photo: Gavin Lynn
Leader of Nottingham City Council, Mr Collins was open about his opinions regarding the planned demonstration this weekend, and took steps to ask the Nottinghamshire Police Force to ban the march, telling the Nottingham Post, “We’re extremely concerned about the prospect of an event of this kind taking place in the heart of the city centre during the school holidays.
“That can’t be right when families are enjoying the beach… Unfortunately, we know all too well from the last time the EDL descended on Nottingham and from what’s happened elsewhere in the country that there’s a high risk of public disorder occurring. We’ll be strongly urging the police to stop the event and seek to ban it from taking place on city council-owned land.”
Questions were raised initially about the legality of the police force banning a planned static demonstration, as rules laid out in the Human Rights Act regarding freedom of assembly protect the EDL’s right to meet. Now that a march has been proposed, the council have once again reached out to the police to do all they can to prevent the march from happening.
“We urge [the police] again in the strongest terms to use whatever powers they have available to stop this demonstration happening… Surely the safety of Nottingham citizens, particularly where young children are involved, has to come first,” Dave Trimble, the council’s portfolio holder for Leisure and Culture told Notts TV.
When the EDL last decided to turn up on the streets of Nottingham in June, there was a significant police presence that resulted in three arrests. This time around, the organisation, who are openly anti-Islam, have planned to demonstrate on the same day as the Riverside Festival at Victoria Embankment, and the first Nottingham Forest game of the season. The police force will already be stretched to their limits.
According to a reliable source, local businesses have been told to employ extra door staff and remove any outdoor furniture to prevent and violent outbursts that may occur during the demonstration.
A counter demonstration has been organised by the Nottingham Unite Against Fascism group, who have promised to turn up should the EDL make an appearance.
A representative of the UAF group, Mr Yousuf Farooq told Nottingham Post, “When the fascist EDL first came to Nottingham trying to put communities against each other, they were opposed by several hundred local people, there to show opposition to their ideas of hate. They have been back on several occasions, always met by people wanting to organise against them. The fascists are now returning again…since Brexit racist attacks have increased across the country and the EDL want to try and build on this racism in Nottingham.
“Nottingham UAF are asking people to join the counter protest, to oppose the fascists and say no to their racism and hatred.”
We urge people to consider their safety and comfort this weekend, and to take care when moving through the city centre.
The Nottingham UAF opposition demonstration will be meeting at 12pm at Speakers Corner near the Brian Clough statue on Saturday 6 August.
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