Anti-fascists clash with right-wing protesters in Birmingham

VIOLENT rioting brought Birmingham city centre to a standstill as rival groups of protesters clashed today.

Around 100 members of the right-wing English Defence League fought running battles with the vile UAF for more than three hours on Saturday afternoon.

Terrified shoppers locked themselves inside stores and cafes as they tried to avoid the fighting.

More than 30 people were arrested as police struggled to prevent the protests spilling over.

Members of the English Defence League, who had travelled from Luton and Bristol, held up signs reading: “Islamic Extremists Out” and “Make Britain Safe”.

They met in the Figure of Eight pub in Broad Street at 12.30pm where they began drinking pints of beer. 

They sang the national anthem and Rule Britannia, as well as shouting insults against Allah and Islam.

But the protests turned nasty when the EDL reached New Street at about 2pm, where they clashed with 30 or so UAF protesters, who were holding up banners saying: “Give the EDL the red card.”

Shaven-headed men, some with bulldogs, squared up to the rival protesters before riot police intervened.

Bottles and glasses were thrown and masked men were seen wielding wooden poles.

Punches were thrown and the cops used their batons to stop the violence escalating further.

After an hour of angry skirmishes, police finally trapped around 60 EDL members in Bennetts pub in the city centre at 3.30pm, where they were held for more than an hour.

Meanwhile, a group of 60 Asian men gathered and tried to storm the premises, only being stopped by police using shields and protective headgear.

Moments later the gang re-appeared on a nearby street, throwing missiles and bricks they had picked up from a builder’s skip.

Eye-witness Sarah Edwards, who was locked in a cafe with dozens of other shoppers, said: “We suddenly saw about 200 Asian men running down the street throwing bricks.

“They came from nowhere, and were sprinting towards the pub where the EDL were."

“We were so scared."

“We really feared for our lives and we had to run into the cafe so we wouldn’t get hurt."

“It’s shocking to see this on our streets.”

West Midlands Police had planned to contain the protest at Lancaster Circus at 3.30pm – but the violence in the city centre meant they did not arrive until 5pm.

Police finally shepherded the EDL from Bennetts pub into double-decker buses.

As the convoy made its way to the demo site, drunken men were seen ripping up the seats and throwing them out of the window.

 

UAF shouted: “Nazi scum, out of Brum” while rival groups held placards reading: “Ban Mosques” and “No Sharia law”.

A police helicopter was deployed to monitor the protest and officers videoed the trouble.

Before the demonstration police and the city council had obtained an order allowing them to restrict “trespassing groups” in the Bullring area of the city.

They were granted permission to impose conditions on the protesters, restricting them to certain locations and a limit of 250 people

.

Orders were also passed restricting the demonstrations to two locations.

A West Midlands Police spokeswoman said: “West Midlands Police can confirm that in excess of 20 people have now been arrested in two separate incidents in Birmingham city centre."

“A group of more than 20 men were arrested on a bus in Digbeth High Street."

“Police moved in to make the arrests for violent disorder shortly after 3.30pm."

“Officers have also arrested a 41 year-old male for violent disorder in Waterloo Street.”

Leisha Brookes, from the EDL, said: “We are ptotesting against Sharia Law and the acceptance by our Government of Islamic extremism."

“It is unfortunate that it has come to this but we are a mulit faith group who are just trying to protest against extremism.”

She insisted that she did not want to see any violence and that the group were not fascists.”

No-one from the UAF was available for comment.

Police chiefs allay fears of violence at Birmingham protest

Police and council bosses have pledged it will be ‘business as usual’ in Birmingham city centre tomorrow despite fears of violent clashes between rival protesters.

City bosses have moved to ensure that anti-Islamic extremist protests by the English Defence League and counter demonstrations by Unite Against Fascism do not lead to clashes in the city’s main Saturday shopping areas.

But they admitted they have no idea whether five, 50, 500 or even more people will take to the streets as neither group has made direct contact with police.

Instead their information has come from tip-offs, the internet and mobile phone conversations with some participants leaving officers in the dark about how the protests will be organised.

They are stepping up police numbers on Saturday afternoon, invoking special powers under the Public Order Act and have arranged two protest sites to keep the demonstrations away from the busy New Street and Bullring area to ensure that 150,000 expected visitors can shop in peace and safety.

Police refused to identify the sites but confirmed one will not be Victoria Square as it is hosting a large RAF display this weekend.

The EDL have already reacted by arranging, via their website, to meet under police supervision on Broad Street where they will be led to their protest site. The UAF indicated they will not be carrying out a counter-protest, lessening the threat of trouble.

Police have also made four arrests and are following up further enquiries following the publication of CCTV images of the disturbances in the city on August 8.

And they admitted that contrary to some statements in the wake of the trouble, the majority of the protesters involved were from Birmingham and surrounding area and not outsiders.

Assistant Chief Constable Sharon Rowe said they have to balance the safety of shoppers and workers with the protesters’ fundamental right to free speech.

She confirmed the Home Office has granted a section 14a order, under the Public Order Act, giving them the right to move protests away from the Bullring shopping centre.

She said: “The groups have chosen to protest on a day when there are a large number of visitors in the city centre. The information on the protests changes hourly on both sides. We are getting most of our information from the internet.”

Birmingham City Council’s head of resilience Sharon Lea said that more disorder could have a huge negative impact on the local retail economy.

“It is the last Saturday before many children return to school, families will be out shopping for school uniforms. We expect 150,000 visitors to the city centre. The disorder on August 8th led to a losses of 15 per cent for one large store. With these measures we will ensure it is business as usual tomorrow.”

Meanwhile the chairman of Birmingham Methodist Church, Rev Bill Anderson, has written to the Home Office and West Midlands Police asking for them to ban the protest by the EDL.

