EDL at Leeds city square

At 15:00 hours, 450 EDL protestors were kettled in city square to listen to talks and to chant. The EDL supporters had come from all over the UK to preach their message on the streets of Leeds. The atmosphere was reminiscent of a football hooligan riot, with fists, skinheads, and barely a woman or child to be seen. There were banners with slogans such as 'No to sharia law', 'Women are not posessions', and 'Extremist Islam big problem.' Members of the EDL occasionally tried to break out past the fences and the police, who were there in their hundreds on horses, with dogs, and on foot.

The crowd outside was more mixed. It was mainly pro EDL, but there were about 150 anti fascists, who were mainly from Leeds, bundled in there as well. The outnumbering of the antifascists may largely be down to the fact that hundreds of UAF protesters were being kettled up by the art gallery on the Headrow.

At 15:30 there was a face off at city square, with both fascists and anti fascists chanting at each other. 'England til I die' vs 'Nazi scum off our streets.' The atmosphere was ominous and menacing. Any antifascist views were quickly and aggressively jumped on by pro EDL supporters; generally large, white skinhead men, spitting out their racist, homophobic views.

At 15:50, the EDL were let out of the kettle and herded towards the station, but a large group broke free and ran down underneath the station, followed by police. The police tried to contain them but they ran on and dispersed. Eventually, a group of 150 EDL supporters were escorted by police down Boar lane and to the station. The police formed a kettle around them, and there was no chanting to be heard by now. The police and let out 4 at a time into the station. A  group of up to 100 disparate anti fascists followed the fascists to see them off on their trains and coaches.

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The EDL left Leeds for now.