On thirtieth August 2014 I went to Kilburn and Cricklewood, the place the far-right South East Alliance had annnounced they might protest at some empty places of work they claimed have been used as a recruiting centre by the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is a Sunni Islamist spiritual, political, and social motion largely primarily based in Egypt whose candidate Mohamed Morsi was grew to become the primary to be elected as Egypt’s president in 2012, however was deposed by the navy after huge in style protests a 12 months later. The MB was then declared a terrorist group and Morsi was tried and sentenced to demise. He was retried after that trial was overturned and died throughout his second trial, probably attributable to being denied medical care.
A couple of different international locations additionally declared the MB a terrorist group, but it surely had few members within the UK, although a few of its supporters arrange a ‘world info centre’ right here in 1999 which I feel operated from this small first ground ‘World Media Places of work’ in Cricklewood. In 2014 Prime Minister David Cameron arrange an investigation into its alleged terrorist actions, and the workplace closed down, shifting its actions to Austria. The investigation reported that the MB had not been linked to terrorist associated exercise in opposition to the UK and had condemned the actions of Al-Qaeda within the UK.
My bus to Cricklewood took me alongside the route of the march deliberate by the South East Alliance (S.E.A.) from Kilburn Underground Station, and I noticed a variety of police vans and motorbikes ready for the occasion to begin. There have been a bunch of round 50 folks and fairly just a few banners for teams in North West London United able to oppose the S.E.A. march and inform them that fascists and racists weren’t welcome. I made just a few footage earlier than taking the bus again to Kilburn station.
The station had been closed in anticipation of bother there, however there are two stations on different strains a brief stroll away. Ultimately 4 folks arrived with a megaphone and flags, together with Paul Pitt, chief of the S. E. A. and former Essex organiser for the English Defence League, who apparently expelled him two years earlier which led to him forming the S. E. A.
It was a relatively embarassing state of affairs with so few folks current, and Pitt recognised me from earlier exteme-right occasions I had photographed – which had led to threats in opposition to me in individual and on-line. Though my pictures tried to indicate these occasions objectively, that was maybe the issue as far as they have been involved. However there have been loads of police round.
Ultimately the march set off, with the three males main it and a girl strolling extra slowly with assistance from a stick finishing the group some yards behind.
At Cricklewood the anti-fascists have been ready, with a line of police throughout the street to maintain the 2 teams aside. Police have been additionally surrounding and defending a handful of S. E. A. supporters who had come on to the top of the protest, and there have been just a few scuffles and arrests as anti-fascists tried to succeed in them.
Police stopped Paul Pitts small group of marchers and held them on a nook a brief distance away. For some time it appeared he was being arrested, however then extra officers arrived and he was instructed his protest could be facilitated.
I returned to the opposite small S. E. A. group surrounded by police. Whereas a few of them have been busy photographing police and myself and different photographers and attempting to cease us taking footage others have been holding up banners and posters and demanding we {photograph} them.
In entrance of the previous workplace the anti-fascist protesters have been persevering with with speeches and shouting in opposition to the S. E. A. and I noticed police make not less than yet one more arrest, although it was unclear why. I feel they might have objected at a number of the language used.
Then I noticed some flags approaching alongside a aspect street, nonetheless a number of hundred yards away and rushed down to satisfy them. One other group of S. E. A. supporters was arriving, maybe bringing the whole quantity to round 50. Police arrived there simply earlier than me and stopped them.
As I took pictures these protesters at first started to carry flags in entrance of my lens then used the lengthy canes holding the flags as weapons, attempting to poke the photographers of their eyes. Ultimately police escorted them to affix the opposite S.E.A. protesters the place they continued to attempt to assault photographers with their flag sticks.
Police finally did react to the violent assaults with flags – by forcing photographers to maneuver additional away. By this time I used to be fed up with being insulted and attacked – and in any case folks on each side have been drifting away and nothing way more appeared more likely to occur. The street had now been reopened and I noticed a bus coming and made for the closest cease to make my approach residence.
Extra at South East Alliance ‘Racist Thugs Not Welcome’.
Tags: anti-fascists, arrests, attacking photographers, Cricklewood, Cricklewood Broadway, far-right, flags as weapons, Kilburn, London, march, Muslim Brotherhood, North West London United, Paul Pitt, peter Marshall, police, protest, racist thugs, south East Alliance, World Media Places of work
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