EDL demonstrator tries to break through police lines.
I have been covering demonstrations of all types and sizes for more years than I care to remember. Most are peaceful, this one was violent. No surprises there.
Having made the mistake of wandering home without checking Twitter (see previous post) I managed to get a cup of tea before realising I needed to be somewhere else.
Aldgate.
So I hopped the Overground again to Shadwell and legged it along Cable Street to Aldgate, using my normal tactic of following the police helicopter.
Between Aldgate and Vallance Road it was pretty much deserted. Tumbeweed would have felt at home there.
Down the road from the UAF ant EDL protest in Whitechapel the EDL where being kept exactly where the police wanted them, outside Aldgate underground station.
Multiple police lines of police officers (most from Scotland), mounted police and police dogs separated the EDL people from a group of UAF people.
The afternoon proceeded to be quite lively and within a few minutes I was taking the precaution wearing my skateboard helmet (amazing how many photographers use skateboard gear despite never actually own a skateboard…) for basic protection after an argument with a flying bottle at G20 a year or two back.
The photograph here shows what happened when several EDL people tried to break through the police lines.
As you can see it was taken with a 80-200 zoom. I may be daft but I am not stupid.
Most amusing incident of the day was trying to explain to baffled tourists on Tower Bridge why it was a very BAD idea for them to try and continue their sightseeing through the massed ranks of police and EDL who were bearing down on them.
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