UK UK Newswire Archive
Far right demonstration in Nottingham on Saturday
26-03-2013 22:55
Far right activists, led by Casuals United and Tony Curtis of the English National Resistance, will be holding a demonstration against a Muslim conference in Nottingham this weekend. They will be protesting outside the East Midlands Conference Centre at 1pm on Saturday 30th March.
In response to our previous article asking why they were coming, they have now seen fit to reveal that they are protesting the invitation of Haitham al-Haddad to speak at the conference. Previously they just told their followers to blindly follow their command to oppose the “hate preachers” and none of them asked questions. Blind obedience seems to be as alive and well in the far right as it was in the days of “just following orders” 1930s Germany.The decision to oppose al-Haddad is not unreasonable, given that he has reportedly described Jews as “the enemies of God, and the descendants of apes and pigs” and believes in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. He has said that should a woman refuse to sleep with her husband, “angels will curse” her and has written in favour of the prohibition of musical instruments. That he is speaking at a family event and passing on these bigoted ideas is very disturbing.
But it is the utmost hypocrisy for former EDL members to be protesting this man. After all, Tony Curtis has supported the NWI recently, even though leader, John “Snowy” Shaw also believes in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and extreme anti-Semitic ideas. Why is Curtis protesting a Muslim hate preacher but not the hate preacher in his own midst? We can also point the finger at Jeff Marsh, leader of Casuals United, who set up the the openly Nazi Welsh Defence League. Even the former leader of the EDL’s Jewish Division quit claiming that the organisation had been taken over by Nazis. The EDL has courted Jews when it has seemed politically useful but is now turning back to anti-Semites for support.
It’s also hypocritical for the far right to criticise al-Haddad’s sexist ideas and lack of respect for a woman’s sexual consent. EDL members have been exposed for promoting rape as a weapon against their enemies and local members were exposed by us for their misogynist and sexually predatory posts. Some of these men will be turning up to “oppose” al-Haddad’s views on women at the weekend, but their own are equally disgusting and backwards. Why aren’t Casuals and Curtis booting them out of the ranks? Maybe because they aren’t brown or bearded enough.Al-Haddad should be opposed by the vast majority who find his views abhorrent, not this ragtag bunch of far right misfits whose own ideas are just as disgusting. It would be best if both al-Haddad and the racist, sexist, homophobes of the far right were sent packing.
East Coast rail re-privatisation is a foolish mistake
26-03-2013 22:55
by George Woods
Yesterday, the Government announced it is accelerating the re-privatisation of the East Coast railway, which they say will now take place in December 2014.
Bitter Sweeties!!
26-03-2013 22:55
Sussex Uni ‘Pop-Up Union’ to fight outsourcing
26-03-2013 22:55
Workers at the University of Sussex have formed a new union in a bid to halt the outsourcing of 235 campus jobs. The initiative comes from rank-and-file members of the three recognised campus trade unions, with the support of students from the now six-week old Occupy Sussex movement.
co-research public workshop
26-03-2013 22:55
Nottinghamshire twinned with Cyprus?
26-03-2013 20:55
A comparison that encourages anti-austerity solidarity.
Nottinghamshire twinned with Cyprus - FIVE similarities that encourage anti-austerity solidarity.
1. They share roughly the same size population. A basic point which gives some perspective to the bullying pressure the powerful EuroGroup are exerting on Cyprus.
2. The people in both places are undergoing severe austerity measures, a burden which they are forced to bare without, of course, causing the banking crisis.
3. Foodbanks are being set up in both places (if not already actively in operation) in order to deal with people going short of FOOD, as basic needs are not being met.
4. People are told, "we are all in this together" or "we all share the blame" (David Cameron, PM, and Averof Neophytou, DISY deputy chairperson, [dis]respectively). Significantly similar messages intended to encourage acceptance of responsibility from people who are responsible in no way what-so-ever.
5. Both communities have responded to attacks with concerted organisation against neoliberal agendas, fueled by compassion, rather than selfishness and greed.
