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NF demo thwarted by anti-racist campaigners

Ivan Agenda | 10.12.2000 18:48

Anti-racist campaigners have succeeded in repelling the right-wing National Front from meeting in north London but have warned that the campign against fascists must continue

NF demo thwarted by anti-racist campaigners
NF demo thwarted by anti-racist campaigners


For the second week running (Tuesday, 5 December 2000) anti-racist campaigners from several groups including the Anti-Nazi League (ANL) maintained a vigil outside the Cock Tavern, near Euston station in north London to prevent National Front (NF) members carrying out their threat of "closing down the pub for good."

According to an ANL spokesperson, the public bar - situated in the centre of the multicultural area of Somers Town - hosted a meeting of Irish Republicans two weeks before the first NF-organised march. The Omagh Self Support Group (OSSG), a group set up by the families of people killed and injured by a Real IRA bomb in Omagh in northern Ireland in , had also visited the pub in order to contact "these people who fundraise for the group who bombed Omagh."

The NF claimed to support the OSSG and gave this as the reason for their anti-Republican action. The OSSG was quick to disassociate themselves from the NF and released a statement which said: "The families within our group are not motivated by politics or religions but by the love of our lost relations, and we respect the right of all cultures, religions and people of political beliefs."

The ANL had spotted the NF's intended action which took place on Tuesdfay 28th Nopv while scouring through the NF website on Monday 27th. In this week's action the police decided to keep the 15 NF members away from the venue which, according to an ANL spokesperson, was due to "scuffles breaking out last week, when 100 police and four riot vans escorted them right up to us." Seven people were arrested in the clashes two weeks ago. None of those arrested were NF marchers. According to an ANL representative "two of those detained (ANL members), received cards in the post saying 'Greetings from the NF', despite expressing they didn't want their addresses made public."

In an effort to ensure the same confrontation didn't happen again representatives from Camden Unison and the Camden National Union of Teachers wrote a letter of complaint asking the police to "Stop the NF marching." This appeared to have the desired effect as on this occasion, the police decided to prevent them marching to the pub.

Throughout the protest the mood remained buoyant and at eight o'clock one person in the group who wished to remain anonymous spoke on a megaphone saying: "This is a multiracial community and the Nazis aren't welcome here." The 50-plus crowd cheered while, as usual, police photographers blatantly and persistently took shots of as many people as possible. According to one onlooker the police "referred to a photo album" while taking further photographs. Half an hour later the superintendent-in-charge stood in front of the protesters and announced he had received a message from Terry Blackham, the organiser of the march, saying: "They have decided to give up on the campaign." This was seen as a significant victory against the far right as an ANL spokesperson said "It was a complete humiliation that they should turn up in such small numbers." However caution remained with the ANL who stated: "The NF have suggested they may come again, so we're not giving up on our campaign."

Ivan Agenda

Comments

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11.12.2000 11:32

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shapeshifter


For the record

13.12.2000 02:49

just to mention a fact not everybody might know: on Tuesdays (when the NF turned up) there always is a regular Reclaim The Streets meeting in the Cock Tavern. the NF have clearly have targeted the pub not only because the Omagh victims... it's nice to see the ANL coming out in support for RTS but it would have been honest if the above report had mentioned this...

andonimus


Understand!

20.12.2000 11:20

I appreciate your reply to the article and I was in two minds whether to mention RTS or not, In the end I decided to leave them out on the basis that should others be reading the site who aren't familiar with RTS or the movement then I felt association of name to the republicans no matter how thin might have caused a fuss.

Ivan Agenda