Nick Lowles of Searchlight reports that he has been inundated with indignant emails from English Defence League supporters objecting to his description of them as “hooligans”. Perhaps Nick should be grateful they’re not threatening to take him to court for libel. But his reply to the EDL’s complaints is spot on:

“Nearly all their key people are football hooligans – many with related convictions and banning orders. Most of the people they are mobilising around the country are from the football hooligan networks. I do not call the EDL a fascist organisation because it is not (though this doesn’t make any less dangerous and of course there are many active fascists within it and at a senior level) but organically linked and driven by football hooligans it is. I should also add racist and Islamophobic as well.”

Hope Not Hate blog, 30 September 2009

Certainly a more accurate understanding of the character of the EDL than that shown by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.