Campaigners accuse police over handling of EDL march in Leicester
Police have defended their handling of the English Defence League's march in Leicester earlier this year.
A national campaign group, the Network for Police Monitoring – Netpol – yesterday criticised officers' conduct toward people opposed to the EDL's presence in the city centre on Saturday, February 4.
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Police have defended their handling of the EDL march in Leicester
The EDL marched through the city surrounded by police officers while their opponents, Leicester Unite Against Fascism, staged a march in a different area of the centre. No arrests were made.
However, Netpol – which trained a number of local people to monitor events on the ground – accused police of:
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Using unnecessary force against groups of predominantly Asian youths who arrived in the city centre after the two demonstrations had finished.
Using stop and search powers only against black or Asian people. Official police figures show 15 people, all Asian, were stopped and searched.
Surrounding groups of young people and escorting them out of the city – known as kettling.
Allowing a small number of EDL supporters to stray off the march route they had been ordered to stick to.
The city council was criticised for urging young people to stay away from the city centre, stressing that unaccompanied youths could be detained and escorted home.
Both city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby and the officer in charge of the police operation have defended their handling of the event.
They stressed they spent several weeks before it took place speaking to community leaders.
Sir Peter said allowing the EDL to march prevented a repeat of the violence which marked the protest of October 2010, when people inside the EDL cordon pelted police with missiles and several hundred broke through police lines.
He said: "I don't know who Netpol is, but they don't speak for any local people I know."
Chief Superintendent Rob Nixon said other independent monitors, including the Bishop of Leicester and the Leicestershire Federation of Muslim Organisations, had endorsed his officers' handling of the event.
"There were no arrests made as a direct result of the marches and no damage to property," Mr Nixon said.
"This was in no small way due to the professional manner in which officers and staff from Leicestershire Police and Leicester City Council planned and managed the events and thanks to the co-operation of local communities and businesses."
The Netpol report was published at a public meeting at the Highfields Centre, Leicester, last night.
Its author, Leicester youth worker Saqib Deshmukh, said: "There was not the same level of disorder as we saw on the previous occasion and this could reasonably be seen as a success for the police and the city council.
"But this came at a cost for young people, particularly young Muslims, for whom the city centre was a no-go zone, while there is a perception that the EDL came and went as they pleased."
Comments
by Hengestman
Wednesday, June 13 2012, 12:42PM
“As some one who felt that a great deal of the press reports nationaly were biased against the EDL and based on comments on fb. I have looked at them more closely and found that they do make some good points that do need addressing. Their main problem is they have a very small number of hot heads that need to be brought under control, They do not have any finance so there is no public relations department behind them, they are just ordinary people that do not know how to use the media so in an age of polished presentations the EDL come across baddly.
People are starting to voice concerns now on issues raised by the EDL 2 years ago.
I think it is time for ordinary people to stop forming their oppinions based mainly on reports made by a biased national press and seek out the truth for themselves. But then I have the experience of age and a long memory.”
by LE3_NHS
Wednesday, June 13 2012, 12:22PM
“Macmonkey...... the lazy(lone) LM journalist is reporting Netpol`s ACCUSATIONS. The FACTS are that ,despite a number of S&S`s that were properly recorded, no arrests, damage or disorder occured.
Lazy journalism like this does nothing more than stoke the fire for both sides. If misguided minority groups such as EDL,UAF or even Netpol received no publicity from Newsquest/LM then, like the majority of Leicesters population people would get on better.”
by vanip
Wednesday, June 13 2012, 10:33AM
“Public meeting in Highfields? group of Muslim lads! whats hapening here this was a city wide problem why is there only one group always complaining 'FOOD FOR THOUGHT'”
by horsejockey
Wednesday, June 13 2012, 10:12AM
“Just glad we do not have petes police commissioner to be telling the police what to do.”
by georgeisafish
Tuesday, June 12 2012, 9:10PM
“"15 people, all Asian, were stopped and searched "
so what. i was searched, as i was carrying a can. who cares? the law only do it if they have reason to, and it only needs to be a reason. stop moaning, accept whatever race/colour/origin/sex/ability you are, and get on with the rest of the day. i imagine everyone objects to airport security too? welcome to modern britain.”
by robbc7
Tuesday, June 12 2012, 5:41PM
“The national campaign group, the Network for Police Monitoring group have been correlating their evidence concerning this issue since the 4th of February this year and have come up with no arrests made against any persons. If people not being arrested is something for this group of Netpol loners to complain about , I hope they don't find out about what happened to Abdul Qayyum as he was not just stopped and searched.”
by MacMonkey74
Tuesday, June 12 2012, 4:20PM
“@LE3_NHS
Ciaran has asked a question and so far no one is prepared to back up their claims with an answer, who exactly does it incite?”
by Ciaranfagan
Tuesday, June 12 2012, 4:14PM
“Hello there,
Newsworthiness is a matter of personal judgement and taste, but the report has been covered both by us and the BBC.
It was written by Leicester people and published at a public meeting in Highfields on Tuesday night. The story was there to be covered.
If we had not reported it we would have people accusing us of ducking the issue.
If you take a look at the paper, not the website, you'll see the opinion column today says that we believe the police handled the whole thing perfectly well.
By the way, don't get hung up on the crime reporter title, I'm writing about sock manufacturing at the moment.
Ciaran the crime reporter.”
by LE3_NHS
Tuesday, June 12 2012, 3:49PM
“Ciaran...... as no arrests were reported what has this to do with crime? Nothing.
It seems the Police done a sterling job with robust policing that prevented disorder.
Both sides had a right to demonstrate within the remits of the orders.
Individuals may have been stopped,questioned & searched and in a city with an ethnic majority it is likely that number may include a high percentage of Muslims.
Maybe the white,christian residents avoided town to avoid being tarred with the wide brush of the EDL?
Poor,inciteful reporting by the LM.”
by MacMonkey74
Tuesday, June 12 2012, 3:17PM
“Actually agree with you powellp, if the police have stopped and searched some young asians and not others (as you say, you saw plenty in town) then I would imagine there must have been something about those searched that caused the police to be suspicious.
It's unfortunate that there will be some if not the majority who were simply going about their business but remember no arrests were made, so it would appear they handled the situation with as much tact as you can when dealing with two groups who could potentially up clashing.”