Pictures By Kim B.
11.50 am Lets hope this is all it is.. I doubt though.
I 've a friend done there now who says the centre is very quiet apart from the the few stood above... but others are gathering.
12. 25 pm "BNP, EDL and Asians now gathering ready to march luckily looks like there are more police than protesters"
1.00 pm Large numbers of protesters and police in the town centre... police in large numbers and reporters..
Police in the car park of Asda this morning preparing the planned protest by the E.D.L and B.N.P.
There will be no 'winners' in this protest just one loser.. HYDE.
Take care if you are out and about today.. and if at all possible keep well away.
It seems that most of the car parks are shut down... the one near to the taxi rank is shut until 7pm.. could mean the police are trying to control the numbers of people entering the area.. which will have the knock on effect of visitors needing to park further from the town centre and walk there..
13.10 Police Helicopter is hovering over the town centre
13.35 Reports of fighting
Not a place for small children and babies today.
15.30 Hopefully the reports of fighting were not as bad as first thought and there's message's on Facebook that the town is quietening down.. I know of people who have been working today and are happy to be home as they did not feel safe... I feel sorry for local businesses who are having a hard time of it already. Also I know that home-helps and carers have been carrying on their visits to the housebound while all this has been going on.. shop workers as well...
I hope that it now settles down and no trouble flares up later in the Evening.
A bit of trouble.
I just want to add my thanks to the Police and Volunteers for their sensitive handling of todays Protest.
I'm proud of you.
This is an action replay of around the mid-70s I think, when the National Front very generously decided to choose Hyde as its venue for a protest march. Most of the shops in Market Street were boarded up for protection and sensible people stayed clear of the town centre. It was a MESS and here we go again nearly 40 years on. Lining up police cars in Asda isn't a deterrent because those who involve themselves in riotous behaviour are shameless and without honour.
ReplyDeleteI was one of the 'unsensible' locals who was in Hyde town centre in October 1977.. and got caught up in it and was arrested. For the last few weeks I have advised all who would listen to stay away... no matter what there views were.
ReplyDeleteI've posted these pictures today to show what is going on now... today in Hyde.
The vans aren't parked out of the way, to act as a deterrent. They are transport, its how the police got there.
ReplyDeleteI remember that well Tom.
ReplyDeleteWorrying that when all these protester have been and gone, we locals will still have to live with any repercussions.
I agree Gianni
ReplyDeleteIt will always be the case in these matters... the town and the folks who live here will be the ones to suffer.
I didn't realise that there was a protest in Ashton as well today.
I was driving to work the other morning at 7am when a young lad in the car in front of me shouted abuse out of his window at a couple of Asian lads. With tensions running so high in Hyde the last thing we need right now is this 'protest' adding fuel to the fire.
ReplyDeleteWe went down as usual and the Mall was nearly normal. A lot of folk shopped early to avoid things later. We went past the market about 11am and at least they stepped aside to let my wife through in her wheelchair. I only bothered taking one photo http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2819886. We had lunch in B's and watched a few more people arriving and wondered whether to wait for ring and ride or walk home but decided to wait in the Mall where all was quiet. I think there were more folk at Ewen Fields than in Long Meadow Car Park. Let's hope they do now stay away.
ReplyDelete