EDL "planned to open fire on police"

[Cain]

This is exceedingly stupid, even by the low standards of English Defence League:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-foil-edl-plan-to-target-st-pauls-6261009.html

More than 170 supporters of the far-right English Defence League were arrested in Westminster yesterday as police moved to prevent a repeat of the violent clashes that took place on Remembrance Day last year.

A contingent of the group's members gathered outside the Red Lion pub near the Cenotaph on Whitehall. Police confirmed last night that threats were made before the visit by Michael Rafferty, a prominent far-right figure, that the group had access to firearms and was planning to bring them to London.

It is believed that some members were planning to go to St Paul's Cathedral and clash with the protesters encamped there.

Police said they had acted to prevent a "breach of the peace" after intelligence suggested that members were likely to get involved in violence in the capital. Mr Rafferty, who was not arrested, was stopped outside another Whitehall pub and was searched, but no firearms were found.

The 172 arrests were made around two hours after wreaths were laid at the Cenotaph to commemorate fallen servicemen and millions of Britons held a two-minute silence to remember the nation's war dead.

Here is what Rafferty posted to Facebook:



The plans to attack the Occupy London camp are also typically boneheaded

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/11/edl-arrests-london-occupy-armistice-day

The English Defence League had issued statements and made threats on Facebook to burn down protesters tents if they were still outside St Paul's on Remembrance Sunday, according to Phillips.

Some members of the EDL had also attempted to enter the encampment, most recently on Thursday night.

A statement by the EDL on Thursday was read to the Occupy LSX general assembly on Friday morning to make people aware that there was a threat being made. "They called us all sorts of names in the statement and said we should leave "their" church and stop violating their religion," said Phillips.

Between this and the EDL links to Anders Breivik, I believe there are very good grounds to consider them a terrorist group in the making.  Armed attacks on police, violence against peaceful protestors...what on earth did they think any of that would accomplish, in the long run?  The protestors might be cowed, but the police would come down on them like a ton of bricks.  You don't shoot coppers and expect a comfortable standard of living from there on it.

[Cain]

Sorry, maybe I should have put in a retarded statement by a public figure noted for making retarded statements, to gain some interest in this thread?

Don't know why I fucking bother...

[Cain]

Or maybe a pun?

[Cain]

Or something about my lovelife.

[Cain]

Or Skyrim.

[Cain]

Hey, hahaha [stupid partisan thing happened], lets laugh at it.

[BabylonHoruv]

I just hadn't had enough time to come up with something intelligent.

EDL are basically Brownshirts right?  I'd think they'd be trying to co-opt the occupy folks, not attack them.  They're both basically working class movements after all, even if the brownshirt types are much cozier with the upper class.

[Freeky]

That's pretty awful.  All of it.  Both stupid and .

[Cain]

Too pissed off to reply now.  Maybe later.

[Freeky]

[LMNO]

So, it's right wing fanatics planning on doing major damage to Occupy London, and the police stopped them?


Sometimes I forget that in some countries, the cops actually do preserve the peace.

[Scribbly]

You posted this shortly before I left work or I would have commented.  

The EDL have a history of making retarded statements. What is surprising is that - if I understand correctly - there's some implication they were actually intending to follow through on this (thus the arrests). Though the article doesn't say that any firearms were seized, or that there's any evidence beyond the leader saying they have them that they actually do, which leads me to think it may have just been more hot air blowing - much like they did around the royal wedding.

If that's the case, it may just be that they think trying to make themselves out as the people willing to put bullets in those damned hippies will help their recruiting, which it might. I'm sure there's a lot of racist thugs in the inner cities who would love to get their hands on some guns. Whether or not they can follow through is another question...

[BabylonHoruv]

So, it's right wing fanatics planning on doing major damage to Occupy London, and the police stopped them?


Sometimes I forget that in some countries, the cops actually do preserve the peace.

There have been a few incidents in the US of police keeping bank security guards from assaulting protesters.

[Prince Glittersnatch III]

Why are they targeting Occupy at all? Arent they primarily an anti-muslim group?

[Prince Glittersnatch III]

http://englishdefenceleague.org/pointless-police-brutality-the-beginning-of-the-police-state-in-britain/

EDL is playing this as an incident of police brutality.

Which is funny coming from a group that seized upon the London riots as an excuse to attack a bus full of kids committing the heinous crime of being black.

Oh, and their website has a forum too.

There goes my afternoon.