The antiracist movement had gathered enough forces on the day to have been able to cut off the city centre from the EDL but unfortunately this force was not organised effectively and the day was marred by reports from spotters of groups of EDL chanting in the centre of town unchallenged. Those protesters who were determined to oppose the EDL were left without a means of effectively coordinating their activity both on the day, when other antiracist orgnisations were excluded from the stewarding team (which was in any case stood down before the EDL protest got under way) and in the days before with the last UAF holding its last meeting almost two weeks before the EDL demonstration.

Nevertheless, it was obvious the EDL were sweating as they were marched to their coaches, pursued by hundreds of local people, Cardiff City fans and asian youth with ordinary shoppers shouting opposition to them as they went past. Local people, who had not taken part in the protest originally, followed them attacking them as they were escorted by hundreds of police through the city. The police seemed hell bent on giving them a free demonstration as they marched through shouting "Your'e not British anymore". £250,000 was spent by the police to give the EDL the right to hurl abuse at Cardiff people who were prevented from walking in their own streets by the police operation.