It began at 12:00 with a cry of determinationfrom the assembled and the armies began to swell thier numbers. The Police, the EDL and UAF/ANTIFA alike. As the numbers increased, bangs were heard throughout the streets as fireworks were thrown and small conflicts began. The Police routed thier forces and seperated any contact between the two offending parties and began an extreme blockade of many roads in and around Leeds. Like a well-oiled machine they functioned, maintaining the peace and enforcing the law, mearly by standing thier ground and using commanding tones and harsh words as thier swords.
The protests organized, stirring chants arose that echoed around the city, reverberating like verbal fire off the walls of the proud old buildings of Leeds. The Police Cavalry being the only moving unit at the time, they maintained contact with all other units on a city-wide circuit. The protests continued, with the UAF brutally beating an innocent EDL man whom had merely made an honest mistake by joining the wrong group. EDL forces were kept, firmly enclosed in an area by the Queen's Hotel and the Train station. They acted loudly, yet peacefully, humiliating the Anti-fascist troops with a grand display of emotional fortitude, though they too had thier own twisted "firestarters".
The protests continue, it is later in the day and reports are coming in regarding assaults around the city. Stabbings, muggings, beatings, the fire is raging, with the flames eating away at the supporting structure of organized society. Leeds itself may not have burned this day, but the people of Leeds raged with the passionate fires of faith and belief in thier views.
Your ambitious and unbiased reporter took no side (though I must extend my sympathies once more to the EDL man who suffered at the unforgiving hands of the UAF mob, but as mentioned, sins of violence were commited city-wide by many of different backgrounds.) and risked all and suffered injury (an EDL man tried to lay me out) to bring you this information and the following photographs. Apologies for the quality of some of them and the lack of much "action"...camera is, as previously mentioned, in appaling condition, and getting it to work in time for sudden events is difficult, but I did my best before the batteries died.
Police cavalry going to action.
UAF forces after brutally attacking an EDL man. (Far right, being rescued by Police.)
Police line, and random man with bike.
UAF protest central, outside Leeds Art Gallery.
Another Police line. The Flatcap in the foreground was bawling at them like a military drill-sergeant.
EDL protest central, organised, but nowhere near as grand as UAF central.
Two EDL lads in thier uniforms.
As a testament to why the EDL aren't Arian-Nazi's, I found a patriotic young asian woman within the crowd, also many more black and asian participants.
An example of one of the cordoned-off statues. This was done ALL OVER LEEDS.
Possibly one of my favourite shots. An EDL clash with Police. At this point, there were thoughts of a full-scale riot in the works, with UAF acting in much the same way at the same time.
Welp, there you have it. My war correspondance on the Leeds Hallowe'en protests!
Now, if you'll excuse me...I'm off to nurse a Headache.
Have fun, yours;
-Azzy-
