Arrests at Rotherham abuse protest

Three men have been arrested ahead of protests planned in the light of revelations about child sexual exploitation in Rotherham.

The men were held on suspicion of an offensive weapon shortly before an estimated 1,200 members of the English Defence League (EDL) were expected to march through the South Yorkshire town.

As well as the EDL march, United Against Fascism members are planning a counter protest, with other groups also expected to participate.

South Yorkshire Police said the suspects, who were arrested in Wickersley, were “linked” to demonstrations. They are believed to be connected to right-wing protesters.

The force has not disclosed the weapon involved.

The arrests came as police prepare for an influx of more than 1,000 people into Rotherham.

At 12.45pm, there were around 200 people in the town centre, a number police said they expected to grow.

Later, officers dealt with a small group of protesters who were “failing to comply with direction”.

The protests are being held after a damning report released last month which detailed how 1,400 children were sexually exploited over a sixteen-year period.

The inquiry said that although the majority of perpetrators were described as “Asian” by victims, councillors did not engage directly with the Pakistani-heritage community to discuss how to tackle the issue and some staff were nervous about identifying the abusers’ ethnic origins “for fear of being thought racist”.

Ahead of today’s protests, police commander for Rotherham Chief Superintendent Jason Harwin said: “People in Rotherham and beyond are understandably shocked by the revelations of recent weeks and want to express their concern and anger about what happened.

“There are victims of child sexual exploitation who were let down by us in the past – they did not receive the necessary protection and support they should be able to expect and we fully acknowledge our previous failings.

“The force is committed to tackling CSE and has taken steps to address this.

“We have requested an independent investigation into our handling of CSE and the Chief Constable is in ongoing dialogue with the Independent Police Complaints Commission to ensure any individuals and organisations found to be at fault are held to account.

“We respect an individual’s democratic right to protest and additional officers will be on duty to ensure a peaceful and safe protest for all. However, if people are attending with the intention of causing or participate in disorder, they will be identified and dealt with.”