In the Bolton News today, a local man poses more questions about the policing of Bolton in the lead up to 20 March protest against the racist English Defence League (EDL) and calls for all charges against anti-fascists to be dropped.

In a letter to the paper, Bolton man John Flame reminds the reader:

Public servants, the police have a duty to remain politically neutral.  On the day of the EDL march, and in the lead up to it, this neutrality was violated in several ways.

Police deliberately targeted anti-fascist organisers for arrest; in the lead up to the march young Asians who were seen as potentially joining the anti-fascist protest were encouraged by the police and local authorities to go on organised free trips to Blackpool on the day of the march — young whites in danger of EDL influence were not.

The very least that should come out of this is that the ridiculous conspiracy charges against the anti-fascists should be dropped and a public enquiry into the police’s behaviour should be launched.”