Sunday 12th November
On the 60th anniversary of the Spanish Revolution, members of West Midlands Antifa laid a wreath in remembrance of comrades who fought in Spain. A plaque commemorating the Birmingham International Brigade hangs in the Peace Garden which is located in the centre of Birmingham. It was decided that the location was more fitting, as opposed to the official ceremony which took place at the same time outside the Hall of Memory.

With the worrying rise of local BNP activity, West Midlands Antifa wanted to reclaim Birmingham’s anti-fascist heritage and make a direct historical link between then and now, “Britain has always had a good track record when it comes to fighting fascism. This is something that we are to be proud of and it should never be forgotten. People needed to be reminded of this before they go out vote for the BNP scumbags.”

The BNP did show up for the official remembrance service that day and laid wreaths for the war dead. This is something that sticks in the craw of Antifa members, “I don’t think that they understand thousands of working class conscripts died fighting fascism- fighting against what the BNP are a legacy of. I don’t think they see the hypocrisy of it all, never mind the amount of people from different ethnic backgrounds who gave up their lives”.

The BNP’s motley crew of members who showed up that day did raise a smile with Antifa scouts, “Is this the best they can do! Is this the master race - middle age men in cheap suits, spotty rockers and a couple of wannabe footie casuals. They also make sure they bring the wife and kids as well - for protection!”