Five arrested but Dewsbury protests were peaceful - police chief
POLICE have praised the people of Dewsbury for their response to demonstrations in the town centre today.
Although five people have been arrested for 'minor incidents', they say the two protests passed peacefully.
Around 450 supporters of the right-wing English Defence League (EDL) took part in a national demonstration in front of Dewsbury town hall at 1pm.
A second demonstration organised by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) and the Trade Union Council (TUC) took place in Foundry Street at 1.30pm.
After the protests, Chf Supt David Lunn thanked partner agencies, demonstration organisers and local people.
"We are pleased to say that today's events have passed without incident and that disruption to Dewsbury was kept to a minimum, with the town returning to normal as soon as possible," he said.
"I would like to thank the community, our partners in the council and other agencies and the event organisers themselves, with whom we have worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all concerned throughout the day."
He said there had been five arrests so far for minor incidents.
"I am very proud of the community response to today's events," he said. "This helped enable the protests to pass peacefully, safely and without serious incident.
"The feedback we have received from the public and local businesses has been very favourable, which is pleasing as they have always been at the forefront of our considerations as we planned the response to today's events."
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Weather for Batley
Thursday 20 June 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 12 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 12 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: West
