Statement by Brighton Anti-fascists

In response to threats by far-right grouping Casuals United a couple of
hundred anti-fascist activists assembled in Brighton’s main shopping area,
Churchill Square. They had been gathered together quickly by call out from
Stopmfe http://stopmfe.wordpress.com/, Brighton Anti-Fascists
https://brightonantifascists.wordpress.com/, Brighton Unite Against Fascism
http://uaf.org.uk/tag/brighton/.

They waited the arrival of an EDL flash mob. The EDL’s football hooligan
division, Casuals United, had been boasting on their blogs that they would
be returning to Brighton in numbers and strength to take revenge on local
people. Five weeks previously, hundreds of locals had stood side by side
against right wing racists who had tried, and failed, to parade around the
city under the banner of ‘March for England.’

The waiting anti-fascists supported the Great Brighton Street Party put on
by Brighton and Hove UnCut http://brightonuncut.wordpress.com/ , which
arrived in Churchill Square to set up an anti-cuts picnic with pretty
bunting, pots of tea, cakes, poetry and plays. They celebrated community
spirit instead the Jubilee. Apart from the odd EDL spotter who thought
that wearing sunglasses and carrying a Primark bag was a good disguise,
there was no sign of any approaching fascist flash mob.

After three hours of holding the Church Square, anti-fascist set off for
an impromptu march down North Street behind a hastily painted NO FASCISM
banner. The fascists, who had arrived Brighton from places as far afield
as Hull, Milton Keynes and Bournemouth, had not yet had the Dutch courage
to leave their drinking holes. The anti-fascists thought they would
demonstrate instead. They headed for St James Street.

Of the rumours about where EDL actually were, one was important to act
upon. There were reports of violence outside gay clubs. The nastiest
tweetings from Casuals United in the run up to their revenge on Brighton
had been homophobic. Anti-fascists confronted EDlers on the corner of St
James Street and continued to confront them whenever they could be
identified EDL helped with this by waving their arms and shouting abuse
from behind police lines. Anti-fascists rushed around the police to hassle
and harangue them. There were skirmishes along Old Steine and in Poole
Valley bus depot. Anti-fascists risked arrest and four were held for
public order offences and one (ridiculously) for assault on a police
officer. Sussex Police say they acted to ‘prevent a major disorder’.

As the afternoon wore on, more local people joined the mobile protests.
Brighton Anti-fascists distributed a leaflet to explain their actions:

“Fascism grows if we let. We are here to challenge the racism,
Islamophobia and fascism of the EDL, Casuals United and the March for
England. This has no place no place in our city or anywhere else.”

Both BBC and The Argus report that as a result of protests the fascists
were ‘escorted’ by police out of the city
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9742009.Full_story__18_arrested_during_protests_in_Brighton/.
Anti-fascists who had dodged kettles but were split up by police lines
managed to regroup and confront the EDL one last time, forcing the escorts
down side roads to be bussed out from behind Brighton station.

Casuals United have put out some utter nonsense on their blog, exaggerated
their numbers, underestimated that of people who opposed them and claimed
they had a good day out. They can only lose more credibility. The fascists
present in Brighton on 2 June will know these are lies and will begin to
lose faith in their organisations and, hopefully, their politics.

Fash & Chips

Not a day goes by without EDL trying to convince everybody that they are against racism and as a matter of fact they are most progressive organization currently existing in UK. Well, here’s screen from their own Facebook page proving their anti-racists credentials 😉 Better luck next time eh boys and girls?

Quote of the day – “Well who thought it was a good idea to organise these two demonstrations on the same day? Surely it was obvious there would be problems” – random Brighton theatre-goer/by-stander

Yesterday’s counter-protest against the March for England exceeded all expectations. Although the fascists did march they did so inside a mobile police kettle continuously surrounded and occasionally bombarded by counter-protestors. Their march route was cut short and for once the chant “Police protect the fascists” was 100% accurate.

Last year the police successfully kettled most of the anti-fascists, allowing the MfE free rein through the city. They took full advantage of the opportunity to hand out racist abuse and attack alternative looking types. Brighton anti-fascists were determined to avoid a repeat.

Aware that the cops plan was to push the march straight down the road from the railway station to the sea front, the anti-crowd was encouraged to spread themselves thinly along the route. This prevented a pre-emptive kettle.

The MfE were due to start their procession at midday, but due to the geography of the area no-one in the counter-demo had a direct view of their meet-up point at the station. A strange High-Noon quiet settled over the town centre as the counter-protest shuffled and waited, watching police movements for a clue as to what might happen. Numbers gradually built up, serenaded by the bizarrely soothing tones of dub from a punk- soundsystem.

For a while it looked as if the cops were going to throw the towel in and refuse to allow the MfE out of the station. At half-twelve jogging lines of cops and the arrival of horses let everyone know that the fash were on the move.

One eyewitness at the station told SchNEWS “From where they were mustered, they could only see a tiny part of the counter-demo, mainly the UAF contingent. They were very cocky. As soon as they turned the corner and saw the opposition their faces fell”. By this point there were around 500 anti-fascists on the streets.

The nationalists had only mustered around 100, a third of what they had predicted. Yesterday SchNEWS reported that “there was little if any English Defence League insignia actually on display”. Since then we’ve been told that EDL banners and an Essex Infidels flag were unfurled at the station. In reality this was a moot point as the main body of march consisted of known EDL faces, including virtually all of Brighton and Portsmouth EDL with the addition of various unsavoury characters such as Jeff Marsh of Casuals United. Despite the presence of a few token women and kids the march was overwhelmingly male, bald and fat.

