photo Jane Nellist

photo Jane Nellist   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Kris O’Sullivan, Coventry East Socialist Party

The far-right English Defence League (EDL) came to Coventry on 21 May.

They came with the agenda of dividing communities by trying to scapegoat ethnic and religious minorities for the ills in society, trying to turn worker against worker.

However this did not happen. The people of Coventry would not allow it to happen.

A counter protest was called by local anti-racists, supported by trade unions, local communities, the Socialist Party and others. Attendance at the #WeAreCov gathering vastly outnumbered the EDL march. We won a victory by denying the EDL access to Broadgate Square in the centre of the city.

Members of the Socialist Party built for the demonstration in the weeks beforehand. We highlighted the connections between racism and capitalism.

This socialist analysis really struck a chord with many participants looking for solutions both to racism and the capitalist system.