Sixty arrests as EDL members clash with police including 44 pulled off a coach that had stopped outside a mosque



Sixty people were arrested after EDL demonstrators clashed with police at protests in London including a group of 44 on a coach.

Scuffles broke out and bottles and firecrackers were thrown by members of the English Defence League as riot police, mounted police, and dogs turned out on the streets in large numbers to maintain control.

By early evening yesterday 16 people had been taken into custody for a variety of offences including affray, drunk and disorderly and assault on a police officer.

Later 44 people on a coach were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder, Scotland Yard said.

English Defence League members clashed with police in central London yesterday A bus carrying 44 EDL members stopped outside a mosque and 44 people on board were arrested

Skirmishes broke out during the afternoon as EDL leader Stephen 'Tommy' Lennon addressed a crowd, telling them he had broken his bail conditions to be at the protest. He was not one of those arrested.



The group had told Scotland Yard it planned to lead a 'static demonstration' in the wake of a 30-day ban by Home Secretary Theresa May on marching in six areas.



There had been fears of potential unrest ahead of the protest, centred on the deprived inner city borough of Tower Hamlets.



Mrs May also banned marches in Newham, Waltham Forest, Islington, Hackney and the City of London.



More than 3,000 officers were made available amid fears of violence and clashes with opposition groups including Unite Against Fascism.



Police vans from forces including Cumbria, Lancashire and Grampian could be seen on the streets.

Campaigners have been in ongoing negotiations with police chiefs in the wake of tough measures introduced by Mrs May.



It is the first time since the Brixton riots 30 years ago that police have requested powers to stop marches in London.



In total police made 60 arrests during and after the protests that went against a ban on marches

As many as 3,000 police were drafted in from across the country to deal with the expected trouble

Scuffles broke out as Lennon addressed the chanting crowd, many of whom were waving banners and flags.



He said: 'I'm meant to sign on at a police station on a Saturday, I'm not doing that. I'm not allowed to go to a demonstration, I'm not doing that.



'The credible outcome is I will be put on remand in prison for my democratic right. That's what's going to happen and when I go to court if they let me out of court with any bail conditions that restrict my democratic right to oppose militant Islam, I will break them the minute I walk out.'



EDL founder Lennon was convicted in July of leading a street brawl with 100 football fans in August last year.



The 28-year-old, from Luton, Bedfordshire, was found guilty of using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour and leading Luton's hooligans into a fight after a trial at Luton and South Bedfordshire Magistrates' Court.



The father of three was sentenced to a 12-month community rehabilitation order, 150 hours of unpaid work and hit with a three-year football banning order. He was also ordered to pay £650 in costs.



Police swiftly got to the trouble spots and pulled troublemakers out as EDL members pushed and shoved

During the demonstration firecrackers were thrown by EDL members while police deployed mounted officers and dogs

At one point yesterday a Scotland Yard spokesman said two groups had gathered in east London - one of around 1,000 people, believed to be EDL members, at Aldgate Tube, and a separate group of around 1,500 counter-protesters in Whitechapel Road at its junction with Aldgate East.



'A robust and proportionate policing plan is in place to facilitate peaceful protest, prevent disorder and minimise disruption on the local communities,' the spokesman said.



'We are committed to taking action against anyone who engages in criminal acts. We continue to appeal for people to remain calm.'



EDL protesters were dispersed after mounted police and riot police led them across Tower Bridge.

Several were seen receiving medical attention from officers.



Later police moved EDL supporters travelling on a coach out of Tower Hamlets after the vehicle broke down outside Stepney Green Underground station.



Police said all the passengers on the coach were arrested after two altercations.



At about 6.30pm the coach containing demonstrators stopped in Whitechapel Road and there was an altercation with local youths after some passengers got off.



There was a further disturbance shortly afterwards when the coach broke down outside the station.

The trouble comes after frightening pictures were posted on an anti-fascism website which appear to show English Defence League supporters posing with an array of deadly weapons.

On the day that the EDL ignoreD police and Home Office advice and stageD a protest in London, the pictures appear on an anti-fascist website.

In one, a shaven-headed man wears a mask bearing the flag of St George as he brandishes a powerful looking rifle with a scope mounted to the top.

Chilling: A man wearing a mask bearing the Cross of St George clutches a rifle with a scope on top

Dressed in paramilitary-style outfits, these three men point their guns in the air, in front of a backdrop of UK flags

In a second the twin barrels of a shotgun are pointed at the camera lens by a grimacing figure with a cigarette hanging from his lips.

