Respecting Plymouth’s Diversity

Large numbers of supporters of peace, diversity and tolerance from Totnes, Brixham, Ashburton and hereabouts, over 30 that I recognised, joined the large Anti-Hate / Anti-Fascist / Love Community protest in Plymouth yesterday evening that was called to start at 6pm in response to an Anti-Immigrant / EDL event posted online to meet in Guildhall Square at 7pm.

Our group, 3 female friends and myself male, arrived by car parked 15m walk away around 5.30pm. The Anti-Fascist numbers were already swelling in the square.

By 6pm the crowd formed of roughly half women half men and of all skin colours reflecting Plymouth’s make-up had grown to an estimated 2 thousand, filling Guildhall Square with chants and placards, celebrating and standing up for the City of Plymouth’s diverse tolerant heritage. “Say it Loud Say it Clear, Refugees are Welcome Here” and “No Hate, No Fear, Fascists are Not Welcome Here” – were two of the strongest chants to be heard.

Until close to 7pm there was only a single group of 5 or 6 on the opposite side of the road with union flags, but numbers increased there to form a narrow line standing against the road on the shopping side by 7.30. The Anti-Immigrant group formed an estimated third the size of the counter-protest and was, in contrast, around 95% male and 100% white.

The Police were extremely professional in separating the 2 groups while also allowing peaceful protest to happen. Early-on they arrested a few individuals from the anti-immigrant side who literally ‘crossed the line’.

As time went by, Anti-Immigrant / EDL protesters started hurling the first projectiles from the shopping side of the road over the top of the Police cordon into the Anti-Fascist / Love Community crowd opposite in Guildhall Square. I witnessed first half-full plastic bottles coming, then some fireworks fired over, then half-full beer cans; and I heard glass bottles landing near me through the crowd.

There were a few calls for urgent medical assistance next to me, and I heard from a very reliable friend who saw a victim having been hit and bleeding. Chants of “Shame on you! Shame on you!” followed many of the projectiles coming over.

I sincerely didn’t witness a single item thrown back in the 3 hours I was there, and I was looking up quite a lot of the time out of concern. But I can’t say with absolute certainty it didn’t happen at all. Throughout, the chants respecting Plymouth’s many immigrants and rejecting fascism-racism kept going strong. When the light started to fade my group and some others I knew gathered and decided to start to make our journey home away from the continuing protest.

Images of removed paving bricks with reports and photos this morning tell of the Police having been targeted. There is certainly clear evidence from the newsfeed showing  photos that bricks were uprooted on the Anti-Immigrant shopping side of the road.