English Defence League announce demonstration in Coventry city centre

Organisers have announced the event will take place in the city on May 21


EDL march in Walsall town centre

The English Defence League (EDL) have announced that they will host a national demonstration in Coventry.

The far-right group will hold a meeting in the city on May 21 and, although the exact location is still to be announced, the EDL said speeches and gatherings will take place in “the public square”.

Police say negotiations over precisely where the demonstration will take place are ongoing.

The EDL say they will be discussing “how this once-proud cathedral city is falling below the national radar while it’s being gutted by its transformation into a Muslim ghetto” during the protest.

More than 140 people have already stated on the EDL Facebook page that they will be attending the event, which the group says will start at 1.30pm.

The EDL have stated that issues on the agenda for May 21 will include the grooming of children, people being radicalised to join groups such as Islamic State, electoral fraud and immigration.

They added: “We are English patriots. We know of and respect the suffering in the Coventry Blitz 75 years ago.

“The English Defence League is non-violent and Coventry businesses can remain open and operating normally on May 21.”

Previous EDL protests have led to violence, with members of the group and anti-fascist protestors clashing.

Chief Superintendent Danny Long, from Coventry Police, said: “We are aware that the English Defence League plans to march and hold a static demonstration in Coventry on the afternoon of Saturday, May 21.

“Officers are currently negotiating with protest organisers to clarify their intentions and agree how we can accommodate their right to peaceful protest while ensuring the safety and security of the public.

“The precise time and location of the protest has yet to be confirmed.

“As a force we are extremely experienced in accommodating and preparing for such events. It is not clear at this stage how many protesters will take part, but we are continually monitoring the intelligence picture to understand the scale of the event.”

English Defence League to protest just yards from steps of Coventry Council House



Hundreds of members of the English Defence League (EDL) will protest in Coventry city centre this weekend - and police say they are ready to deal with any potential violence.

The far-right group are holding what they have described as a ‘national demonstration’ in the city on Saturday and it has now been revealed that it will take place at Speakers’ Corner, opposite Coventry Council House.

A counter demonstration by Coventry Unite Against Fascism (UAF) will also take place on the day, but will be situated a short distance away in Broadgate as police try to ensure the day goes ahead trouble-free.

UAF supporters often turn up to oppose EDL demonstrations and violence sometimes ensues if the two groups clash.

Members of the EDL - which West Midlands Police expect to be in the “low hundreds rather than thousands” - are expected to start congregating in the Litten Tree pub, in Warwick Road, from around midday before being led by police to their meeting point at Speakers’ Corner between 1.30pm and 2pm.

Road closures could be put in place while the EDL are moved and the demonstration is believed to last until no later than 4pm.

The EDL previously stated they will be discussing “how this once-proud cathedral city is falling below the national radar while it’s being gutted by its transformation into a Muslim ghetto” during the protest.

Meanwhile, the UAF counter demo - dubbed We Are Cov! - will start from 11.30am in Broadgate, near to Primark. A finish time is currently unknown.

A statement from Coventry UAF, which has been backed by a range of organisations including Coventry Trade Union Council, Coventry and Warwickshire Peoples Assembly, PCS Midlands region and Unite’s Coventry branch, said they will “not allow the EDL to use our city as a platform for their agenda of hate”.

Not that it'll affect me, but if I was a regular Saturday town visitor I think I might stay away this Saturday.

What's funny is the Coventry UAF said they will “not allow the EDL to use our city as a platform for their agenda of hate” yet are drawing as much attention to it as possible!

You only have to listen to UAF to see that they are anything but!