The Anti Fascist Network is all about getting out of our armchairs and on to the streets, so here’s a run through of what’s coming up. How will anyone know you oppose fascism if you don’t get out there and say so!
First up in March is an EDL national demo in Manchester on Saturday the 7th. The local UAF are organising a counter demo. It’s Piccadilly Gardens at midday. Read the rest of this entry »
EDL National demonstration in Brighton, April 18th. Alerta!
The far-right English Defence League have announced a national demonstration in Brighton on 18th April 2015. With no Islamophobic issue to hang their demo from, it is clear the EDL simply want to cause trouble for the residents of Brighton because we are a tolerant and diverse community that has successfully defeated the racist March for England.
EDL in Brighton on a March for England a few years ago.
StopMFE are disappointed that the EDL have decided to bring their drunken, racist caravan to Brighton. In previous years, Brightonions have risen to the occasion brilliantly in successfully seeing off the March for England with colourful mass demonstrations and blockades. We call on all the vibrant communities of Brighton to unite and stop the EDL’s message of hate.
Details are yet to be announced. Keep an eye here, or on our Twitter or Facebook.
No Pasaran!
The March for England…
View original post 7 more words
Anyone who’s been keeping an eye on the growth of the far-right in Europe over the last year can’t help but have noticed “Pegida” (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamification of Europe), a German group who have been marching every week for several months, drawing many thousand supporters in their home city of Dresden.
“Pegida” marching in Dresden last month.
Attempts to take the Pegida format beyond Dresden have been somewhat underwhelming. Low numbers and large antifascist counter-protests have dogged their demonstrations in cities like Cologne, Hannover and Berlin. With the creation of Pegida groups outside of Germany, this pattern of failure has only continued, with their attempt at marching in Malmö, Sweden, hilariously outnumbered.
30 Pigeda clowns outnumbered by around 3000 antifascists in Malmö, Sweden.
View original post 431 more words
Some brief reports and thoughts from Dudley at the weekend.
Local and national media mostly seem to be repeating the police’s figures of 600 EDL and 50 anti-fascists. There are some divergences from this. Some media organisations estimated up to 1000 EDL. The UAF stated there were “several hundred” at their counter-demonstration to the EDL.
Midlands Anti-Fascists who called for a counter-mobilisation to the EDL reported:
“We didn’t have the best of days yesterday, with 27 Antifa being locked up for the day as a preventative measure. However, absolute solidarity to Berkshire Anti-Fascists, North London Anti-Fascists and Brighton Anti-Fascists for travelling up to support us. Yesterday we saw the fash protected by the police and the UAF stand around having their jolly as usual completely away from the EDL. Don’t believe the hype, it might have been reported that a militant wing of the UAF split off from the unity rally, but that was us and not them. As per.”
A lively crowd gathered in Oxford to voice opposition to Marine Le Pen, French fascist, speaking at the Oxford Union. The talk was delayed and many of the audience never made it inside, as antifascists blocked the entrance gate and climbed on the fences hanging banners. Le Pen was smuggled in and out the back by police, so presumably got at least a vague idea how unwelcome she is. Read the rest of this entry »
For demo details check Midlands Anti-Fascists Facebook event
This Saturday the EDL carry their racist travelling circus to Dudley in the Black Country. Like the fascists of the 1930s choosing to hold anti-Semitic marches through the East End of London, they target areas with a large Muslim population to parade their hatred through the streets and to intimidate and terrorise the population.
This march is the latest installment in the EDL’s campaign against the construction of a new mosque in Dudley. And of course, it being the EDL, violent measures are never far from the surface, as one Birmingham EDL activist makes clear:
From rabble.org.uk
** 1 banner
** a bunch of airhorns
** a minibus
** all dignity
… These were some of the items a sad crew of 30 assorted fascists lost on today’s ‘Secure our Borders – Support the Truckers’ shuffle round the roundabout on the Dover seafront, opposed by around 40 autonomous antifascists.
The fascist plan to ‘blockade the port’ was promoted by a few obscure fascist groups on their Facebook sites, the demo being designed to coincide with “Sauvons Calais” anti-immigration demo on the other side of the Channel. English Volunteer Force, National Front, and white power flags were spotted on the Dover demo.
As is traditional, the fash gathered in a car park under a grey sky, and on seeing us antifascists retreated to the garden of a local pub – which turned out to be closed. So they were confined to the garden for a pintless hour until they mustered up enough numbers to move.
On Sunday 25th supporters of the far-right will be gathering in Dover supposedly to ‘support the truckers’. Their Facebook page says the group ‘Support the Calais to Dover Truckers’ is to support “truckers who are under constant attack from illegal immigrants”.
When this group first popped up last year you might have been forgiven for thinking it was some Daily Mail-esque racism-lite. However, when the group held their first demo on 27th September, it was very clear that this was not the case – the main component of the demo appeared to be from the National Front, and they were joined by the now rudderless free-floating Führer-without-a-Volk Nick Griffin and also Paul Prodromou of the South East Alliance.
To welcome in 2015, the Anti-Fascist Network has put together an idiots’ guide to the idiots on Britain’s far right. No need to thank us, it’s a public service.
British National Party
Introducing the man who will definitely revive the fortunes of the BNP… Adam Walker
Formerly known as Britain’s most successful and ambitious fascist group since the 1930s, recent years have not been kind to the BNP. Membership and electoral support for the party has plummeted after a disappointing performance in the 2010 local and general elections. This unleashed a series of bitter internal disputes culminating in longstanding party leader Nick Griffin being unceremoniously booted out during 2014.
Alongside Griffin, most prominent party members who were at least semi-competent and kept the show on the road have either resigned or been expelled. This has left the BNP bereft of people with the kind of basic skills necessary to do organise election campaigns or community work. Adam Walker, Griffin’s replacement, is uniquely poorly placed to lead the party. Although he lacks political skill, charisma or any observable talents, he does have a conviction for chasing children in his car and threatening them with a knife. Read the rest of this entry »
The last “Support the Truckers demo” in Dover – Paul ‘Pitt’, Nick Griffin and the NF all present.
On Sunday 25th January fascists will gather in both Calais and Dover to “secure our borders”.
The Anti-Fascist Network are calling for a counter demonstration against the fascists and the border.
We call on all anti-fascists and anti-racists to join us on the day to stop the fascists and show solidarity with the people stuck in Calais, fleeing the horrors of war and imperialist intervention.
The dire situation in Calais has been in the news lately due to the deaths of 15 migrants trying to escape to Britain. The majority of people who reside in the so called “jungles” in Calais are fleeing areas of the world torn apart by conflict.
European countries are more than happy to plunder wealth and raw materials from around the world, through exploitation, expropriation and political interference, yet are never willing to take responsibility for the horrific social and economic fallout from their meddling.
Join us in Dover on the 25th, in solidarity with migrants, against the bloodthirsty capitalist system whose endless quest for profit creates horrific human suffering, and against the boot boys of capitalism, the fascists and nazis!
No one is illegal!
Anti-Fascist Network 