Tactics adopted by police officers at the anti EDL demonstration in Bolton’s Victoria Square on March 20th were “frightening” a protestor told magistrates.
Dane Kelly, a 24 year old Sociology student from Leeds, was cleared of a charge of using threatening and abusive words and behaviour against a police officer when he appeared at Bolton magistrates’ court on Monday, October 11.
He said: “The tactics the police adopted were frightening. They were pushing us back and telling us to move back but there was nowhere to go. There were middle aged people and families with children there and an elderly man, a World War 2 veteran, was knocked to the ground by the police. People were panicking and I was worried for my friends. The police were arresting people in the crowd while trade union messages of support were being read out.”
Asked by Joanna White, prosecuting, if he was unhappy with the way the demonstration had been policed, Dane Kelly told her: “I was scared.”
Tactical Aid Unit officer Gareth Rowe told magistrates the TAU had been initially deployed to escort the EDL to the designated area in Victoria Square, Bolton.This deployment was because of specific EDL incidents at Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester the previous October.
PC Rowe explained that officers were then sent to Victoria Square where Unite Against Fascism demonstrators had been gathering from about 10 am. He said that sometime between 11am and 1pm TAU officers were told to “kit up”.
PC Rowe said Mr Kelly tried to prevent him from arresting another protestor and
that he raised his arm to stop Mr Kelly and unintentionally hit him in the face. PC Rowe claimed that Mr Kelly then used abusive language and called him “a fucking Nazi cunt”. Told by Aiofe Ryan, defending, that Mr Kelly denied using abusive language, PC Rowe replied: “I heard him and I saw him say it. I found it very offensive.”
PC Rowe told the court he remained in the police line trying to control the crowd. “Other officers were requested to go into the crowd but this wasn’t what I was doing, I stayed in the line,” he said.
Mr Kelly said that PC Rowe struck him in the face three times as the officer reached into the crowd. Mr Kelly denied using abusive language to the officer, saying that as someone who was politically active and had studied feminism, he would not use the words he was accused of saying.
Finding Mr Kelly not guilty, the magistrates said they were not convinced that Mr Kelly used the words to the police officer.
Surrounded by supporters outside the court, Mr Kelly said he was elated with the result. “If anything, I am now more dedicated to fighting fascism on the streets of the UK and will continue to do so. I would like to thank justice4bolton and Unite Against Fascism for all the support they have given to me.”
A spokesperson for justice4bolton said: “Some of the truth about what happened in Bolton on March 20 came out in court today. This verdict is a vindication of the fact that it is not a crime to protest against racism and fascism. It also demonstrates that any attempts by the police to construct anti fascist and anti racist protestors as criminals will be vigorously resisted. The truth will out.”
For further information contact:
Kath Grant, justice4bolton press officer on 07812471047
Dane Kelly, a 24 year old Sociology student from Leeds, was cleared of a charge of using threatening and abusive words and behaviour against a police officer when he appeared at Bolton magistrates’ court on Monday, October 11.
He said: “The tactics the police adopted were frightening. They were pushing us back and telling us to move back but there was nowhere to go. There were middle aged people and families with children there and an elderly man, a World War 2 veteran, was knocked to the ground by the police. People were panicking and I was worried for my friends. The police were arresting people in the crowd while trade union messages of support were being read out.”
Asked by Joanna White, prosecuting, if he was unhappy with the way the demonstration had been policed, Dane Kelly told her: “I was scared.”
Tactical Aid Unit officer Gareth Rowe told magistrates the TAU had been initially deployed to escort the EDL to the designated area in Victoria Square, Bolton.This deployment was because of specific EDL incidents at Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester the previous October.
PC Rowe explained that officers were then sent to Victoria Square where Unite Against Fascism demonstrators had been gathering from about 10 am. He said that sometime between 11am and 1pm TAU officers were told to “kit up”.
PC Rowe said Mr Kelly tried to prevent him from arresting another protestor and
that he raised his arm to stop Mr Kelly and unintentionally hit him in the face. PC Rowe claimed that Mr Kelly then used abusive language and called him “a fucking Nazi cunt”. Told by Aiofe Ryan, defending, that Mr Kelly denied using abusive language, PC Rowe replied: “I heard him and I saw him say it. I found it very offensive.”
PC Rowe told the court he remained in the police line trying to control the crowd. “Other officers were requested to go into the crowd but this wasn’t what I was doing, I stayed in the line,” he said.
Mr Kelly said that PC Rowe struck him in the face three times as the officer reached into the crowd. Mr Kelly denied using abusive language to the officer, saying that as someone who was politically active and had studied feminism, he would not use the words he was accused of saying.
Finding Mr Kelly not guilty, the magistrates said they were not convinced that Mr Kelly used the words to the police officer.
Surrounded by supporters outside the court, Mr Kelly said he was elated with the result. “If anything, I am now more dedicated to fighting fascism on the streets of the UK and will continue to do so. I would like to thank justice4bolton and Unite Against Fascism for all the support they have given to me.”
A spokesperson for justice4bolton said: “Some of the truth about what happened in Bolton on March 20 came out in court today. This verdict is a vindication of the fact that it is not a crime to protest against racism and fascism. It also demonstrates that any attempts by the police to construct anti fascist and anti racist protestors as criminals will be vigorously resisted. The truth will out.”
For further information contact:
Kath Grant, justice4bolton press officer on 07812471047