So, what does this all mean? We're supposed to THINK these situations are separate and entirely individual, but when laid out like this the human realities are strikingly similar.
We don't need to be told.
LET'S BUILD!
Disentangling the Delhi HM Conference from the SWP Crisis - Statement from Delhi
26-03-2013 19:20
Over the past few days there have been suggestions that the journal Historical Materialism (HM) is run by Britain’s Socialist Workers’ Party (SWP), that the SWP is associated with the Delhi HM Conference on 3–5 April 2013, and that in light of the rape crisis in the SWP, the Delhi HM conference should be boycotted or disrupted.Both propositions underlying the boycott and disruption call are absolutely false. . . .
World Water Day 2013: Teach-In on Palestinian water rights held outside Sodastre
26-03-2013 19:07
To mark ‘United Nations World Water Day 2013’ the weekly protest outside Sodastream’s Brighton shop, Ecostream, held a mini ‘Walk for Water’ and a teach-in titled ‘Palestinians are thirsting for Justice’.Local residents campaign against UK Coal at Great Oak
26-03-2013 17:17
Some 72 bodies are still in the old workings over which UK Coal want to open cast mine.
Disentangling the Delhi HM Conference from the SWP Crisis - Statement from Delhi
26-03-2013 16:48
Over the past few days there have been suggestions that the journal Historical Materialism (HM) is run by Britain’s Socialist Workers’ Party (SWP), that the SWP is associated with the Delhi HM Conference on 3–5 April 2013, and that in light of the rape crisis in the SWP, the Delhi HM conference should be boycotted or disrupted.Both propositions underlying the boycott and disruption call are absolutely false. . . .
End the WTO and the Stop the new wave of Free Trade Agreements
26-03-2013 11:18
How the grinch stole May Day
26-03-2013 08:55
About a year ago, Nottingham's May Day events became the source of much controversy after Notts Trades Council decided to invite New Labour MP, Alan Meale. The decision to invite Meale, an MP whose role in Parliament seemed to have been to facilitate the war-mongering, authoritarian and anti-migrant policies of the Blair government, was strongly opposed before and during the event.
In the aftermath, Notts Trades Council allies, such as Pete Radcliffe of the Alliance for Workers' Liberty, publicly sought to distance themselves from the Labour party. However, the Notts Trades Council were privately toadying up to Meale and the Labour party whilst slandering those who protested as anti-trade union.
In the run up to this year's May Day, it seems appropriate to make public the Trades Council's private statement to Meale, so that trade unionists and activists in Nottingham have an understanding of what kind of people and politics are running the show:
Statement from the Nottinghamshire, Mansfield & Nottingham Trades Union Council, regarding May Day 2012 to Mansfield CLP.
On behalf of the Nottinghamshire, Mansfield & Nottingham Trades Union Council, I wish to offer our apologies to Alan Meale, Diana Meale, and colleagues from Mansfield Labour Party, for the shameful conduct of a handful of individuals which attended this year’s May Day march and rally in Nottingham on the 5th of May.
This year saw the Trades Council take on the full responsibility for the arranging of May Day, and as such the Trades Council set out with the clear aim of seeking to broaden the event across the labour and trade union movement, in addition to also seeking to start to develop the event as a Nottinghamshire wide event as opposed to a Nottingham city event. In line with this approach the trades council agreed to therefore invited Alan Meale to speak, for which the trades council has no regrets.
For reasons which are only applicable to themselves, and to which we should give on relevance too, a small number of self-appointed individuals from a group called Nottingham Autonomous, who I would add have no formal or informal involvement with the trades council or the wider trade unions movement, decided to mar our day with actions that was indefensible, and which has quit rightly been condemned by all who witness it.
Sadly, this is not the first time that events arranged by the trades council which have also involved Labour MPs have been subjected to such acts, and it is clear that the trades council will now need to take stock of this and reflect on its stewarding arrangements for such events going forward.
The trades council, which is made up of trade unions which are both affiliated and not affiliated to the Labour Party have for some time now been considering how to establish closer links with the Labour Party at local level. Whilst the trades council is not an affiliate of the Party, nor does it support the position of the Labour Party on all issues, it nevertheless recognises our shared common history and values.
