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Right wing demonstration passes peacefully
Date published: 04 February 2012
Around 100 members of the Infidels of Britain took part in a demonstration in Rochdale today (Saturday 4 February).
The demonstration, which took place outside Rochdale Town Hall, passed off peacefully and no arrests were made.
Those partaking were confined to a pen cordoned off by police officers and barriers.
Stood in freezing temperatures and with snow falling the group waved flags and chanted.
It is understood people travelled from as far as Scotland to take part.
The demonstration was over by 2.00pm and no counter demonstration took place.
Up to 250 police officers worked to ensure the demonstration passed peacefully.
The motive for the demonstration is unclear. According to a Facebook post made by the Infidels of Britain it was to ‘demonstrate against immigration, EU membership and multiculturalism.’
The Infidels of Britain describe themselves as: ‘An alliance of various right wing nationalists, patriotic and loyalist groups from different parts of the UK.”
Rochdale Council Leader, Councillor Colin Lambert, said: “The police have done an absolutely sterling job today in keeping the people of Rochdale safe and ensuring that this event caused minimum disruption to our town’s businesses and residents.
“We enjoy excellent relationships with our partners in the Police, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue and other agencies and times like this demonstrate how important these relationships are.
“We are proud to stand up for Rochdale and I would like to commend the communities of Rochdale, who continue to show that diverse populations can live together in peace. Racist and hateful views have no place in our borough.”
Pam Smith, Executive Director at Rochdale Borough Council, added: “Working together in partnership, the council, the police, our community volunteers and many more showed today what Rochdale is all about; different people coming together and working together for the good of the people of our borough.
“We could not have had a better example of how committed our police force are to the safety of our residents and businesses than what we saw today. They acted with complete professionalism to ensure this event passed without incident and that nobody in our community felt under threat at any time.”
Comments
I am a Rochdale resident and have been for many years, I always shop in Rochdale and we did so again today.
We usually go into one of the local pubs for something to eat and it was much needed today because of the horrible weather. We were only to find that all the pubs in the centre were closed. I understand that we don't want the demonstrators buying alcohol and causing problems but there was no consideration for couples or families who wanted to stop for a meal and a coffee.
What will be the cost to Rochdale council tax payers? These people who travelled from Wales and Scotland, in support of a non-existent cause, can change the name of their organisations name to whatever they wish, it would always mean an “Authoritarian and Nationalistic Right Wing System”. Which is what some people experienced from 1939 to 1945, and we never want to see the like ever again.
As a resident of the borough I was very pleased to see the work of the Police, Council Staff and Mediators. Well done for good partnership work and for showing the world we are a united community at the heart of the co-op movement. We will not tolerate such behaviour in our borough. Please don't come here and waste money as we are struggling as it is. The people that came really have nothing better to do than stir up trouble, luckily in Rochdale we had no issues this time, not even 1 arrest!
J A Whitehead,
Non existent cause? I think you will find that they have a cause, though their cause does not fit in with your views!
Whilst you don't want a return to a right wing system, I am all for it.
Just because you don't like it doesn't mean its not relevant.
The World Wars were fought for freedom from communist views.
Snowy in more ways than one! with Snowy, ex-crack addict, ex-Llama farmer, ex-Nazi wannabe John "Snowy" Shaw leading the "Infidels" out of the English Defence League (EDL) over a year ago, claiming that he and his gang were sick of standing in car parks shivering while the police pushed them and the rest of the EDL around, this protest was advertised as a 6 hour vigil with 'no surrender' 'till they legged it after 40 minutes of mincing around in the freezing snow, nearly felt sorry...
For some months now the SDL and the Infidels have been playing together like naughty schoolboys. The SDL even had a joint punch up with the Infidels, the NF & the English Defence League last year, where one of their number was waving a hatchet around in full view of terrified shoppers in Newcastle.
These Scottish racists are NOT welcome here nor is the £70,000 plus GMP policing bill they left local tax payers with when their former EDL chums left local taxpayers with at the last debacle.
Rochdale might like to know that one of the few 'locals' in the images is a member of a tiny political sect called the British People's Party (BPP) whose main activity other than excessive consumption of Bostick, has been churning out paedophile Nazis who want to blow stuff up.
He has a reputation as a bit of a "village idiot" in the village of Todmorden, West Yorkshire from where he hardly ever ventures because as well as constantly putting out leaflets promoting Hitler & Nazism he's on a tag.
Have Your Say
Aha, I wondered what was going on in town - TV crews, loads of police and a few scraggly people being kept in a tight group looking very cold and fed up. Blimey I can think of better ways to spend a Saturday. I think a bear costume would have been a better idea in this weather.
By captainjjb @ 04/02/2012 17:46:23