Anti-Fascist Network

This Tuesday sees a couple of late additions to your diary and a couple of opportunities to start the year as we mean to go on – supporting anti-fascists and opposing the racists.

Stop the racist EDL in Bristol!

On Tuesday the local Bristol EDL have called a demonstration outside a council meeting that is discussing an application to convert the empty Jesters comedy club in Stokes Croft into an Islamic cultural centre. The EDL protest is set for 6pm at College Green outside the Council House. Bristol UAF have called a counter demonstration for 5.30pm.

The EDL have been busy trying to stir up opposition to this development, despite having precious little base of support in Bristol. If you remember they were going to have a demo in Bristol on December 7th in connection with this development until it was ‘postponed’ until further notice. Surely nothing to do with the stunning lack of success of previous EDL outings in Bristol?

They have circulated the details of the planning proposal on the internet and EDL members from around the country have been objecting to a development nowhere near where they live, demonstrating the basis of their opposition is simple racism (NB – not a valid reason to object to a planning development).

Rebuffed in their attempts to gerrymander the planning process the EDL resorted to calls to “burn it down”. Lest we forget, EDL members have been jailed for arson attacks on Muslim targets and it is only by luck that no one has been killed in such attacks.

So these are the sort of people we will see at College Green on Tuesday. The far-right never have a very good time in Bristol – let’s hope that fine tradition continues on Tuesday!

Support anti-fascists against the police!

Also on Tuesday, but in the morning (so for the very keen, it is possible to get to both events!), in West London, anti-fascists are up in court from a demo outside the Greek Embassy against the Golden Dawn in response to the murder of Pavlos Fyssas in Greece. Get to West London Magistrates Court, Hammersmith from 9.30am. The trial lasts three days till Thursday.

At the demo outside the embassy two anti-fascists were snatched and arrested in an unprovoked police attack. They have now been charged are up in court in an attempt to justify their arrests.

Defence witnesses are still needed. If you were there and saw anything, contact gbclegal (at) riseup.net as a matter of urgency.

Police in the UK have this year virtually declared open season on anti-fascists using mass arrests and snatch squads compounded with oppressive bail conditions designed to paralyse protest, in an attempt to shut down any effective anti-fascist resistance at a time when fascists are attacking families, blowing up mosques and burning down schools. It is important that we stand up against this and show solidarity for anti-fascists who have been unlucky enough to be randomly snatched on a demonstration. It could have been any of us.