Category Archives: Events
August saw our amazing community response to the threat of racists on the streets of Brighton. Thousands of us showed up in defence of our neighbours and in solidarity with migrant and muslim communities. Now we have another call to action.
The worst racist riots in a century directly followed hate preacher Tommy Robinson’s march through London days before. His followers chanted his name as they attacked people of colour in the street and terrorised migrants. Now he has the shamelessness to call out his racist mob again and we’re not letting them have the streets this time.
These far right rallies in the capital pose a direct threat to us and our communities back home. Just as community defence networks formed across the country to mobilise against the racist riots, an autonomous antifascist mobilisation on October 26th will ensure Tommy’s next far right day out will not go unopposed.
From across the country, communities will be converging on London, showing up for each other and making sure there is no repeat of the hateful racist violence in our towns and cities.
We will be travelling together from Brighton in the morning. Commit to come and tell your friends.
This is how we defeat the far right. Make every neighbourhood antifascist.
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Golden Dawn Fascists in London!
On Saturday, around 30 fascists from several groups including New Dawn (an English Golden Dawn supporters group), NOP England (the ex-pats division of a notorious Polish neo-nazi group) and a few others held a demo in front of the Greek Embassy in London, supposedly in support of jailed members of GD.
Of course, Antifascists were out in force to oppose them, with a demo called by Antifascist Action for Greece (AAfG) and UAF, alongside London Antifascists, London Black Revs, Dywizjon 161, Brighton Antifascists and other autonomous groups.
At the very start, around 25 militant antifascists mobbed up and surrounded Holland Park tube, where the fascists were supposed to gather. After some scuffling with police, the antifascists moved slightly further up the road, only to advance again as soon as the rag-tag group of fascists appeared. Despite a lot of macho posturing, the fascists were content to hide behind, then be led away by, the small amount of police present. Antifascists quickly moved round to the embassy itself, and blocked the road, leading to a stand off with some riot police, who moved vans into place between the two demos. The fascists attempted to hold their rally, but no-one could hear a word they were saying over the heckles and jeers of antifascists. By this point the Golden Dawn lovers where considerably outnumbered by a rowdy crowd of around 70 antifascists. As soon as their speeches finished, they slunk off, tails between their legs. Victory to the antifascists!
Honourable mention also goes to Lyon, which was a scene of a massive, militant antifascist demonstration this weekend, protesting against the far-right Front National conference being held in the traditionally left-wing city.
Luton, always antifascist!
Yesterday saw the EDL drag their limp corpse through Luton again, despite it being as plain as the nose on your face that everybody hates them, and nobody wants them there.
Some of the assembled antifascists give the EDL a hard time.
Whilst the local Asian community defended their area and made it amply clear the EDL would not enter Bury Park district, the UAF, North London antifascists and the AFN (including a large contingent from Brighton) assembled and held a rally. Whilst this was on-going, several groups of autonomous antifascists slipped through the police cordon and found their way to the EDL pen, getting out a banner and giving them some abuse.
Some of the militant antifascists in Luton yesterday.
Meanwhile, the EDL, who had barely managed to pull 300 people for a national demonstration in their hometown, where largely confined to the outskirts of town by the Police, were they chanted to empty streets and a small audience of hostile locals.
This is the end of the EDL “marching season”, and it’s certainly ended with a whimper, not a bang. Hardly a triumphant return, more of a soggy walk, the EDL had a shit time, leaving the question hanging in the air: how many of them will return for the next marching season? Brighton antifascists will be there to find out.
EDL in Brighton on Saturday 1st June
The English Defence League have announced they will be at the War Memorial on the Old Steine at 1pm, as part of a nationwide day of EDL presence at Centotaphs. They come to spread a message of hate. Just last month the people of Brighton came out en masse to reject them. Now the EDL are trying to use the murder of a young soldier to create more conflict.
Lee Rigby’s family have asked that no-one take advantage of his death, but that has made no difference to the EDL who can only see a political bandwagon and a chance to to spread racial discord.
We ask that people attend the war memorial this Saturday in a dignified and respectful manner at 12.30 to show that this tragedy will not divide us.
