I am tired after running about all day chasing the fash.

Myself and my partner attended this march today. Not as members of ANY of the above mentioned groups but as concerned human beings, both of us with families who would easily fall into the fascists *hated groups*.

When we arrived outside the pub where the fash were, the police (we were told) were keeping the fash in the pub. The fash were not on the street (in any greater number than 3 or 4) and as you say only came out to scuttle off to their buses surrounding by uniformed protection. Job was done mate...the general public were, I found, supportive.

We followed the main group to Glasgow Green as we were not sure what was to happen there. When we discovered that the "great and good" were to give speeches, we turned and walked back to Central Station and departed.

Our only complaint would be that ONE of the slogans chanted from Enoch Sq area onwards sounded unclear if it was for the fash or against fash...namely "Whose streets? Our streets!"

We'll be there again if need be.

I was on the march from Enoch square today. I'm not a member of any political group. This was my first march for 20 years, after a period of major anti-rascist activity in my 20's. I have continually argued and fought against fascist views (hence my presence today). My grandfathers fought at Sydney Street. I know the history of the fight, and I'm proud of my small role and that of my predecessors.

We won today! Why can't some people realise that! The SDL weren't able to march. They were kept in small groups or penned up in pubs. We marched through Glasgow, publicised the issue, won public support.

Theres a time for a physical confrontation - today wasn't it. If anti-fascist hooligans start a kicking needlessly the only things that result are BNP gaining the moral highground and a loss of public support. Guys - learn strategy. Make sure its the fascists who are identified as thugs. Not us.

Today we won. A small victory perhaps. But the public relation victory could be lost so easily if all you want is a punch-up. Choose the time to fight with care.

Tired tonight. Ofcourse meant Cable Street not Sydney Street!

Let me guess, you were to tired from chasing fash aswell? Bullshit.
Great letter mate, you have made some great points that's been pissing me off aswell.

Let me get this straight a group of protesters, lets not give them a name for the moment, actually marched away from where the SDL were congregating/meeting. Whoever led them away needs to get a grip on life. Either they have an ulterior motive in such actions or are just plain stupid. I remember being involved with the predecesors of UAF and we often confronted the Nazis with ultimate success, then a strange rule was passed down to no confrontations but standing waving a placard, it seems they have moved on from placard waving to marching away from where the opposition are congregating. It does not seem the right way forward to me. But then again I am a wizzard.

Frosty, I find your article very offensive and intolerant and in breach of editorial guidelines. First of all, you seem not to have any sympathy for people who are not in the same situation as you - people with families, people who are not that empowered as you are or that are not as politically aware as you. Maybe also migrants or asylum seekers or people with disabilites or similar who might not be able or willing to confront the fash physically.
For them, going to the big march was then the only alternative to doing nothing and staying at home. Imho it would be better if you would attack the organisers of the big march for the route and the way the protest was conducted than the participants.
Secondly your anger seems to be directed against the people who went to the other march in the hope that if they would have come to the pub location than that it would have made your protest more successfull. This is a misconception as you don't know if it would have made a difference. There might have been more police and different means of policing deployed; furthermore, many of the people from the other march might not want to use militant tactics or even be sympathetic to it. You would have had a whole lot of different problems and a totally different situation which could have not been foreseen. Also let me make the point here that often militant antifascism can also often be perceived as quite elitist/cliquey and scary to other leftists, too.
Thirdly, swearing at people does not make them more likely to want to join you and/or your protests in future or in present. it will make them feel unwanted whereever they are - they are more likely to drop out of politics altogether than move further to the left. Many of the marchers will have hopefully come to the conclusion themselves that their march did not achieve that much practically.

"Secondly your anger seems to be directed against the people who went to the other march in the hope that if they would have come to the pub location than that it would have made your protest more successfull"

It's more of an issue that UAF / Scotland Utd. changed their message late on in the week, from "there is a protest here and a protest here" to "the protest at St Enoch Sq is a feeder march to the rally". Their organisers than acted to take half of a demonstration away.

It is dishonest to present it as a straight choice of tactics rather than a manipulative sabotage that could have got people hurt.

