Rumours abounding of more protests tonight.
Rumours have been flying about for 48 hours of potential demonstrations tonight. A list of 30 towns found its way on line, giving addresses of either the local Immigration bureaux, offices, or Immigration solicitors as the focus of mass protests at around 7pm/8pm this evening. By teatime tonight the Telegraph was talking of 100 such protests. The ‘list’ is generally believed to be a hoax or some kind of wind up.
However Stand Up to Racism and the other usual suspects are taking the “threat” seriously enough to form counter rallies and to panic local people into going home early in taxis and cancel any evening activity.
I can’t follow every town named. I have concentrated on the east London borough where I grew up, the now heavily Islamised Waltham Forest, in particular Walthamstow. I didn’t even know the address left, a lawyer specialising in immigration matters until I saw this. When I was a kid the site that is now McDonalds was a J Lyons Tea Room and very nice it was too.
The EDL has not existed in any street form since 2017 but in 2012 I wrote this ahead of the first EDL demo in that district. The photographs no longer download but you’ll get the gist of the conditions.
Anyway, the Telegraph has a report of the preparations to defend Awesomestow, as the MP Stella Creasy and her acolytes call it (and elsewhere).
and later.
Walthamstow is subject to a very wide dispersal order today until 4am tomorrow morning; it covers my old schools, my old home and my parent’s grave.
Dave Hill writes abut London’s politics. He used to write for the Guardian. Maybe he still does.
It’s a cloudy but dry evening – some fresh air will do them good.