EDL leaders bailed after arrests near East London Mosque
Lee Rigby was killed in Woolwich on May 22. Picture: MoD/PA - Credit: PA Archive/Press Association Ima
Two English Defence League (EDL) leaders arrested near Aldgate Tube station on Saturday morning as they attempted to visit the spot where Drummer Lee Rigby was murdered have been bailed.
EDL leader Tommy Robinson and his co-leader Kevin Carroll were detained by police on suspicion of obstructing officers as they attempted to stage what they claimed was a charity walk to Woolwich Barracks via the East London Mosque in Whitechapel Road.
They were on Saturday night bailed to return to a police station in August together with another two men who were arrested on suspicion of assault, a Scotland Yard spokesman said.
Throughout the morning, the pair posted pictures on Twitter at London landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, The Mall and the July 7 Memorial in Hyde Park.
The Metropolitan Police said on Friday that anyone trying to march to Woolwich would be arrested and imposed a route for the walk between Hyde Park Corner and ending at Old Palace Yard, opposite the House of Lords.
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In footage posted on YouTube, police can be seen escorting Robinson and Carroll near to Aldgate East. The pair then appear to have a scuffle with two other men who are walking alongside them.
As well as laying flowers in memory of Drummer Rigby in Woolwich, Robinson and Carroll were also walking to raise money for a young girl fighting against neuroblastoma.
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Scotland Yard said it had imposed conditions due to fears that both the march and gathering would “result in serious public disorder and serious disruption to the life of the community” and a breach of the conditions would be a criminal offence.
The police force issued two notices under the Public Order Act based on “current community tensions, the current intelligence picture about Saturday and recent marches and protests held by similar groups”.
It also said that attempts had been made to liaise with the EDL to facilitate the march and gathering and offered them two alternative routes that avoided Tower Hamlets, home to the East London Mosque.
