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The BNP’s ‘RWB’ - Fascists Hide Behind Cops YET AGAIN!

Antifa | 06.09.2008 10:42 | Stop the BNP's Red White and Blue festival | Anti-racism

From the forthcoming issue of the Antifa newsletter 'No Pasaran!'

The Filth & The Fury - Militant antifascists move in to de-arrest a captured com
The Filth & The Fury - Militant antifascists move in to de-arrest a captured com

Liberal antifascists allowed the cops to set the agenda for their 'protest'
Liberal antifascists allowed the cops to set the agenda for their 'protest'

Site-owner Alan Warner - Not as cocky when he was sat clutching his panic button
Site-owner Alan Warner - Not as cocky when he was sat clutching his panic button

BNP 'Security' - How very scary!
BNP 'Security' - How very scary!


The British National Party’s annual ‘Red, White & Blue’ scumfest has seen very little opposition in the past. However, this year, the threat of militant antifascist opposition caused the BNP to be denied a music and drinks license for the event, and it only took place at all because of a huge police presence reminiscent of the National Front’s heyday in the 1970’s.

The scene for the 2008 ‘RWB’, as with the 2007 event, was the farm of BNP member and former Tory councillor Alan Warner - The Bungalow, Codnor Denby Lane, Denby Village, Derbyshire, DE5 8PT (01773 748129 and 07810 383595  alan.warner@w3z.co.uk) Also, as previously, it was organised by David Shapcott, who lives far enough away at 6 The Spinney, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 OPB (07871 029681) to be well out of earshot of the Nazi drinking songs and the drunken boorish antics, which, along with hardline fascist politics, are a stock feature of the RWB.

Local residents are not so lucky as Shapcott, and after last year’s event, when they were forced to put up with neo-Nazi thugs sieg-heiling their way around the village, screaming and shouting all night, and urinating in their gardens - even for weeks after the RWB was officially over - many locals vehemently opposed a repeat event. Unfortunately, their voices carried little clout with their BNP neighbour.

Antifa had been planning to oppose the RWB since last year, announcing our mobilisation in April, the first national antifascist organisation to do so. The threat of militant opposition, together with local protest, was the chief factor in the BNP having their music and drinks license for the event rejected.

Local protest to the RWB was co-ordinated under the umbrella of the nominally independent ‘Notts Stop The BNP’ group. Unfortunately, as the RWB loomed the usual suspects sold out any promise of taking a militant stance, irrespective of the agreements democratically made by the group’s membership.

Nationally, ‘Unite Against Fascism’, a front-group for the SWP, ignored the RWB, even in the face of calls for a mobilisation from some of their grassroots members, not least those within Notts Stop The BNP. Faced with Antifa’s call for a militant mobilisation and the growing likelihood of a well-attended demonstration which was out of their control however, the UAF leadership eventually moved to take charge of any liberal anti-racist opposition by calling for a demo 2 hours later than the one promoted by Notts Stop The BNP and the local residents.

While the two groups of Trots and liberals (and the undoubtedly well-meaning antifascists still suckered by the likes of the UAF) squabbled over the details of their tame protest/paper-selling opportunity, the cops and the BNP must have been laughing their socks off. Neither entity was laughing at the prospect of militant opposition to the RWB though. While the liberals cow-towed to the cops every request, which eventually resulted in a heavily restricted and ineffectual protest well out of ear-shot of the RWB, Antifa (of course) did not even bother to return the increasingly frantic calls from Derbyshire Police.

Soon after the BNP had their music and alcohol license rejected, scumbag Warner woke up to find his front gates chained and padlocked, and the entrance to his farm daubed with anti-BNP graffiti. This wasn’t the first visit to the farm by antifascists, on one occasion they had even ripped the England flag from the flag-pole in his front garden. Nor would it be the last visit, he was eventually reduced to begging the police for a ‘panic button’.

For the moment at least, Warner had little need to worry. Derbyshire police mobilised a huge police presence to protect the fascist scumfest, with numbers and expenditure unprecedented since the days when their forbears protected the equally cowardly National Front.

On Saturday 16th August, while the UAF/SWP sold papers to the antifascists they’d assisted the cops in penning-in, and while the UAF’s Weyman Bennett arrogantly pushed aside local anti-racists to hand pick the pitifully small contingent being allowed to march past the RWB site, militant antifascists went into the field. Barricades were built across roads leading to the RWB site, and despite brutal opposition from riot cops protecting the BNP, militant antifascists tried again and again to break through their lines to engage the fascists.

The BNP may now be trying to pretend that it was ‘business as usual’ at the RWB, and that they sat behind police lines feeling safe and secure, but that is far from the truth. The cops got so sick of hearing BNP ‘security’ chief Martin Reynold’s quavering voice, that they told him to stop calling them, and attendance at the RWB was undoubtedly down with only 75 cars in the site car-park. The massive publicity caused by the militant antifascist mobilisation has led to widespread calls for an end to the RWB, at least at the same site.

Despite this year’s events, and despite an increase in local opposition, Alan Warner is vehement that the event will go ahead on his land again next year. Whatever happens in the future, whether this fascist gathering is forced to move or not, the BNP can be sure that Antifa will be there to oppose them. And Warner, if you’re reading this, we suggest you keep on clutching your panic

Antifa
- Homepage: http://www.antifa.org.uk

Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

I do hope the BNP Will be paying for this

06.09.2008 15:17


I have just read of the number of police officers taken away from their normal duties to "protect" these Fascists. I am outraged that Mister Reynolds did not provide sufficient Security. He should know what security arrangements are necessary for events and should provide sufficient staff and facilites. It is outrageous that the Police were required. In retrospect that might well be a good thing in light of the use of firearms on the site.

Mister Reynolds should make a public statement as to how the extra policing will be financed. All of the political parties make a contribution to the policing of their own events. That is, sadly, part of the expense of running a right wing extremist party.


So when will they be paying up and how much?

Outraged Tax Payer


true glastonbury has payed police millions, how much has BNP payed?

06.09.2008 21:48

???????????????????/

Green syndicalist


Freedom of Information Act

07.09.2008 10:18

Can't this be used to find out?

Concerned of Halton Moor


Totally blinkered.

08.09.2008 09:08

Believe it or not some people are not up for running miles across country and having a punch up with the BNP. Some people are just not confident in such situations. Its all very well for you lot to take the piss out out of the 'trots and liberals' and their intervention but what do you expect the following people who might oppose the RWB to do: The disabled? The elderly? Asylum seekers who can't afford to get arrested? People who want to take their kids on the demo? Would you prefer them to stay at home instead? Like it or not the swp/awl/uaf demo cost the Police loads of cash and resources. Everyone should be allowed to make their point in whatever way they feel comfortable without being slagged off by other anti fascists. Are you on a mission to make everyone who is not in your group think that you are just a bunch of macho elitists?

Yeah right


Sad liberal arguments again

09.09.2008 10:27

Yer right is the one who is totally blinkered. The disabled, elderly those not confident etc had a UAF demo protected by police to go on. How many turned up?

Actually the point is that not enough serious political work by either Antifa or UAf is going on. The personalities are so up their own arses they are incapable of working together. Rather the people who hold the key to successful forms of unified anti fascism at the moment were not involved in the mobilising for this event.

Autonomous Class War