech is exercised freely. 

There were two speakers. They spoke on the matters outlined in the pre-demo statement. The continuing scandal of the grooming gangs. The proliferation of mosques. Joy at the vote to leave the EU; we are the 52%. We have nothing against genuine refugees; those unhappy people who with their families have fled for their lives from persecution and threat of death. 

“Glad to be free from the slavery of Brussels. If that makes me a racist, so be it. “

People enjoying Hyde Park came and listened in the long tradition of Speaker’s Corner. There were local families, tourists, shoppers from nearby Oxford Street, picnicers and cyclists. 

Some of the posters.

When the speeches were over the rally dispersed.

It had all been very good natured from where I was observing. I’m told that the police let the stewards deal with the running of the march. There was no problem with the counter demonstration. Speaker’s Corner proved a very pleasant place for a rally.

Photographs E Weatherwax London July 2016