Brighton Anti-Fascists present a matinée showing of Casablanca
Although most famous as a classic Hollywood love story, Casablanca is far
more than a wartime romance. Leading pair Rick (Bogart) and Ilsa (Bergman)
are caught up in the struggle against Nazism as Ilsa seeks to escape Vichy
Morocco with her fugitive husband Victor Lazlo, a legendary Czech
resistance leader. On the run, Ilsa is reunited with Rick, a seemingly
cynical American bar owner and lost love of Ilsa’s, who holds their only
chance for freedom. Torn between his feelings for Ilsa and his idealistic
past, Rick must decide: which side is he on?
Come as you are or Casablanca style. Prizes for the best dressed.
A film benefit for Brighton Anti-Fascists.
Tickets £7 and £6 concessions
Duke of Yorks Picture House
Preston Circus
Brighton
BN1 4NA
Danish Pasting
The English Defence League headed over to Aarhus, Denmark on Saturday in an attempt to kick start a supposedly continent-wide anti-Jihadist movement.
In reality less than 200 members of various European Defence Leagues actually bothered to turn up (with 50 countries in Europe this averages out at an impressive 4 members per country). The far right was greatly outnumbered by an anti-fascist counter-demo – with about 4,000 people coming out to oppose them.
There were around 70 arrests, mostly of counter protesters, as the police attempted to protect the fascists. Several rightwing blogs are already whinging about being attacked by militant lefties and immigrants – though they can’t be that surprised given the amount of time they devote to vilifying and attacking both groups.
Following on from this massive success the EDL have already told members to “START POLISHING THEM DEMO SHOES BECAUSE WE ARE GONNA BE HITTING THE STREETS AGAIN, SOONER RATHER THAN LATER”. Given the excessive use of caps-lock they must be really serious – the Facebook moron-o-metre suggests they’ll be heading to Oxford or Bradford in the coming weeks.
Bolton Blunderers
Well not on the evidence of what anti-fascists saw in Bolton today. A pitiful turn out of around thirty (maybe forty) of the North West Infidels and the Combined Ex Forces was confronted by a UAF crowd of over a hundred and at least sixty non-aligned anti-fascists.
From the outset it wasn’t clear what the Infidels (an overtly racist splinter group of the EDL) were actually demonstrating about and those not actively hostile to them just looked on in bemusement. Probably due to their pre-match bragging about violence on Facebook, the Infidels were bussed under police supervision from their muster point to a pre-prepared pen at the arranged time of 1p.m.
A few EDL stragglers did hang around the pubs in the vicinity to jeer at the UAF before beating a retreat to the bar. After the rally was over anti-fascists patrolled the town unopposed.
For an overly detailed account:
http://liveraf.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/a-poor-show-for-the-nwi-in-bolton/
WE’LL FIGHT THEM NEAR THE BEACHES
A slightly farcical day out for Brighton’s EDL contingent (laughably calling themselves ‘The Mighty Brighton Infidels’, today (Saturday 17th.) Firstly they turned up outside the launch of Fighting Fascism, a rousing history of the fight against the fash in our seaside town. Why the EDL, who of course are in no way fascists, would want to disrupt a meeting about the historical struggle against fascism in Brighton is of course anyone’s guess. Having failed to disrupt that in any way (although one anti-fascist who confronted them got nicked) they made their way to the regular Saturday afternoon Palestine Solidarity Campaign stall in central Brighton’s central shopping area Churchill Square. According to one eyewitness from the stall “They were barely able to get to chant the “L” in “E, E, EDL” before the cops were on to them and pushing them away from the totally unfazed PSC who were all giving as good as they got.” The police then pushed the seven racists into the area usually reserved for buskers and a large crowd of over two hundred mostly Saturday shoppers gathered. They clearly weren’t terribly happy with these racists shouting out the unique abuse and the usual personal hygiene advice in which they seem to specialise. Our man on the scene “It was very heartening to see the good people of Brighton booing and shouting at what had now, due to three arrests, become only four EDLers. They were all looking more and more humiliated and frustrated at being so badly received and clearly looking for a way out of this uncomfortable situation with some vestige of dignity.” Unfortunately for them there wasn’t any easy way out so they had to resort to shouting “we’re bored of this” and then skulking off to claps and loud cheers from the crowd. “The whole incident was over in twenty minutes but I think the Infidels will probably want to forget today and pretend it never happened!” Brighton is set to host a demo by EDL front group the March for England on April 24th. Anti-fascists are calling for a counter-mobilisation and judging by today’s events it should be a good ‘un!
