The far right, racist English Defence League demonstrated outside the Home Office in central London on 17 April.
The protest was formally against the government's failure to deport Islamist ideologue Abu Qatada (though the Guardian reported on the same day that the government has in fact arrested Qatada and is making fresh attempts to deport him).
In reality the EDL action was, predictably, a bile-filled demonstration of anti-Muslim hatred, with sieg heils and death threats against counter-protesters.
The Unite Against Fascism campaign, with the support of the PCS union, which organises thousands of Home Office staff, organised the counter-demonstration against the EDL. It was made up mostly of PCS reps and activists, with some student support (both groups including AWL members). Despite the short notice, there were about 40 anti-EDL demonstrators, against 30 EDLers. (Unfortunately, because the EDL members arrived late and the counter-demo dispersed first, at one point they were in a majority.)
The AWL does not support UAF, but their - or rather the SWP's - fast moving action in trade union support and mobilising union activists is to be commended.
