Brother of Manchester Arena attack victim slams 'small' EDL protest for ‘wasting valuable police time’

The brother a Manchester Arena terrorist attack victim has slammed the English Defence League (EDL) for their "small" protest in Manchester, accusing them of wasting valuable police time.

Dan Hett, whose brother Martyn Hett died in the May 2017 attack, criticised the far-right group, arguing that fighting extremism cannot be done by “standing in the street and drinking cans of larger while wasting valuable police time”.

A protest and march by the EDL took place in Manchester peacefully on Saturday, the same day as a People’s Vote march in London.

The group, numbering around 50-strong, were outnumbered by a counter-demonstration of around 150 people organised by the group called Stand Up To Racism.

Both sides were well outnumbered by police officers, who had been drafted in from Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales, to help local officers keep order.

Mr Hett has previously spoken out against the EDL and released a statement ahead of their planned march.

He said he was unable to witness the last time the group protested in Manchester as he was mourning his brother, who was among the 22 people killed in the attack.

He wrote: “While Manchester was in mourning, in the midst of the entire city grieving and coming to terms with this enormous and horrific loss, the EDL still descended on Manchester, brandishing red banners.”

He added: “These groups use the actions of extremists like the one that committed the Manchester atrocity to justify their outright hatred of all Muslims.”

The EDL supporters were marched to and from Piccadilly train station corralled by lines of police officers for the event.

Photos of the march prompted mockery online, as some pointed out the march was comparatively small to the number of officers in attendance.

Mr Hett wrote in his statement: “What are you actually doing about extremism? Stop me if I’m wrong, but standing in the street and drinking cans of larger while wasting valuable police time and resources doesn’t seem like a particularly effective weapon against anything.”

Chief Superintendent Wasim Chaudhry of Greater Manchester Police, said: "Today an EDL protest and counter protest took place in Piccadilly Gardens in the city centre.

"In the lead up to this event, we worked closely with the organisers and our partners at Transport for Greater Manchester, Manchester City Council and British Transport Police to reduce impact on the public and minimise the risk of disorder.

"I am happy to say that the overwhelming majority of people who exercised their democratic right to protest have done so peacefully and the demonstration has passed with little disruption.

"There have been two arrests, which is not uncommon for an event of this size.

"There is still a major police operation in place to ensure the rest of the day continues in the same manner, and all of the other events happening in the city run smoothly."