Anti-racist campaigners prevented far-right nationalists from marching through the city centre last Saturday.
The ‘Welsh Alliance’, previously known as the Welsh Defence League, had planned to march on City Hall in what they described as a protest against radical Islam. The presence of counter-demonstrators forced police to escort them out of the centre via Westgate Street, and through Bute Park.
South Wales Police had granted the group permission to march. They were escorted by a heavy police presence at all times.
Several of their members shouted Islamophobic abuse, and many were involved in a chant calling for Muslim “Paedos” to be removed from the streets.
A standoff on St Mary Street caused concern for businesses. On learning of the group’s chanting, restaurant worker Craig Lewis said, “It’s something that the public and their children shouldn’t be hearing… If I walked out my workplace now and started chanting racist slurs, I’d probably get arrested.”
