UKIP leader criticised over march talk
The leader of UKIP Gerard Batten has been criticised by Nigel Farage after speaking at a Sunderland march.
Gerard Batten spoke following a march through the city centre by Wearsidebased Justice for the Women and Children Group, which campaigns against sexual violence and assault, which was joined by members of the Democratic Football Lads Alliance (DFLA).
Previous Justice for Women and Children Group protests have passed off without incident.
But trouble erupted on Saturday when the march reached Keel Square, where a counter demo organised by Sunderland Unites and Stand Up To Racism North East was taking place.
Police made three arrests on Saturday afternoon after disorder in the city centre.
A man has been jailed after violence flared. The weekend event saw UKIP leader Batten taking to the stage to address marchers.
But he has now been criticised by former leader of the party Nigel Farage for associating with the rally.
Mr Farage has been reported as saying Mr Batten has got to “be careful what company he keeps”.
The march was sparked by sexual assaults in Sunderland, the first of which was reported in Roker Avenue on May 23, and the second on June 4.
Two more women also reported they had been attacked in Mowbray Park on bank holiday, May 28.
Tasha Allan, of Justice for the Women and Children Group, one of the demonstration’s organisers, told the Echo that the demonstration was not racist, but was about defending people in Sunderland from crime.
“It’s about speaking out about what is happening in Sunderland,” she said.
“There are rapists, there are children being sexually assaulted, and this must stop because we live in fear.
“The football lads are not racist, they have proved that just because somebody has said somebody is racist does not mean they are.”
Lee Graham Parkinson, 36, of no fixed abode, appeared before South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer.
He was jailed for 12 weeks, with a further 12 weeks to run consecutively imposed for breach of a suspended sentence.
Thomas Allen, 58, of Hartside Road, Sunderland, who was also charged with assaulting a police officer, will appear before South Tyneside Magistrates on Monday, October 15.
A third man, aged 24, has been served with a fixed penalty notice for disorderly behaviour.