Good riddance, E-E-EDL

The EDL marched in Exeter, the well-known hotbed of Islamic fundamentalism, on Saturday to demonstrate, mainly, against the University of Exeter’s Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies’ alleged links with regimes in the Middle East.

Shortly after the EDL demonstration was announced, a counter-protest was organised under the banner of ‘Exeter Together’ that eventually outnumbered the EDL supporters by at least 3:1.

After a couple of hours getting tanked in the pub, the EDL spilled into the street chanting “You’re not English anymore,” “Keep St. George in my heart,” “We’re coming down the road” and the renowned “E-E-EDL” at passers-by.

The English Disco Lovers, a part of the Exeter Together march.

Several protesters donned burkas and mimicked performing Muslim prayers in the middle of the street before returning to the demo to pose for pictures, flanked by supporters wearing pig’s head masks and EDL-branded balaclavas.

The EDL marched the short distance to Northenhay Gardens under police escort, which included a horse unit, drawing jeers from locals gathered along the route.

A few protesters at the front of the march broke ranks and tried to chase away a TV cameraman, who narrowly avoided being trampled by a police horse as he escaped.

The EDL begin their march into central Exeter.

A few counter-demonstrators, who were heckling the marchers, were pulled away by the police to loud cheers by the EDL.

Once inside Northenhay Gardens, speeches began with a minute’s silence, followed by a minute of applause for “fallen heroes.” The silence was only broken by one of the members assembled whinging he’d ran out of beer.

Much of the speeches revolved around the controversy surrounding ‘”Our man, Marine A,” a Royal Marine recently sentenced for the murder of a wounded enemy soldier in Afghanistan.

A balaclava-wearing member of the EDL poses for the camera.

The guest speaker called for protests outside the MoD and 10 Downing Street on December 6th to demand his release.

The speaker also hinted at a petition for the United Kingdom to withdraw from the Geneva Convention, urging the assembled to “Put it on Facebook” in order to achieve the 10,000 signatures required for it to be legally recognised.

After the speeches had ended, some marchers filed onto minibuses and into cars, whilst the remainder returned to the pub for a few more pints of marching juice.

Burka-wearing members of the EDL feign Islamic prayer.

The pub’s landlady mentioned that she had received a number of threatening calls for hosting the EDL on her premises, but added that they had been “Very well behaved.”

A 19-year old from Wiltshire also spoke at the march. His father, who served in the 1st Gulf War, Northern Ireland and in Afghanistan with the Royal Engineers, attempted suicide after being diagnosed with PTSD following his 19 years of service.

Doctors told the boy’s father that his condition “was not a legitimate excuse” for attempting suicide. His father took his own life in 2011.

English Defence League outside HM Exeter Prison.

He seemed to have his head screwed on, admitting that EDL organisers have “little control” over demonstrators, leading to violence. “What will violence achieve? I’d break my own fingers if I ever gave a Nazi salute,” he said.

As we spoke, a group of older EDL supporters standing outside the pub pretended to turn away a burka-sporting supporter, saying “This isn’t an Islamic pub, sorry!”

It does indeed seem a few individuals are tarnishing the already-fraying reputation of the EDL in a similar way that the actions of Islamic extremists dishonour the wider Muslim population.

Ostensibly posing for peace, another burka-clad EDL member.

Ironic, isn’t it?