Eyewitness: football lads march against child abuse

Chris Hobbs attends a loosely affiliated protest by groups concerned about grooming gangs and the failures of the justice system.

Walking down from the Strand to Embankment Station, evidence of the ‘Together for the Children’ march and rally soon became apparent due to the plethora of St. Georges flags, appropriate placards and an obvious but not overwhelming police presence.

The gathering wasn’t without rancour however; a small group of individuals were being told in no uncertain terms to ‘F off’ and that ‘lefty mainstream media’ weren’t welcome. The leading protagonist bore a striking resemblance to a Millwall fan who was featured on social media, the previous Saturday threatening ‘mainstream media’ who were filming events after the high-risk Millwall versus West Ham game.

Police escorted the journalists away and as the marchers formed up, it became apparent that Tommy Robinson had, as he had promised, arrived to join them. He was to spend most of the march surrounded by a rugby like scrum eager to snatch a photograph.

The march began walking along Northumberland Avenue before turning left and making their way towards Whitehall and Downing Street. Opposite Downing Street were a group of Tamils protesting about the situation in Sri Lanka. They halted their meeting and viewed the approaching march complete with the above-mentioned St. Georges flags, with apprehension.

In actual fact the march passed without incident; no insults or comments were directed at this group and the procession continued down towards Parliament Square. The next potentially significant moment occurred as the march passed New Scotland Yard where there were a few chants of ‘two tier’ and ‘shame on you.’

The final destination of the marchers was Trafalgar Square where a stage and a more than adequate sound system awaited the participants. Again, there was a visible but not overwhelming police presence as the speeches began. I didn’t pay close attention to the content but was aware that there were frequent references to grooming gangs and the failures of the justice system but other child abuse issues also featured prominently.

Several victims of child abuse, referred to as survivors, spoke of their experiences at the hands of their abusers which included family members and incidents when the victim was in the care system: However, the issue of grooming gangs led to the only obvious arrest of the afternoon for ‘hate speech.’ It isn’t clear whether a cuffed male seen near New Scotland Yard was actually arrested or simply detained.

Tommy Robinson spoke towards the end of the event and, whilst I didn’t hear all of his speech, he praised those whose activities ensnared paedophiles and urged those present to encourage others to attend future events that concerned the protection of children.

In actual fact, considering that there was no top flight football on this day due to the international break and given that the Football Lads Alliance were involved in the organisation, the turnout of around a thousand must have been somewhat disappointing,

A rather more contentious event was taking place elsewhere in London linked to the by- election campaign in Keir Starmer’s former constituency of Holborn and St. Pancreas. Scuffles took place in the Camden area between around forty anti-racist protesters and twenty Restore Party canvassers.

Millwall versus West Ham 

In contrast to the relatively light demands made of the Met referred to above, the previous Saturday saw a major policing operation as Millwall hosted West Ham in what has been described as the bitterest rivalry in football. With no press pass that would have enabled me to move through police cordons, I opted to go shopping in central London. However, like a moth to a flame I was drawn to the cavernous environs of London Bridge Station as both sets the fans travelled back from the match which ended in a 2-2 draw after the Hammers had found themselves two goals down.

There was a large police presence consisting Met and City police serials plus officers from the BTP’s highly regarded OSU (Operational Support Unit). All officers were ‘kitted’ but there were no significant issues at the station and one arrest. The OSU did however leave ‘on the hurry up’ for Liverpool Street Station where there was an altercation involving around 50 fans which was swiftly dealt with.

Despite the potential of serious disorder, there were no major incidents before during and after this potentially volatile encounter with just six arrests in total although one was for an assault on a police officer. Predictably, from a media so quick to condemn police, there was no mention let alone praise for a successful operation.
As was pointed out to me, the return match on Sunday the 21st of February could provide a greater challenge due to the ‘wide open spaces’ that surround the London Stadium.  However, the kick-off at midday has been clearly designed to limit any possibility of disorder.

Chris Hobbs is a former Special Branch officer who follows public order events for Police Oracle as an observer.

Category: football policingPublic Order