The "Aryan Martyrs' Brigade"?! Is this really supposed to be serious journalism?
Antifa | 03.08.2009 19:16 | Anti-racism | Liverpool | Sheffield
'The Guardian' may have been suckered by 'Searchlight' yet again, but antifascists shouldn't be fooled by attempts to 'big up' the so-called 'Aryan Martyrs' Brigade'.
For decades, the pseudo-antifascist entity ‘Searchlight’ have aided and abetted fascist attempts to intimidate and terrorize antifascists by bigging-up every pathetic neo-Nazi gang they can find or invent. In recent years, it has been Kevin Watmough’s tawdry ‘hate-site’ ‘Redwatch’ that they have publicised, but this has failed quite spectacularly recently with more clued-up antifascists openly poking fun at ‘Redwatch’ and even sending in their own photos. In a long line of comedy Nazi pseudo-organizations, the latest attempt by ‘Searchlight’ and their stooge ‘Guardian’ hack Matthew Taylor to publicise the so-called ‘Aryan Martyrs’ Brigade’ has to rank as among the most pathetic. As with other fascist pseudo-organisations, if it were not for ‘Searchlight’, and in this case Taylor, who would have ever heard of ‘them’?
Some sad little Nazi, most probably Leeds-based non-entity Tony Foy (who can often be found these days drooling over pictures of guns and hand-grenades in Borders bookshop), has spent years trying to get attention, tapping away at the keyboard posting silly threats on the internet from the safety of their bedroom or posting off grubby notes to ‘racial enemies’. Antifa has been receiving this kind of mouthing-off for years – we laugh at it! Suddenly though, thanks to Taylor and ‘Searchlight’ this pathetic and cowardly idiot has been given national publicity. A headline in today’s ‘Guardian’ screams: “Far right launch campaign of violence and intimidation against opponents.” We are told: “Aryan Martyr’s Brigade issues death threat against anti-fascism activist Weyman Bennett, while student attacked after BNP protest.” What follows is a shameful piece of non-news which fails to even support its own headline.
Taylor begins his piece by telling us that “Far-right activists have launched a campaign of intimidation and violence against political opponents including a series of death threats and physical attacks.” We are told that, “Hardline fascists are targeting students and leading anti-racism activists who campaigned against the British National party in June's European elections.”
The piece continues with the staggering news that the clueless idiot who heads up the UAF, Weyman Bennett, has received a "death warrant" stating that he will be killed before the end of the year "for crimes against all loyal white patriots and British nationalists". The threat, which apparently has a picture of Bennett in cross hairs (shiver!), states: "We know exactly what you look like and what venues you frequent and can strike at will. The police, special branch, MI5, Searchlight cannot save you from the bullets coming your way. No matter where you are, we will get you, all we need is a lock on your mobile phone signal and you are one dead nigger." This drivel is typical of the sort of shit numerous antifascists have received over the years from the likes of Tony Foy after a few lines of coke on a Friday night, or from his idiot side-kick Tony White. So why is it suddenly worthy of national news? We can only think that Bennett is hoping to sell the UAF (and increase his personal credibility) in much the same way as Salman Rushdie formerly sold his books.
"There has definitely been an upsurge in attacks and intimidation since the European elections," Bennett is quoted as saying. "The fringe rightwing groups appeared to be on their best behaviour when the BNP were campaigning but once the election was over they seem to be trying to take their revenge on those of us who were prominent in the anti-fascist campaign." Some ‘antifascist’, blubbing over a silly note!
Taylor’s threadbare piece does not really produce any evidence to back-up Bennett’s claims or his own hyperbole. Bennett goes on to say, "Standing up against people like the BNP you do sometimes get verbal threats and intimidation but this appears to be more serious.” Is HE serious?! More serious than what, being called names by fascist scum? If Bennett had ever really been at the sharp-end of confronting organised fascism, he might have some idea of what ‘serious’ really means, but he hasn’t.
Apart from Bennett’s pathetic “death warrant”, the only example given by Taylor to back up his claims of an increased threat of fascist violence against anti-racists, is an alleged assault by an unseen assailant against a young student who had previously attended a UAF event in Blackpool, and whose picture like those of thousands of other people has been posted on ‘Redwatch’. It is a shameful piece of journalism.
This is not the first time though that Taylor has tried to promote the ‘Aryan Martyrs’ Brigade’ in the pages of ‘The Guardian’. In fact, apart from his latest piece, the only other evidence of their existence is a piece he wrote in January, after a few threatening e-mails were sent out under that name. Taylor described ‘them’ then as a “Right-wing splinter group”. A splinter of what exactly?
‘Searchlight’, and liberal idiots like Weyman Bennett and Matthew Taylor, have spent years trying to dissuade antifascists from hands-on confrontation with the far-Right by promoting these cowardly scum as the ‘ubermenschen’ of their fascist wanking fantasies. Are they really now trying to scare us into going down their sordid state-collaborator road by promoting some silly idiot with a poison-pen fixation?!