Direct action against fascism in Bristol
Local antifascists took action yesterday with a paint attack on The Last Resort skinhead music and clothing stall on Corn Street. This business is run by Chris Pugh, a fascist skinhead and member of the English Defence League, and is being used to provide a platform for racist, fascist ideology under the cover of being “just about the music”. We thought it could do with a bit of an antifascist redecoration. The merchandise got absolutely trashed and we had no trouble from the “tough guy” skinhead behind the stall. While we understand that it will take more than a red and black wash to persuade these bigotted idiots about the error of their ways, we think it’s a good starting contribution to the sort of dialogue we’re prepared for with fascists in Bristol.
The EDL have announced that Bristol is one of their targetted cities for a national march this year. We almost hope they do come, so they can see what a welcome they will receive. If the EDL think that they will be able to march through Bristol without serious trouble, they’re in for a nasty surprise. The time for polite, controlled marches and dead end, liberal “antifascism”, which poses no real challenge or threat whatsoever to the return of street based fascism, is over. We will be waiting.
This action was taken in solidarity with our antifascist comrades in Liverpool. You are not alone.
We also remember and salute our murdered antifascist comrades in Moscow. Nikita Kalin, a good comrade, outspoken antifascist and tireless fighter, killed by fascist knives. We will never forget or forgive.
Respect to Jock Palfreeman, imprisoned in Bulgaria for daring to step in to stop a racist attack and confront a fascist street gang.
Zero tolerance of fascism on our streets. Fight back. For direct action and militant antifascism.
This is the text of the leaflet that was distributed around Corn Street to explain the action taken:
The Last Resort – the first action…
Always antifascist!
The Last Resort presents itself simply as a shop selling skinhead clothing and music. Well, we’re not buying it and we hope you don’t either. Because, while everyone likes a bit of ska, it’s a bit more than just feelgood, party music on offer here. It is run by Chris Pugh, a fascist skinhead and member of the racist English Defence League. He sells fascist, race hate music and merchandise on the quiet, “by arrangement”, both from his stall on Corn Street and from his newly opened shop on Wells Road. Fascists like Chris Pugh use music and youth culture to draw young people in to win them over to the ideas of the extreme right wing.
We have had enough of the rise of attacks by fascist, racist thugs against people from ethnic minorities and against anyone who opposes them. We will do all that we can to prevent both the confidence and numbers of these bigots from growing. Fascism relies on control of the streets so that is where we will have to confront it.
We have taken this action today to send a clear message that there are many of us who will not tolerate fascism in our city.
Respect and solidarity to antifascists everywhere.
“We’re gonna chase dem crazy baldheads out of town”
– Bob Marley
ENGLISH DEFENCE LEAGUE: IN FOR A HYDING?
After the disturbances in Rochdale, Asian youth turned out against the wishes of some of the mosque elders to confront the EDL in Hyde. SchNEWS spoke to one anti-fascist who also made the trip.
“The planned route for march through town from the train station didn’t happen due to sheer numbers of Asian, around 250-300 youth who gathered outside close to the train station. The EDL had the briefest of marches and were herded along the side of ASDA round a side alley into a car park next to the bus station out of sight of the public.”
Jumping on the bandwagon were the BNP – with Nick Griffin himself tarnishing the town with his presence. They gathered a motley fifty in a small rally opposite the town hall under the slogan “Hope for England”. Griffin appealed to EDL members and invited them to join in the fun – in fact virtually all the BNP apart from Nasty Nick himself joined the EDL march.
EDL numbers weren’t amazingly high, possibly as many as 600.
According to our eyewitness “As the EDL were dispersing, a group of them made their way across the ASDA car park to confront the youth outside the Mosque. They were chased off after the youth charged .In fact they ended up waiting to be kettled on the other side of the car park. The police eventually moved all the EDL on. Anti-fascists were present throughout the whole day, mixing with the locals but not in enough numbers to make an impact. “
Brighton Anti-fascists 