On London Extra: Good cops

What I saw from the Met in Walthamstow. Plus antisemitism rises, London's growth plan, community endeavours and much more

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My approach to covering scenes of possible street violence, be they the type involving England football hooligans abroad, anti-capitalism protests in the Square Mile, or, as on Wednesday evening, threatened far-right thug attacks on communities they don't like, is to turn up and pretend I'm not a journalist. In social science they call this being a "participant-observer". I call it lurking, eavesdropping and trying to spot little incidents and details, often at the fringes of the main event, that can tell you quite a lot.

I got to Walthamstow early, took note of the many police officers, including those perceptively positioned outside the pub near the station, had a chat with a woman wearing a T-shirt bearing the very droll slogan "More blacks, more dogs, more Irish", and then turned right down Hoe Street, its pavements filling up with mainly male Asian Londoners who, reasonably enough, were not minded to let white supremacists throw bricks through the windows of local businesses, such as the Chaiiwala Indian street food café or Saj's Designer Wear and Accessories.

The mood was resolute and matey, a bit excited, a bit tense. There were police officers on the scene too, in little groups, on their toes, just in case. A few of the younger members of the pavement groups had concealed their faces, which, at protests, is a potential criminal offence.

So, here was a challenge for the cops. It was a peaceful gathering, one unlikely to turn nasty unless some nasty people appeared. On the other hand, the law is the law, such face-coverings can indeed be unsettling for others, and this was a sort of protest.