The English Defence League (EDL), who are so fond of telling British Muslims that they should observe one law - British law - rather than demanding sharia courts, gave an interesting demonstration of what they mean by that at their protest in Stoke on Saturday, filmed by independent Stoke blog Pits 'n' Pots:

Or for even more unequivocal evidence, try the BBC's video footage of scuffles that broke out when the pissed-up yobs that make up the EDL decided to start a ruckus with the police.

In the end, 17 EDLers were arrested, while there was precisely no trouble on the Unite Against Fascism counter-demonstration - despite the EDL always blaming anti-fascists when violence kicks off.

More from Pits 'n' Pots - "The demonstration began to turn ugly with protesters attacking the police with bottles, coins, placards and wood torn from nearby hoardings. Riot gear was then deployed to a police force who had started the day off wearing their traditional helmets, as part of the Police's co-ordinated attempt to put protesters at ease."

There are clearly valid concerns about aspects of sharia law - but might I suggest the good people of Stoke will be more worried by thugs trying to beat up police officers on their streets than the finer points of Islamic finance?

And what of our Sikh friend, Amit "Fuck the pakis" Singh (real name Guramit Singh), who the EDL heralded as proof of their anti-racist credentials? Seems that the members of Skinheads for England - sorry, the EDL - weren't so keen on him as he might have thought. As Pits 'n' Pots reports:

"At one point the EDL supporters were even heckling their own invited speakers, chanting " who are ya?" at the Sikh speaker who's presence had been widely publicised on the E.D.L website and Forums."

As Pits 'n' Pots concludes, "the EDL's public image took a very public battering".

Not that anti-fascists can afford to rest on their laurels. The fact is that this was the largest EDL demonstration to date - a reported 1,500 in attendance, though other witnesses suggest fewer - and perhaps the first time they have managed to outnumber the UAF, who brought around 300 people.

The EDL were no doubt helped by Anjem Choudary's antics over Wootton Bassett - once again, cheers Anjem - so a better assessment of their true strength will probably come with their upcoming protests in Dudley and London. The UAF will no doubt redouble their efforts - and so will the police.

Posted by Chaminda Jayanetti