UAF is organising an emergency protest against the English Defence League in Barking and Dagenham, east London, on Saturday 14 January.

The EDL is an organisation of racist and fascist thugs, who particularly target Muslims.

They plan to march through Barking as part of its attempts to stir up racism and division in the area. EDL supporters have aready staged a series of demonstrations in Dagenham against a proposed mosque.

In September, three thugs were jailed after they tried to smash their way into a mosque in the neighbouring borough of Redbridge, attacking the imam. One of the thugs screamed “EDL” during the violent attack.

But people in Barking and Dagenham have shown they are fed up of racists and fascists trying to spread their poison in the area. In the 2010 elections, Barking and Dagenham voters kicked out the fascist British National Party’s 12 councillors and sent BNP leader Nick Griffin packing, with a crushing defeat in the Barking parliamentary seat.

Now former BNP members are draining into the EDL – and local antifascists are determined to show that the EDL’s racist and fascist thugs are not welcome in Barking either.

The emergency protest against the EDL will assemble at 12 noon, at Barking Station on Saturday 14 January.

UAF news report, 12 January 2012

See also “English Defence League use Nazi band to promote Barking demo”, EDL News, 12 January 2012