- EDL rally in Chelmsford, Essex cancelled after handful of supporters show up
- Anti-fascist protesters said they saw between two and six far-right campaigners
- Some 43 had listed themselves as interested on the Facebook event
- Counter-protesters said they ‘would not tolerate fascists in their midst’
An English Defence League (EDL) rally in Chelmsford, Essex was abandoned after only a handful of supporters showed up to march.
The protest had been due to start at 1pm but when only around four people turned up the event was cancelled, leaving the far-right nationalists to ‘scuttle home’.
The marchers were significantly outnumbered by counter-demonstrators who estimated the number of EDL supporters to be between two and six.
An English Defence League (EDL) rally in Chelmsford, Essex was abandoned after only a handful of supporters showed up to march
A Facebook event for the protest had initially listed 17 people as going and a further 43 as ‘interested’ but the supporters failed to show up.
One steward for the event was seen carrying a large St George’s flag emblazoned with the phrase ‘RIP Lee Rigby’ – referring to the solider murdered by two Islamist terrorists in Woolwich in 2013.
Another flag had the EDL slogan: ‘Not racist, not violent, no longer silent.’
A Facebook event for the protest had initially listed 17 people as going and a further 43 as ‘interested’ but the supporters failed to show up
The group’s Essex division claimed the rally was intended to highlight issues including grooming gangs, female genital mutilation and terror arrests.
Paul, an activist from Stand Up To Racism, told the Independent the group was a ‘hated minority’ that would not be tolerated in the city.
‘Only two to four of them turned up – they scuttled of home, they wouldn’t march because they were vastly outnumbered by the opposition.
The marchers were significantly outnumbered by counter-demonstrators who estimated the number of EDL supporters to be between two and six
‘People from Chelmsford will not tolerate fascists in their midst trying to divide our communities.
‘Our grandfathers and grandmothers fought against fascism and we won’t allow it to happen again.’