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.