It didn’t take long after the march set off before the first few antis were in the road behind a banner. From then on the march became a rugby scrum as the cops used horses, truncheons and pepper spray to force the MfE through. Every time the cops broke through an anti-fascist line, another would form ten or twenty metres down the road.

BATTLE OF CHURCH ST

The pressure only intensified as the police decided to abandon the planned high-profile route and try to smuggle the nationalists down the back-streets. Anti-fascists got ahead of the game and running around the side got in front of the march on Church St to build barricades. Fascists and police came under attack with bottles. It was at this point that some-one set a bin on fire, irritating everyone, right and left, with the acrid smoke.

What was totally remarkable was the level of solidarity for the counter-demo by folk from all walks of life in Brighton. There was no support for the MfE. Pensioners and kids shouted abuse at the fash. The UAF stood shoulder to shoulder with Antifa punks.

Eventually the MfE, numbering around a hundred ended up in their pre-prepared pen, – unfortunately for them so did almost the entire counter-demo. They then had to put up with two hours of being jeered at by the surrounding mob before cops rushed them back to the station to be dispersed. Their march was dogged every step of the way but as they were leaving the crowd was happy to let the cops rush them along. Anti fascists went on to enjoy a pint in the sunshine.

MARLBOROUGH LIGHT-WEIGHTS

Despite the usual online japery the few EDL who tried to make a stand outside the cordon were quickly seen off. Joel Titus, self proclaimed leader of the EDLs youth wing was spotted skulking with a crew of half-wits in the Marlborough pub, one of the few bars that would serve them on the day. A handful of anti-fascists were able to send them packing. Virtually no other pubs would serve the MfE and they failed to maintain a presence in town after they were dispersed.

Is this the end of the March for England in Brighton? Watch this space!

Final word to Brighton Anti-fascists “Brighton showed the racists today that their brand of hatred isn’t welcome in our city. Brighton has always historically seen off the fascists, in the the thirties , the seventies and now today. Big thanks to all who turned out! – Up the punks!”

As far as SchNEWS knows no-one on our team got nicked- If you were arrested and require support then please contact stopmfe@ymail.com

The ‘March for England’ will return to Brighton on Sunday 22nd April. We, as Brighton & Hove residents, are calling for all locals to oppose the march and the racist, fascist ideals it promotes under the guise of patriotism. We want people to harangue, mock and disrupt the march – together we will drown out their racist message.

Brighton and Hove BNP claim to have held their first meeting in the town for two years – previously they claim to have been meeting in ‘nearby villages’ as Brighton is such a ‘hotbed of reds’.

Do you know these people? Do you recognise this pub?

Anti-fascists from Brighton joined Hastings activists and local people outside a lonely Memorial Hall in Hastings. A hundred and fifty people waited four hours but the leader of the BNP failed to show. The meeting was set to go ahead at Baldslow Memorial Hall but the BNP were a no-show.

Weeks later the BNP claimed to have met in Eastbourne that fateful night (hilariously claiming that there were 200 of them), but being kicked out of Hastings was a victory in istelf. The BNP have used that hall seven times and won’t be meeting there again!

The best line of the nights goes to a jogger who ran past at about seven thirty. “If you find Nick Griffin, tell him he’s a cunt”.

Re-posted with kind permission from www.schnews.org.uk

BNP: Union Jack Shit

Local anti-fascists were out and about around the South Coast this week as the BNP tried to rear their ugly mugs once again.

Over the last month, the BNP have been trying to establish a street presence down south.  They’ve attempted with varying degrees of success to hold stalls  in Worthing and Bognor,  and made a morale-boosting effort to host Nick Griffin in Hastings. Throughout they have been opposed by a rag-tag  but determined bag of anti-fascists.

Although the official nasty party have managed to hold street stalls under the radar, Griffinbore couldn’t show his face in Hastings and a constant weekend vigil by anti-fascists has frustrated any further stalls. The most recent effort in Worthing on Remembrance Sunday was abandoned as quote “there are too many scruffy commies in town”.

A further blow for our ‘It’ll be all white on the night’ foes came when they advertised a  meeting on their website happening in Bognor/Littlehampton on 15th November at 7.30pm – with the no doubt riveting main address to  be given by one Jonathan Hall  (Brighton BNP organiser) on the subject of  public spending. Spice was added to this snoreathon by an attempt to keep the meeting place secret.

Unfortunately for the red white ‘n blue brigade, they aren’t running a very tight ship and the venue location was leaked – Aldwick Parish Hall. It turned out to have been  booked by BNP Barnham Parish Councillor John Robinson. It wasn’t even his own Parish Council Hall (where he had no support for hosting his party’s meetings) but one further into the bowels of Bognor. On the night of the meeting anti-fascists attached banners saying “Racism in secret is still racism” to road signs and roundabouts along the route to the hall. In the face of such opposition, the meeting was called off and never took place.

According to Brighton anti-fascists “The BNP might want to claim that the meeting went ahead at another location but there is some very reliable information to the contrary. At the time that the November 15th meeting was supposed to take place, John Robinson and Jonathan Hall were sitting at home wondering what went wrong.”