EDL and UAF clash in Bristol

Anti-Muslim and anti-fascist protesters clashed last night on College Green.

Masked EDL protesters

A pre-planned EDL demo against a proposed mosque in Bristol turned ugly when 80 supporters of the Unite Against Fascism group rocked up to shout them down.

The EDL was grossly outnumbered with a pitiful turnout of about 30.  The two groups, waving banners, shouted death threats at each other, whilst 24 police officers tried to keep the peace, restraining both sides.

The demo lasted about 40 minutes before the EDL dispersed.  According to reports there was a minor scuffle at one point, but no arrests were made.  Some UoB and UWE students were involved on the anti-fascist side.

The EDL were outnumbered by UAF supporters (Photo: Bristol Culture)

The local EDL has been kicking off over plans to build a mosque in Stokes Croft and have attacked “Islamic paedophile grooming gangs”, which they say is a problem in the city.

Ironically, EDL supporters wore masks, despite protesting against the Islamic hijab.

An EDL representative told The Tab, “there are over 30 operating mosques already in Bristol, how many do we need?  How much do you know about what’s really going on in these mosques?  Maybe you should look deeper.”

The EDL have links with local football clubs

UAF’s Facebook message

Meanwhile, Martin Upchurch of the UAF said “the UAF counter-demonstration was called to defend multi-culturalism in the city and to oppose attempts by the EDL to stir racial hatred and Islamophobia.”