If and when fascists return to the street, they will find us more than ready to oppose them, and in the meantime it is THEY who should be afraid, not the other way round. Giving undue publicity to these posturing idiots, rather than finding and confronting them, simply gives them credibility they do not deserve and assists their agenda.
While we regard Redwatch as a joke, we advise serious antifascists never to be complacent about their personal security. A good starting point is not trusting the likes of ‘Searchlight’ or the UAF.
Some sad little Nazi, most probably Leeds-based non-entity Tony Foy (who can often be found these days drooling over pictures of guns and hand-grenades in Borders bookshop), has spent years trying to get attention, tapping away at the keyboard posting silly threats on the internet from the safety of their bedroom or posting off grubby notes to ‘racial enemies’. Antifa has been receiving this kind of mouthing-off for years – we laugh at it! Suddenly though, thanks to Taylor and ‘Searchlight’ this pathetic and cowardly idiot has been given national publicity. A headline in today’s ‘Guardian’ screams: “Far right launch campaign of violence and intimidation against opponents.” We are told: “Aryan Martyr’s Brigade issues death threat against anti-fascism activist Weyman Bennett, while student attacked after BNP protest.” What follows is a shameful piece of non-news which fails to even support its own headline.
Taylor begins his piece by telling us that “Far-right activists have launched a campaign of intimidation and violence against political opponents including a series of death threats and physical attacks.” We are told that, “Hardline fascists are targeting students and leading anti-racism activists who campaigned against the British National party in June's European elections.”
The piece continues with the staggering news that the clueless idiot who heads up the UAF, Weyman Bennett, has received a "death warrant" stating that he will be killed before the end of the year "for crimes against all loyal white patriots and British nationalists". The threat, which apparently has a picture of Bennett in cross hairs (shiver!), states: "We know exactly what you look like and what venues you frequent and can strike at will. The police, special branch, MI5, Searchlight cannot save you from the bullets coming your way. No matter where you are, we will get you, all we need is a lock on your mobile phone signal and you are one dead nigger." This drivel is typical of the sort of shit numerous antifascists have received over the years from the likes of Tony Foy after a few lines of coke on a Friday night, or from his idiot side-kick Tony White. So why is it suddenly worthy of national news? We can only think that Bennett is hoping to sell the UAF (and increase his personal credibility) in much the same way as Salman Rushdie formerly sold his books.
"There has definitely been an upsurge in attacks and intimidation since the European elections," Bennett is quoted as saying. "The fringe rightwing groups appeared to be on their best behaviour when the BNP were campaigning but once the election was over they seem to be trying to take their revenge on those of us who were prominent in the anti-fascist campaign." Some ‘antifascist’, blubbing over a silly note!
Taylor’s threadbare piece does not really produce any evidence to back-up Bennett’s claims or his own hyperbole. Bennett goes on to say, "Standing up against people like the BNP you do sometimes get verbal threats and intimidation but this appears to be more serious.” Is HE serious?! More serious than what, being called names by fascist scum? If Bennett had ever really been at the sharp-end of confronting organised fascism, he might have some idea of what ‘serious’ really means, but he hasn’t.
Apart from Bennett’s pathetic “death warrant”, the only example given by Taylor to back up his claims of an increased threat of fascist violence against anti-racists, is an alleged assault by an unseen assailant against a young student who had previously attended a UAF event in Blackpool, and whose picture like those of thousands of other people has been posted on ‘Redwatch’. It is a shameful piece of journalism.
This is not the first time though that Taylor has tried to promote the ‘Aryan Martyrs’ Brigade’ in the pages of ‘The Guardian’. In fact, apart from his latest piece, the only other evidence of their existence is a piece he wrote in January, after a few threatening e-mails were sent out under that name. Taylor described ‘them’ then as a “Right-wing splinter group”. A splinter of what exactly?
‘Searchlight’, and liberal idiots like Weyman Bennett and Matthew Taylor, have spent years trying to dissuade antifascists from hands-on confrontation with the far-Right by promoting these cowardly scum as the ‘ubermenschen’ of their fascist wanking fantasies. Are they really now trying to scare us into going down their sordid state-collaborator road by promoting some silly idiot with a poison-pen fixation?!
If and when fascists return to the street, they will find us more than ready to oppose them, and in the meantime it is THEY who should be afraid, not the other way round. Giving undue publicity to these posturing idiots, rather than finding and confronting them, simply gives them credibility they do not deserve and assists their agenda.
While we regard Redwatch as a joke, we advise serious antifascists never to be complacent about their personal security. A good starting point is not trusting the likes of ‘Searchlight’ or the UAF.
Antifa
Homepage:
http://www.antifa.org.uk
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