Saturday, 7 September 2013
Where to the EDL now?
A couple of hundred EDL supporters had gathered in Queen Elizabeth Street close to Tower Bridge. By the time that the marchers were making their way across the bridge the leading boats in the Great River Race were going under the bridge. Perhaps the bemused looking tourists thought that the EDL were also a part of the Mayor's River Festival, or in some way connected to the Beefeaters at The Tower. All those St Georges flags. It would be an easy mistake to make. But the EDL should invest in some chainmail if they really want to carry it off. Over in Altab Ali Park anti-fascists of various persuasions must have outnumbered the EDL by ten to one. A bearded cleric was telling us that we are all brothers and sisters . All descended from Adam and Eve apparently. I'm sure that he meant well. I forget what Lindsey German said - so no change there. At one stage I walked up Brick Lane to get a salt beef roll from the Begal Shop. Up there the young trendies carried on with their shopping and posing oblivious to the political drama being played out a couple of hundred yards to the south. It was ever thus. Back at Aldgate Station Tommy Robinson was still making his speech at a quarter to three. It was turning out to be a long day and all the way from Bermondsey to Whitechapel the police presence was huge. I imagine that Tommy's boys and (a few) girls will be totally poleaxed by now. In the morning they can nurse their hangovers and have a long hard think about what, if anything, the future holds for their organisation.
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I do recall an infamous apostate anarchist arguing that the EDL were in some way part of the state apparatus. Utter rubbish. Whether or not they are fascist is worth discussing, as I see no evidence of any fascist policies. They are opposed to Islam, and carry a deep dislike - even hatred - of muslims, and as we all know Islam is defended by the left, which makes them enemies. Why anarchists and the left have embraced Islam as the counter culture, is a question for historians to answer one day. But being opposed to Islam is neither racist nor fascist. And for that matter, being a loud mouthed beer swilling bigot does not make one a fascist. As for the silly claim that the EDL are either state or big time capitalist supported, look at the evidence. The entire media - from BBC to the regional newspapers - are strongly opposed to the EDL. Robinson gets arrested every time he sticks his nose out of the door. Cameron's task force, appointed after the killing of Lee Rigby, announced that it intended to deal with extremists like the EDL. The army is taking steps to distance itself from them, civil servants are being warned that their jobs will be endangered if they show evidence of EDL support, and I predict that given a suitable opportunity, the EDL will join the list of banned extremist organisations. Apart from that, they do not carry significant middle and working class support. Yet the dumb ass anarchists are trying to relive the 1930s, defending Islamists as the left defended the Jews. Its not the same. Get real, locate your enemies. And for goodness sake, drop this no platform strategy, you all sound like genuine fascists.
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