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Yorkshire Fascism's Lowest Hour

West Yorkshire Antifa | 19.10.2008 13:47 | Anti-racism | Sheffield

October 18th in Leeds - BPP Cowards Hide Behind Massive Police Presence. Not a Single Fascist Leaflet Given Out.




Yesterday, Saturday October 18th, was the day that Leeds neo-Nazis, in the guise of the odious ‘British People’s Party’, promised to “take back the streets.” They had called a national mobilisation across all fascist party lines, to support their promised “anti- Black Rap music” demo. Monstrous Kate McDermody, the BPP’s Gruppenfuhrer, had even pretentiously quoted from Shakespeare’s Henry V on her vile racist blog, comparing the BPP’s leafleting exercise to the Battle of Agincourt!

What we saw in Leeds yesterday was the reality of the BPP’s attempt to “take back the streets”, a pitifully small ramshackle collection of ageing neo-Nazis, hiding behind a huge police presence, not even close to a member of the public, moaning half-pissed to each other for 45 minutes, then scuttling off like a nonce beneath a blanket.

From the beginning, Kate McDermody had sought the fullest possible police protection for the BPP’s sordid little outing, while simultaneously courting the less legal support of would-be fascist paramilitaries, whom she ended up betraying. The demo was originally announced for October 4th, but when Antifa announced a mobilisation, and the police said they could not guarantee the BPP’s safety, the date was quickly changed to October 18th – the same day as the London Anarchist Bookfair.

At the time the demo was announced, and over several weeks following, there was a great deal of bluster from the BPP, and on the neo-Nazi forums, about how they were going to “smash the Reds” and “take back the streets of Leeds.” As the date approached though, and the antifascist mobilisation gathered pace, it became clear that the BPP and their allies were shitting themselves with fear. Suddenly the fascist internet forums fell silent, all the threats and boasts ended, and all that was left were a few ‘apologies’ from the would-be ‘street warriors’ who could not make it.

While grovelling to the police and bowing to their every whim and request, McDermody had been boasting about trying to start a riot a spark off a “Racial Holy War”. After being warned about her behaviour, she threw them Leeds fascist Tony White, who was arrested for possession of racist material. A similar warning to Adrian Brookes caused the “Racial Volunteer Force” to withdraw, and they were later joined by the Big Mouth of the “British Freedom Fighters”, ‘Wigan Mike’. Previously McDermody’s No1 groupie, ‘Wigan Mike’ is now being openly derided by the BPP as “a wanker”.

By the time of the demo, in return for their protection, McDermody had agreed that she and her pitiful “band of brothers” would be penned in like sheep, would abandon their swastika banners, and would have only 2 leafleters. Now people give out leaflets and hold demos in Leeds all the time, they don’t all go sucking up to the cops to gain protection. Only a cowardly rabble of hypocritical fascist scum would do that.

Yesterday saw a huge police presence in Leeds city centre, with hundreds of cops drafted in to protect the fascist scum, who claim to despise them as “agents of ZOG” (Zionist Occupational Government.) Even the BPP’s RV point had police protection, for which cost McDermody handed them the names and details of all her “comrades”.

The police presence was nothing however compared to the huge number of antifascists who came onto the streets to oppose the BPP and their racist demo. While the BPP sat cowering in a locked pub, the space for their demo had been occupied by those who opposed it, and it took several hours for the cops to clear the way.

Eventually, almost the whole of Land’s Lane and the surrounding lanes and arcades were cleared, with two huge groups of antiracists held back at either end of the shopping arcade. HMV, the site of the BPP’s protest was closed, as were all the other shops on the street, and a sheep-pen barely larger than a phone box was erected in which to contain the brave fascists.

After many delays, and much ‘Dutch courage’, barely visible through and beyond the police lines, and at least 150m from the nearest antifascist or member of the public, came the BPP. They shuffled out of ‘The Ship’, where they had been told they were unwelcome, at least 2 hours late for their own demo, a pitiful collection of ageing neo-Nazis, hiding behind the cops every shambling step of the way. Stooping and slack-shouldered, dragging two children with them as ‘human shield’s, the ramshackle bunch sloped into their sheep-pen, to the massed cries of “Cowards!”, “Scum!”, and much else besides.

The BPP are claiming they managed to mobilise 21 people for their shabby event. Perhaps, to come up with this figure, they counted Frank Walsh’s shopping trolley half a dozen times, and included the two children the cowards had brought along, as well as a few cops. They could well have been penned into a phone box.

Taunted by counter-demonstrators on both sides, laughed at by the people of Leeds, the rag-tag BPP outfit huddled together and no doubt had a good moan about Rap music, immigration, ‘reds’, and the state of the world in general. Not a single fascist leaflet was given out, nor did anyone hear a word the idiots had to say. (They later abandoned their ‘National Congress’.)

It was not long before Kevin Watmough, the little fool who thinks he still runs the BPP, began packing their odd collection of flags into his tatty rucksack, and desperately consulting the cops about how he and his would-be ‘street warriors’ were going to escape. Anxious minutes passed, with Watmough and McDermody looking increasingly desperate. Then, under a heavy police escort, and a volley of abuse, they were rushed through a closed shopping precinct, to an awaiting taxi, driven by an Asian taxi driver. Hiding in the back, the BPP cowards, were driven out of town as far as Headingley train station.

