Well, this thread was always about 44 fascist, drunken thugs being arrested - and contrasting with the spin eh tried to put on it (we both quoted the same article, and his one was first).
I understand why eh is supporting the drunken louts who got themselves arrested after their coach broke down - it is poetic justice that the same police they were fighting earlier on in the day had to organise their transport out and then arrested them.
The fact that diverse groups outnumbered the fascists was also a delicious fact - and to be honest, may not have come to these forums if it wasn't for eh's initial thread. Bravo, young one, bravo!
Painstaking grass-roots work by Unite Against Fascism and local trade union and community activists meant the EDL was met not by campaigners parachuted in from elsewhere but by an alliance which put the lie to the EDL's scaremongering over immigration and Islam.
Herve - thanks for your post. You failed on two points.
1. This thread is about the fascists who got arrested in London after their failed protest. It is not about a drug arrest after another rally in Cambridge. Look on a map, London is not Cambridge. I say bravo to the police who arrested the fascists in London and the one drug dealer in Cambridge.
2. Your Guardian article does say that Tudway sent an e-mail before the march tried to say that the fascists weren't extremist - it also says that it is not clear whether the Police Force agrees with this view, and quotes a differing view (note this was written before the arrests) - the latter is more credible, given what happened.:
Tudway's unit was charged with investigating any links between the right wing Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik and the English Defence League.
Defending Tudway's views, the Met police said: "The EDL are not a proscribed group. Police are committed to taking robust action against anyone who causes harm by crossing into criminality in support of any issue."
It did not answer whether the force shared his views that the EDL were not extremist.
Dan Hodges, from anti-fascism charity Searchlight, said the charity had been privately telling police more resources needed to be devoted to countering the threat of far right violence: "It's staggering given the EDL's record of violence, intimidation and the outspoken support of many of its members for far right wing politicians and politics."
He said police should classify the EDL as extremist and linked to violence and spend more time and effort trying to thwart their plans: "It's difficult to see what further evidence one would want to see them as extremist.
"Every EDL demo ends in disorder and physical violence."
Dan Hodges seems to have been proven right - and he's the anti-fascist. Thanks for the info herve, very useful.
Cheers,
Shafique
Just because you don't want to believe the facts.... 