“Their sole aim is to create tension and to intimidate and provoke the people of Birmingham with racist and Islamophobic abuse,” he said.

UAF protesters further the resolve of the BNP family and other day-trippers By TITVS ADVXAS

Omnipresent Mike Bell,

Mr Nick Griffin MEP,

The heart of the campsite,

South Birmingham getting ready

Mick Simpkins

The Saturday morning drive from a white working class area of Birmingham, known as Acocks Green, to the Derbyshire countryside went without a hitch, until we reached Codnor Denby Lane at its junction with Heanor Lane, where the UAF protest march was due to commence, the road being completely blocked, by the mindless.

I was ordered by police to drive around to the other side, the 'other side' being Breach Road and Denby Common, where another ugly group of ugly protesters had gathered, which proved a little scary for my partner and our other passengers, who were quite troubled by the great unwashed.

I told my passengers that these ugly people are simply misguided fools and are simply following the agenda of the cowards at the top of the tree, of the UAF, the SWP, The unions, the New-Labour party, The Tory Party, and signatories of it, David Cameron, Tony Benn, Peter Hain, and Ken Livingston were the ones that came to mind.

Just think about it!

All of those political parties, organisations and other people (and more), involved in a display of fascist totalitarianism.

The elites don't want The British National Party to have a family weekend, and are prepared to use violence, through The UAF to do it, yet you never see the organ grinders at work.

Weyman Bennett, had made some noises on the internet in the days before, but not even he was around, as the red-eyed reds, who'd travelled up on the red-eye, were grunting and growling at us.

Like Simon Darby said, about 100 of us were delayed due to these creatures.

Inside the festival, we couldn't even hear the animal noises outside.

Now the Telegraph have produced their report of the commotion outside and the goings on inside, in their usual disproportionate way.

Making sure that they could call us all the usual names and try to hint at racism, they drew reference to the beastly chants from outside:

The main body of demonstrators, which was monitored by a camera mounted on a drone, gathered in Codnor's Market Place, chanting "Nazi scum, off our streets" and waving placards from campaign group Unite Against Fascism and various trade union groups.

Dozens of tents had been pitched on the BNP festival site, around 200 yards from where police were forced to hold back protesters.

Journalists from some media organisations were invited on to the site, where a political marquee had been set up to hear speeches and a Ford Ka was up for grabs in a raffle alongside stalls selling badges and pork scratchings.

A coconut shy - featuring images of Tony Blair, Jack Straw and Gordon Brown and offering festival-goers the chance to "knock a traitor off the stick" - had also been set up at the festival site.

So why mention the pork scratchings, as if we didn't know?

I, for one, enjoyed my first Red-White-and-Blue, as did my entourage, as the attempts by the Amber Valley Council to deter the party's party failed like a Labour candidate at a by-election:

• Preventing use of caravans and campervans,

• Not allowing a funfair for children,

• Not allowing a liquor license,

• Enforcing archaic laws on noise to hinder partying by BNP revellers.

What the UAF and Amber Valley did achieve, by their actions, was to further the resolve of my previously BNP-sceptical passengers, to support and go forward with the party.

They, like me, want their country back.

And like me they are prepared to back Nick Griffin and The BNP in the dark times that surely lay ahead.

©TITVS-ADVXAS XVI-VIII-MMIX
As Published

Wolverhampton BNP Meeting Attracts All Comers

Over 50 people from a wide area including Shropshire, Staffordshire, Birmingham and the Black Country, as well as locals, met for the latest Wolverhampton British National Party branch meeting to listen to local activists speak.

Wolverhampton organiser, Simon Patten, opened proceedings with a detailed account of fundraising and canvassing reports in the lead up to the European elections in June and more recent tales, plus an expose on how a government funded group, known as the UAF is being supported and utilised by all parties and left wing pressure groups.

"At a table top sale before the election we were surrounded by UAF supporters at all points who were attempting to incite us to act" said Mr Patten.

"As there were only a few of us, and we knew that the Black Country team were doing a similar sale a few miles away, we telephoned them for support" Mr Patten continued "and we waited only about 15 minutes before Russ Green and John Salvage turned up".

He concluded "both John (Painter) and John (Salvage), from the Black Country, were spat at, but as we are a peaceful party, we did not retaliate".

Mr Patten also introduced the new Wolverhampton BNP team, himself the organiser, Mike Kiely (deputy organiser), Dave Bradnock the new fund-holder, and local BNP first points of contact John Painter (Wolverhampton S/E), Stuart Gardner (Wolverhampton S/W) and Mike South Staffordshire).

The second speaker, making his maiden public speech, the aforementioned Mr Painter, who briefly told of his reasons for joining the party and then spoke of the first few months after joining, and in a light hearted manner, of some notable incidents that had happened to him during the table top sales and public canvassing that Mr Patten had previously mentioned.

Third speaker was former Black Country organiser Ken Griffiths, who spoke in depth over planning application controversies in the Dudley area and made more valid points about how the UAF are being utilised by all parties at local levels to attempt to hinder the democratic rights of the BNP.

Following the main interval, where a sumptuous buffet was provided by Mr Kiely and his daughter, the main speaker of the night, Phil Reddall spoke of several worldwide stories of how indigenous populations had struggled to overcome devastation, such as Japan, where following world war two, the Japanese economy had prospered to the point where Japan is the world leader in many industries and technologies.

Mr Reddall concluded by saying that the only way that the indigenous peoples of Britain would prosper, would be under a BNP government.

Fund-holder Mr Gardner announce that £227 had been raised from the raffle and collection, and the meeting concluded with the raffle, where Titvs won a "GREATWHITE" tee shirt, which at size XL would be "tight as" anything.

©TITVS-ADVXAS V-VIII-MMIX
As Published