Yesterday was Yorkshire fascism’s lowest point, they showed a level of unparalleled cowardice, and we, the people of Leeds, and our antifascist allies, showed them what a “return to the streets” will mean. That these spineless human rats were able to scurry into the daylight at all was only possible because of their shameless collaboration with the state, and the huge police presence that ensued. That their plans to bring racial hatred back onto the streets was unsuccessful is entirely because of an organised antifascist mobilisation, and the stalwart opposition of Leeds antiracists.

While the fascists struggled to fill a taxi with their pitiful numbers, the number of people willing to come out onto the streets to oppose them was fantastic. Saturday October 18th was another great day for antifascism in Leeds. Thanks and well done to everyone who attended and helped to ensure that neo-Nazis have no place on the streets of Leeds.

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

Comments

Display the following 80 comments

  1. Yawn — Micky
  2. Haha the irony of brave redwatch aryans fleeing in a"paki"taxi,u couldnt make it — Rooinek
  3. They're all alcoholics anyway — Angry of Armley
  4. Rats are beautiful creatures — ratty
  5. Tit4Tat — Mac
  6. Kev n' Kate's Comedy Hour — I Hate The Fash
  7. Smash ageism! — Stroppyoldgit
  8. While we're on the subject — I Hate The Fash
  9. Not just taxi drivers - look here — Red Star Belgrade
  10. More lies from Clueless Kate — Concerned of Halton Moor
  11. Disgrace — h82agree
  12. B.P.P. (Brown Pants Party) — Red Star Belgrade
  13. No Platform? — LOL
  14. Democracy is dead- long live Anarchy — chimp23
  15. "Lol" you really are a simpleton — I Hate The Fash
  16. Red Star Brigade and further comments — I Hate The Fash
  17. Ageing Nazis — OP
  18. teflon kev — geoff
  19. There should never be given any time to both sects of fascism — There should never be given any time to both sects of fascism
  20. Re: Ageism — MonkeyBot
  21. Police Atitude — Barely Present Party
  22. Plods on the case as usual — Hurry Up Harry
  23. Errrrm, duhhhh — Redskin
  24. word on the street — word on the street
  25. BPP are shit — I Hate The Fash
  26. to lol — roddes
  27. for roddes — LOL
  28. Lol, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat? — I Hate The Fash
  29. Brown Pants Party was a complete failure — Red Star
  30. Idiots — LOL
  31. Oh, LOL, how hard of understanding are you? — Concerned of Halton Moor
  32. Finally — LOL
  33. effect, yes but maybe not the one you want. — Ha ha
  34. THEY SHALL NOT PASS - BUT ALWAYS DO — OSWALD M
  35. Questions for anti fascists — Clive
  36. rights for whites then off home in an asian taxi — Horace
  37. More lies from fascist trolls — Black n Red
  38. Answers to the thick Fash Trolls who can't admit their 'demo' was a farce. — I Hate The Fash
  39. Nah it wasn't "all White" — I Hate The Fash
  40. Problem is 'OSWALD M' — I Hate The Fash
  41. Come on, please! — Clive
  42. why we're not deleting all troll comments — imcista
  43. Clive you really are a wanker — I Hate The Fash
  44. More than enough rope — Antifascist
  45. Antifa doesn't give a fuck what you thick trolls think — Redskin
  46. Anti fascists bottled it at RWB — Tory boy
  47. Tory Twat — I Hate The Fash
  48. clive you muppet — Davos
  49. Racialist electoral support — Concerned of Lands Lane
  50. Mr hate the Fash — Ha Ha
  51. For Monkeybot & the OP — Stroppyoldgit
  52. Congratulations fash trolls — Concerned of Halton Moor
  53. To Ha ha oh... — I Hate The Fash
  54. glad i gave you a laugh, heres another — Ha Ha
  55. Ha Ha you total twat — I Hate The Fash
  56. Oh yeah... — I Hate The Fash
  57. I hate the fash is still talking bollocks I see — LOL
  58. LOL is Brown Pants Party — Red Star
  59. BPP Twats — Terry Blackham
  60. Good luck with that — Concerned of Halton Moor
  61. At the end of the day — Red Star
  62. deluded moi maybe but not hallucinating mr i hate — Ha Ha
  63. Down with this sort of thing....careful now (LOL/Ha ha) — I Hate The Fash
  64. There is an alternative................ — D@ddy
  65. There is an alternative................ — D@ddy
  66. @ Daddy — Red Star Belgrade
  67. Your powers of deduction amaze me Mr Fash. — Ha Ha
  68. "On the streets"??!!! — George
  69. Crass? — Mummy
  70. Calm down Tarquin — Nursey
  71. Yes Crass are crap but not as bad as the Brown Pants Party (BPP) — Red Star Belgrade
  72. Lol is losing it — I Hate The Fash
  73. Who's wound up 'Ihate the fash'? — LOL
  74. Stopped it? — Leeds AntiNazi
  75. Well done — Chaz C
  76. BTW — BTW
  77. You dont speak arsewit i am suprised after re reading your posts — Ha ha
  78. Ha ha @ Lol, Lol @ Ha ha — I Hate The Fash
  79. Kate McDimwitty Susidised Ice-T — Still Laughing at the Bown Pants Party
  80. More on the BPP — Auntie