It is clear that a small group of unaccountable and unrepresentative individuals, who play absolutely no active role within the wider trade union or labour movement in Nottingham, and who are just as vile about trade unions as they are towards the Labour Party, but who nevertheless feel able to letch off the back of events arranged by organised labour are seeking to undermine these attempts between the local trades council and Labour Party to work together and build for the future on issues of common agreement. It is clearly hoped therefore that both our organisations recognised this for what it is, and are not deterred by such actions.
Bradley Manning nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
26-03-2013 00:04
From 'traitor' to Hero - whistleblower Bradley Manning is nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
School for Eco-Warriors Will Teach Teenagers How to Stop Global Warming
25-03-2013 21:46
Oppose the March for England
25-03-2013 20:56
If you only go to one anti-fascist mobilisation this year, stopping the March for England in Brighton should be it. The fascists have been salivating about this one for months, whipping themselves up into a far right frenzy about their right to impose their homophobic and racist abuse on the people of Brighton. They are out for revenge against the ‘reds’ who comprehensively humiliated their hate-fest last year and are pulling out all the stops to do it, even inviting the most openly Nazi groups, like the Friends of Golden Dawn.
Anti-fascists from the East Midlands will be going down and we’d like to encourage you to join them.
Here’s the official callout from Stop MFE:Last year thousands of people lined the streets of Brighton to drown out March for England’s message of hate. Let’s do it again. Racists and fascists have no place in our diverse city.
March for what?
March for England (MfE) is not an innocent celebration of traditional culture. March for England is a right wing, Islamophobic, racist and homophobic organisation that helped found the English Defence League (EDL) and is supported by EDL members. The fascist credentials of their annual outing to Brighton on Sunday 21st April has never been clearer. Neo-Nazis, Friends of Golden Dawn, supporters of the swastika waving Greek fascist party, have stated they will be attending March for England.
Islamophobia and English fascists
MfE and the EDL are just two of a growing number of English fascist groups that are violently lslamophobic. They state they are against so-called “Islamic extremists’ but this is the mantra of a growing anti-Muslim movement with European fascism that quickly turns into a wholesale assault on Muslim people, all migrants and any way of life that they think is not “English” enough.
Brighton: anti-fascism begins at home
The current economic crisis and the demonisation of migrants has created the political climate for fascist ideas and organisations to grow. Groups such as the MfE, EDL and BNP groups scapegoat those most affected by war and economic hardship, they discriminate according to their ideas of race and nation, they spread fear and hate of those people they believe are different to them, they attempt to intimidate community groups. When the people of Brighton made their collective stand against Mfe and EDL, they helped turn the tide against new fascism in Britain. Since we took to the streets to show our opposition to the rise of a new fascism, the EDL have been halted in Bristol, Walthamstow and Norwich.
We’ll do it again. Fascism grows if we let it.
See you there.
For updates contact:
stopmfe@ymail.com
and follow:
Shakedown first part
25-03-2013 20:56
Not much to add to the previous articles in all honesty but hey I'll add a wee bit anyways.
Shakedown on Saturday was a bloody good night out, getting off to an admittedly slow start but after an hour or so it began to pick up nicely. I'd hesitate to guess at a figure in terms of attendance but the Polish Eagle Club seemed rather full by 11 with both the bar and the Veggies doing a roaring trade. The rather loud music was accompanied by the 1966 Czechoslovakian film 'Daisies' which made for a peculiar combination if you chose to pay attention. The first part of the evening ended with a slightly tipsy speech from Autonomous's Dom at around 1 which signalled the move onto the second venue and thr inevitable scrabble for taxi's.
The admittance fee went to Stop G8 Uk, Autonomous projects in Nottingham and the NNRF.
Fuller and better articles can be found here: http://Nottingham.Indymedia.org.uk/articles/5493
Http:/Nottingham.Indymedia.org.uk/articles/5492
Also the veggies blog is welk worth checking out: http://veggiesnottm.tumblr.com