Quantcast
Channel: Croydon Advertiser Latest Stories Feed
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 8978

Bail terms ban EDL marchers from Hull

$
0
0

FOUR men arrested in connection with the English Defence League (EDL) march have been told they must not come back to Hull.

The ruling is part of strict bail conditions imposed on the men.

They have also been ordered not to meet in groups of more than five people until they appear at Hull Magistrates' Court next month.

The four, from Essex, Hemsworth, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, were arrested before and during the march, which took place in Hull city centre on Saturday.

One member of the public was injured and a protester arrested in Ferensway, leading to calls from some quarters for the EDL to be banned from marching in East Yorkshire again.

However, the man in charge of the policing operation on Saturday said the tipping point for having a march banned is when there is the risk of serious public disorder.

Superintendent David Hall, who was in charge of the operation, told the Mail there was appropriate policing on the day and given the intelligence he had, there was no risk of serious public disorder.

He said: "If I don't feel I can provide adequate resources and if there was the risk of serious disorder on the intelligence and information I was given, then that's when I would go to the chief constable.

"If I don't feel I can prevent it I would be saying the local authority should be approached so they can apply to the Secretary of State for a banning order. I was confident on the day there was no risk of serious public disorder."

Officers were drafted from neighbouring authorities to help support Humberside Police.

Around 300 marchers walked through the city, resulting in the four arrests.

Supt Hall said: "We would have preferred there were no arrests.

"The whole police operation was preventative, so it doesn't please me there were arrests, but it shows that the resources were needed.

"We are not prepared to stand by and see offences committed.

"Yes, there was an assault, but the response from the police was quick and we had that person in custody.

"We moved the EDL march on quickly."

Police were given ten days notice of the march so were able to prepare for longer than they would normally expect.

Supt Hall said he kept a dialogue with organisers from the EDL, which he believes was a key element to helping keep the peace on the day.

One thing he says was necessary, from a police point of view, was to limit the scope of the march.

"They wanted to march right down Spring Bank," he said.

"I had a reasonable held belief that there would be serious disorder, criminal damage or disruption.

"And the fact it was going to be Yorkshire-wide, I also believe it was necessary to put these conditions on the march."

Supt Hall said counter protests had been planned but officers spoke to these groups telling them they had limited the scope of the march and to try to further reduce the risk of trouble, would they keep away.

He said: "It is not about taking sides, for me it was about reducing the risks if these two come together."

September court date FOUR men have been charged after they were arrested in connection with the EDL march. They will all appear at Hull Magistrates' Court in September. A 46-year-old Derbyshire man was charged with assault causing actual bodily harm after a man was hurt in Ferensway, city centre. A 46-year-old man of Mansfield has been charged with using threatening words or behaviour after police broke up a scuffle in Queen Victoria Square. He is also accused of possessing a Class A drug. Another man, who is 43 and from West Yorkshire, was charged with being drunk and disorderly and possessing a Class B drug. Police also arrested a 52-year-old man from Essex in the city centre at 3.50am on Saturday. He has been charged with using threatening words or behaviour.

Bail terms ban EDL marchers from Hull


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 8978

Trending Articles



<script src="https://jsc.adskeeper.com/r/s/rssing.com.1596347.js" async> </script>