Steven Saxby

Steven Saxby

Battling the English Defence League

From the New Communist Party of Britain website by Anton Johnson dated November 05, 2012:

More 1,000 anti-fascists gathered in the centre of Waltham Forest November 2012 to celebrate the non-appearance of the "violent thugs of the Islamophobic English Defence League".

The EDL had been banned from holding a second march in Walthamstow after the first, on 1st September, was blocked from completing its course by thousands of local residents representing all sections of the very diverse local community.

The EDL referred to the second attempt to march as a “rematch” but 53 EDL supporters, including their leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, were arrested a week before the event.

The Metropolitan Police and Waltham Forest council also secured a ban, under the Public Order Act, on all marches in the area and told the EDL they could hold a static demonstration in Westminster or none at all.

But that ban was used as a pretext to halt the anti-fascist rally. When the protesters started to turn up at the open green area for the victory rally organised by We Are Waltham Forest and Unite Against Fascism, council officers told them there was to be no rally and that the area was occupied by a travelling fairground. But the anti-fascists continued to arrive and police were forced to allow them to use a side street for their rally. Eventually it was so full police had to close the road to traffic.

A long line of speakers included Labour & Co-op MP Stella Creasy, Gerry Gable, editor of Searchlight, Tony Kearns CWU deputy general secretary, Hugh Lanning PCS deputy general secretary, Green Party MEP Jean Lambert and Father Steven Saxby, a local Catholic priest. Other speakers included local student activists, Varinder Singh from Sikhs Against the EDL, UAF joint general secretaries Weyman Bennett and Sabby Dhalu, and Jo Cardwell and Sophie Bolt from We Are Waltham Forest.