Four charged over BNP event demo

12 April 2012

Four people arrested at a controversial BNP festival have been charged, police said.

A total of 19 people were arrested after around 1,500 anti-fascist demonstrators protested at the Red, White and Blue Festival in Codnor, Derbyshire.

Derbyshire Police mounted a huge policing operation at the three-day festival and, despite coming under brief attack from a small number of protesters, said the vast majority of those involved were peaceful and co-operative.

A spokeswoman said three people have been charged with public order offences and a fourth with unlawfully obstructing the highway. Court dates have yet to be fixed.

The spokeswoman said two other people were cautioned, two received fixed penalty notices and a further 10 were bailed while enquiries continue. One person was released with no further action.

She added: "Eighteen of the people were men and one was a woman. "Their ages range between 21 - 49 years and only three of them live locally."

Police, whose operation cost around £500,000 and involved more than 500 officers, said there were fewer arrests than last year and they were for "sporadic behaviour".

The protesters, who came from across the country, joined a march organised by campaign group Unite Against Fascism (UAF) which urged them to "kettle" the festival.

The main body of demonstrators, monitored by a camera mounted on a drone, gathered in Codnor's Market Place, chanting "Nazi scum, off our streets" and waving placards from UAF and other trade union groups.

BNP deputy leader Simon Darby accused the protesters of causing trouble deliberately so the BNP would be blamed.

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