The peace tree has arrived

posted by: Nick Lowles | on: Friday, 27 August 2010, 16:51

Police Chief Superintendent Alison Rose, Bradford’s most senior officer, attending the women’s vigil

I’m down at the site where our vigil is being held in an hour. The stage is being erected and a Peace Tree has just been delivered by the organisers of the Bradford Women for Peace. From our event it will be taken to Infirmary Fields for the Be Bradford Peaceful Together event tomorrow afternoon.

The police held a briefing at lunchtime. I wasn’t there but I’ve just spoken to someone who was. There will be 1,400 police on duty on the streets, with another 2,000 in reserve. In all, officers from 13 forces are being deployed.

Everyone arriving at the EDL protest will be searched and photographed and any offensive placards and dangerous banners will be confiscated. I wrote earlier that the EDL was going to be put behind an 8ft wooden fence, well, what I didn’t know was that a special high tech security fence is going to be erected as well.

There will be steel gates blocking the one route from the UAF protest to the EDL’s. According to the police, the UAF will be subjected to similar searches to the EDL.

Ok, I should really get off to the vigil. There are police all over the city centre now, many wearing the green peace ribbons.