EDL members arrested held near Cenotaph in London

[T_i_B]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15697632

More than 170 supporters of the English Defence League (EDL) have been arrested outside a pub near the Cenotaph in central London, Scotland Yard has said.

They were at the Red Lion in Parliament Street, close to Downing Street and government buildings on Whitehall.

The EDL had said it would be in Westminster on Armistice Day to pay its respects to military personnel who had been killed or injured while on duty.

Police said the arrests were made to "prevent a breach of the peace".

[LeftishBrit]

1. Ugh. Especially considering that so many of the people remembered at the Cenotaph

were killed fighting against fascism.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Guardian reports attack on Occupy LSX camp was thought imminent

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/11/edl-arrests-london-occupy-armistice-day?newsfeed=true

[non sociopath skin]

3. Nice way to remember the folks who fought for freedom, dudes.

Wonder how many of these alcohol-fuelled Defenders of the Faith have ever been inside a church?

The Skin

[tjwmason]

4. Good to see the police picking on the right side for once

But strong pre-emptive action by the police does make me a little concerned...I noted the comment about rubber bullet before the tuition fees protest.

[T_i_B]

5. They chose to kick off at the Red Lion pub in Whitehall

Given that there is an overbearing police presence on Whitehall at the best of times it was a monumentally stupid place in which to cause trouble as this sort of reaction by the police was inevitable given the location.

And that's probably the nicest thing I could say about the EDL. Monumentally stupid.