Panic on the streets of Coventry

In the days leading up to the English Defence League's 'national demonstration' in Coventry, the notorious far-right wing group announced they wanted to "reclaim" what had become a "Muslim ghetto". In response to this, anti-fascism activists and disgruntled Coventrians made it clear to the EDL that their message of hate and division was not welcome.

Welcome or not, over a hundred EDL supporters from as far north as Newcastle and as far south as Devon descended on Coventry - a city most of them knew nothing about - to tell all the white working class locals that they should be angry with their Muslim neighbours.

I was there to cover the day's events for Brace Club and alternated between the EDL's demo - confined to the edge of the city centre - and a counter-protest organised by Unite Against Fascism on the town square. The police meanwhile, out in huge numbers, attempted to maintain a semblance of calm.

The EDL, well aware of their public image as violent, knuckle-dragging hooligans, have made recent attempts to clean up their act. Messages on social media pleaded with supporters not to get too drunk and volunteer stewards in EDL-branded fluorescent jackets stood by at the demonstration, seeking to discourage anything that might paint a damning picture.

Unfortunately for them, their bigoted hate-filled rhetoric speaks louder than any attempt to be taken seriously. When regional leaders announce their disgust that a "bloody Muslim" can be voted as mayor of London and points to this as evidence of them "slowly taking over", their true colours come to the fore.

Meanwhile, the counter-protesters were keen to remind everybody that Coventry is "one of the most harmoniously multicultural cities in the country", and with that in mind, support from locals for the EDL was always going to be thin on the ground. Coventry, after all, takes pride in being the birthplace of the UK's ska revival in the late 1970's, with multi-racial bands such as The Specials preaching racial unity.

Raising concerns over Islamic extremism and talking about how to tackle it is not Islamophobic and labelling it as such cheapens the term when used to rightfully describe the actions of the English Defence League. Not only are they Islamophobic, they promote hatred, violence and disunity, and though the principle of free speech should always prevail their message must continue to be countered.

The short film I made for Brace Club in Coventry is online here: