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| SDL plans Edinburgh march |
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Originally published on December 1, 2009 The Scottish Defence League (SDL), an anti-Islamic group, is planning to hold a demonstration in Edinburgh in the New Year, drawing heavy criticism from the anti-fascist group Unite Against Fascism.
A spokesman for the Edinburgh branch of Unite Against Fascism (UAF), who work most notably against the rise of the BNP told The Student: “We will call a demonstration once we know where the SDL will be [hosting their rally].” When asked how the UAF plans to drum up support for its counter-march and its anti-SDL activities, the spokesperson responded: “The UAF supports a variety of techniques: meetings, education, intervention in elections, mass leafleting, petitioning and demonstrations wherever the fascists appear. The key point is mass participation.” The SDL has declared its November 14 march in Glasgow, which drew about 50 participants, a success, despite the fact that SDL marchers were far out-numbered by participants in a counter-march, celebrating the diversity of the country, who numbered around 1,500. The Scotland United rally was supported across the board by trade unions, politicians and faith groups. Amongst the attendees was Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Police were out in force during the events in Glasgow, with hundreds of officers, supported by dozens of vehicles and a helicopter, ensuring that the SDL supporters were surrounded. Strathclyde Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Fiona Taylor declared the operation ‘successful.’ It is expected that any similar demonstrations in Edinburgh would also be heavily policed. The SDL is a branch of the English Defence League (EDL), and persistently claims that it only opposes Muslim extremism, not Islam in general. The EDL is known to have connections with several far-right groups and with football hooligans. Clashes between the Defence Leagues and UAF are not new. During summer 2009 a demonstration in Birmingham hosted by the EDL erupted into violence and prompted arrests. UAF, which aims to “unite the broadest possible spectrum of society” against the rising threat of the extreme right, have consistently and successfully met Defence League demonstrations with larger counter-protests, recently in Leeds, Newport, Wrexham and Swansea, as well as Glasgow. Upcoming action is also planned for Nottingham and Harrow. The group has not yet released the date of their proposed Edinburgh march, but has been messaging members of like-minded groups on Facebook to confirm that the march will take place at some point in early 2010. The SDL has previously drawn criticism from Scottish politicians. Bill Aitken, Conservative MSP for Glasgow, told the Evening News: “This is a demonstration that we could well do without. I really do not see any need for this type of demonstration which is divisive and can in itself stir up trouble.” Unite Against Fascism, which draws a large proportion of its membership from university campuses, has called for student support in their fight against such groups. The group told The Student that: “Students have played a big role in the activities in Scotland and hopefully this will continue.”
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Good for you. Keep up the good work.