Ten years since mass EDL march in Luton: 'Protest didn't reflect the town then and it doesn't now'

Although it was not the last EDL march in the town, the event of February 4, 2011, was by far the largest.

Officers from 27 forces across Britain were brought into Luton to assist Bedfordshire Police. After weeks of tense and careful preparation, the day passed largely without violence - with just eight arrests made.

A counter protest organised by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) saw impassioned speeches from then-Luton North MP Kelvin Hopkins and MEP Richard Howlett.

Reflecting on the incident a decade later, leader of Luton Borough Council, Cllr Hazel Simmons MBE said: "The events from 10 years ago did not reflect our town then and certainly do not today.

"While this ugly incident, and particularly the coverage it received, did reputational damage to Luton and caused hurt in our communities, it failed miserably in its attempts to divide us.

"Although I have absolutely no desire for this event to be marked in any way, shape or form, if this must be done I would like it to be remembered as exactly that: a failure.

"Luton is a town that celebrates and draws strength from its diverse community and has neither place nor time for anyone, whether resident or from outside, who seeks to stir up tensions and hatred.

"We have worked hard to ensure that the commitment, resilience and good-will shown by residents of all backgrounds, faiths, and cultures from Luton’s community in coming together to reject prejudice, hatred and extremism in all its forms, is clearly reflected the council’s work to protect and improve the town, and support and strengthen our community.

"To this end we have promoted the Luton in Harmony campaign and its message of positive shared values and ‘Many Voices, One Town’. We have ensured that our town centre and public spaces are protected by a clear policy that doesn’t allow businesses and public services to suffer undue economic loss from mass protest. As before we have continued to work closely with the authorities and actively supported Bedfordshire Police in successfully securing legal injunctions against individuals and organisations bent on stirring up hatred in Luton.

"We continue to work hard to change everyone’s perception of the town so that we are completely focused on a creating a shared future for our community that is built on fairness and where everyone can thrive."

Peter Adams, of St Mary's Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, said: "The sheer hate a protest of that size released in our town poisoned the atmosphere. It was tangible. Yet our response was not be driven by that fear, but by the hope that we could get through it and emerge stronger as a town. And I believe we have done that.

"Yet for all that, hundreds of police and 3-metre steel fences do not prevent the caustic environment of hate poisoning the atmosphere of our community. When the demonstrators went home, that poison lurked. It showed itself in weeks to come with a sharp rise in hate crimes. And it shows for years after in young minds who have grown up immersed in it and are scarred by its impact.

"There were days in the weeks leading up to the event... that I would sit in my car as I got home and weep at the hate that was being released in our community. Yet I was not the one at the sharp end of that hate.

"The EDL came again to Luton again, several times, in 2012, 2013 and 2014. We have had many visits since from Britain First. We have had other challenges. For me working in a community threatened by extremism has now occupied 14 years of my life.

"Yet the three months we spent preparing for the EDL protest in February 2011 has to be the most challenging, the hardest, and yet the most rewarding I have spent, not least in the friendships forged in adversity."