And a third shows three men wearing English Defence League hooded tops, posing like paramilitary fighters, as they point guns into the air in front of a backdrop of the Union Flag and the Cross of St George.

The images come just a month after Anders Breivik slaughtered scores of youngsters during a rampage in Norway.

Soon after his killing spree police were probing Breivik’s links with the far right party amid claims that he had visited the UK and marched with supporters.

Although the EDL denied the links, anti-fascist group Searchlight claimed to have proof that Breivik was in contact with the group.

This member clutches a pair of handguns as he hides his identity under a balaclava

Twin weapons: This man, said to be an EDL leader, slings two guns over his shoulders

Staring down the double-barrels of a gun: A man poses with what looks like a deadly shotgun in the back garden of a house

Today more than 3,000 police were standing by for the arrival of EDL members who said they would hold a ‘static protest’ in Tower Hamlets, after Theresa May imposed a 30-day marching ban in six areas of London.

With tensions running high after the recent riots, officers fear clashes between the EDL and opposition groups such as Unite Against Fascism.

Chief Superintendent Julia Pendry said: ‘Following the appalling disorder in London in recent weeks, it's important London, its communities and businesses, can return to normality.’

While concern of unrest centres on the deprived inner city borough of Tower Hamlets, Mrs May also banned marches in Newham, Waltham Forest, Islington, Hackney and the City of London amid fears that demonstrations could spill across the border.

A message posted on the EDL website said a demonstration in Tower Hamlets is definitely going ahead.

EDL flag posing with a gun

Two more men aim their weapons - one a rifle and one a shotgun



A terrifying haul of rifles - one on a stand - and sights is laid out on a living room carpet

‘We will gather at muster points, and then be escorted to the demo site by the police,’ leaders said.

The RMT transport union attacked the EDL for claiming a strike on the Tube's Central Line has led to the cancellation of the EDL's operational arrangements in London tomorrow.

A spokesman for the union said: ‘At no time has RMT talked about a strike - this is a clear cut safety issue for our members who have already had experience in the past of EDL mobilisations. It is our union's duty, and we believe the employers, to protect our members' safety at all times.’

Section 13 of the Public Order Act would allow a ban of up to three months - but the force does not believe it necessary.

A man poses with a crossbow, wearing a T-shirt which says 'Right-Wing Extremists'

Ms Pendry said: ‘We have not sought this power since 1981 - which shows how we do not take this lightly.

‘We have been in talks with representatives of groups before and since the disorder has taken place and we continue to talk to them today.

‘As far as Saturday is concerned, both parties have requested a static demonstration and we will be negotiating with them suitable locations with the aim of minimising disorder.’

Scotland Yard was accused today of underestimating the threat posed by the EDL.

Members of the EDL today waited to enter Kings Cross underground station in London ahead of their protest

The Guardian newspaper claimed to have obtained an email in which the head of the group set up to monitor hate groups claimed the EDL was not an extremist organisation.

In the email, dated April 27 this year, Adrian Tudway said the EDL were ‘not extreme rightwing as a group’.

He went on to write that he believed the group was ‘actively moving away from the right and violence with their mission statement’.

He went on to tell a Muslim group they should try to open a ‘line of dialogue’ with the EDL – a suggestion which led the National Association of Muslim Police to accuse the police of not taking the threat of rightwing extremism seriously.

EDL members clash with police in east London protest

Protest: EDL leader Stephen 'Tommy' Lennon addressed the far-right demonstration

Far-right demonstrators clashed with police as they protested in east London today.

Scuffles broke out and bottles and firecrackers were thrown by members of the English Defence League as riot police, mounted police and dogs turned out on the streets in large numbers to maintain control.

The clashes broke out as EDL leader Stephen 'Tommy' Lennon addressed the crowd, telling them he had broken his bail conditions to be at the protest.

The far-right group told Scotland Yard it planned to lead a 'static demonstration' following a 30-day ban by Home Secretary Theresa May on marching in six areas.

There had been fears of potential unrest ahead of the protest, centred on the inner-city borough of Tower Hamlets.

Mrs May also banned marches in Newham, Waltham Forest, Islington, Hackney and the City of London.

More than 3,000 officers were expected to be available today amid fears of violence and clashes with opposition groups including Unite Against Fascism.

Defiant: A demonstrator from the far-right English Defence League (EDL) stands in front of police lines during today's protest

Protest: Members of the English Defence League (EDL) clash with police

No surrender: A masked protestor (left) and the controversial placards held up during the EDL demonstartion in Aldgate, east London (right)

Banned:The EDL's planned marches were banned but thousands took to the streets in a static protest today





