Menace and aggression during 'new EDL' demo

People are calling them the new EDL.

There are many similarities between the Democratic Football Lads Alliance (DFLA) and the group founded by Tommy Robinson in 2009.

Both the EDL and DFLA were formed to fight Islamist extremism.

The group was originally called the Football Lads Alliance and was set up by a football hooligan in response to the wave of terror attacks in the UK last year.

Its founder called on football fans from around the country to unite against Muslim grooming gangs and Islamic terrorism.

But the leader left and the group split, reforming with the word "democratic" slapped on at the front.

So who are they?

That's what I wanted to find out when I spent an afternoon with them during their most recent march in Sunderland on Saturday. As a journalist, I was a curious observer.

The group said they were marching to show solidarity with the victims of Muslim grooming gangs.

The day began with supporters sinking a few beers in a local pub. The atmosphere was friendly - warm even.

So far, so good.

Then UKIP leader Gerard Batten arrived in the pub to cheers and applause. He openly supports the group and has spoken at their previous marches.

The previous rallies passed peacefully - no reason to think this wouldn't be the same.

So on they went, marching the streets of Sunderland.

"Make sure it's peaceful, there are women and children here," the organisers instructed.

But the pleasant mood turned sour when they spotted a counter-demonstration by an anti-fascist group.

The stench of menace filled the air and aggression took over.

"We don't want any trouble," the organisers pleaded. But trouble was exactly what happened.

A small group of around 50 people burst through a police line separating the two groups. One man swung his Union flag at a female police officer on a horse, hitting her arm.

She retaliated by drawing her baton, pointing at his enraged face. That didn't stop him - he came back for a second go, narrowly missing her.

He was one of the three arrests made that day.

With around 700 people attending, there is no doubt that this group is growing in support.

Indeed, the leader of Britain's fifth most popular political party (if you look at the number of votes in last year's general election), is one of them.

It will be interesting to see if UKIP is still behind the DFLA after seeing what I saw.