Anti-Islam EDL fans allowed to march in Leicester

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Members of racist English Defense League have been allowed to take to Leicester streets on February 4, despite threatening to incite violence in the city, aiming to provoke racism and division among the community.

Liam Wood, EDL's regional officer for Blackpool and LGBT Divisions, threatened to “smash Leicester up” on his Facebook page a head of the far-right group's divisive march on Saturday.

Wood, who received a suspended sentence last year for dealing drug, is to lead the EDL members during the protest. He was just released from prison for an unspecified offense and was believed to have been arrested during August unrest for spreading violence.

The city council called on the EDL members to march on a route and conditions that was proposed by the police, otherwise it would approach the Home Secretary for a ban on the protest.

Antiracist group Leicester Unite Against Fascism (LUAF) also planned a counter protest entitled as '”Love Leicester, Hate Racism” on the same day to express their opposition at the racists and fascists supporters of EDL.

Thousands of people living in Leicester staged anti-EDL protest in October 2010, when the EDL thugs turned the peaceful protest into violence by attacking people and police, they even launched an attack on a restaurant full of women and children.

About 2,000 police officers will be in the city center to monitor the two marches and avoid the violence degenerated by the EDL supporters two years ago.

Leicester's senior officer, Chief Superintendent Rob Nixon, said, "We have used our experience of policing football and rugby matches, the disturbances in the summer and the protest in October 2010 in the planning for Saturday and are putting together a plan to ensure that there is as little disruption as possible to normal city centre business.”

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