There is also quite a good fly on the wall report here  http://www.workersliberty.org/story/2009/11/14/glasgow-14-november-scottish-defence-league-setback-counter-mobilsation-disorganise one

The consensus of the various eyewitness and news reports - both on Indymedia and elsewhere - on the Cambridge Street incident seems to clearly indicate the following.

The UAF/SWP/Scotland United contingent left St Enoch Square to follow the SSP/Anarchist/GAFA contingent up to Cambridge Street. They then tried to lead it/commandeer it on the trek up to Cambridge Street. Having got there the UAF/SWP/Scotland United didn't hang about for long, and then led a lot of people away again down to Glasgow Green, taking a lot of unaligned people (and perhaps some confused SSP/Anarchists) with them in the melee.

This seems to have then left the SSP/Anarchist/GAFA contingent with less people at Cambridge Street than they arrived with. In short, it would have been better had they told the UAF/SWP/Scotland United contingent when they tried to follow them, thanks but no thanks. Or if you wanted to be less police "f*** off".

It seems clear the UAF/SWP/Scotland United set out up to Cambridge Street not with the sincere intent of joining in, but to blindly obey party (and police orders) to stay well away from the Scottish Defence League protest, and encourage and lead others away from doing so. That seems to be the whole point of why they were there instead of gathering at Glasgow Green - to sabotage the SSP/Anarchist/GAFA march and protest. That would explain why they didn't integrate, but instead gathered separately in a huddle in St Enoch Square away from the SSP/Anarchist/GAFA contingent.

The UAF/SWP took clear advantage of the lack of leadership in the SSP/Anarchist/GAFA, and the pre-programmed inclination of the UAF/SWP/Scotland United contingent to do what there told, or follow/copy what the majority seemed to be doing.

The SSP/Anarchist/GAFA could learn a lesson there that is essential to have some semblence of leadership, otherwise you leave yourself wide open to have some Pied Piper of the SWP, like Weyman Bennett, spiriting people away.

There are some that might suggest calling for the resignation of Weyman Bennett. Personally, I think that might be going to far, but at the very least you should call for some sort of investigation and disciplining by his party/campaign group.

His actions in leading people away left supposedly fellow protestors and comrades exposed and in danger. That can not, should not and will not be tolerated within the movement.

If I may add my thoughts...

The challenge of the EDL/SDL is different from what we have been faced with in recent times with city-centre provocative actions. I think that at this stage we can count it is a victory when we do stop them from marching, which didnt happen in Manchester or Leeds (despite UAF saying that it was a victory) but seems to have happened in Glasgow.

On the UAF; as an antifascist, the first organisation I came across was UAF and naturally I have been on demonstrations with UAF but the more I have experienced and the more I have read and tried to educate myself about antifacism, the more I have become completely dissillusioned with UAF.

I appreciate their wish to want to try and draw a lot of people, families etc into a mass organisation- one which is inclusive and accessible- I think its important to try and include a wide base of people in the antifascist movement BUT there is a limit to the compromises you can make. STANDING IN A POLICE PEN WITH A PLACARD CHANTING WHILE FASCISTS ARE MARCHING THROUGH THE CITY DOES NOTHING! And its a disgrace to count that as a victory. (I'm referring to Leeds, where a break away of EDL supporters marched- and spat in the face of a woman who opposed them- While UAF claim a victory for getting the prime spot outside the Art Gallery!)

For me on a personal level, I'm not keen on marching with UAF in future, I think that a lot of their members are well meaning and would be up for much more militant action but that the leaders are bending over backwards to please the police and are compromising too much. But where does someone like me and plenty of others who feel similar fit? On militant anti-fascism I am ready to support physical confrontations with fascists and I dont want to just stand around with UAF placards but for example I can understand why some people would regard Antifa as a bit elitist and not exactly easy to get involved with...

I was present when the decision to lead the march away from the fascists and to the park was made. This decision was not taken by Bennet but by consensus of Glasgow SWP's most active members. I realised that a decision was being taken about how to deal with a potential kettle on Cambridge street and so sought out these UAF decision makers.

UAF: To the park?
ME: You'r collaborating.
UAF: Don't call people collaborators when you don't know. We don't know where the fash are.
ME: They're not in the park.
UAF: We're just a small element of the Anti-fascist movement. We need to join up with the rest of the movement and bring them on to the streets.

"The rest of the movement" were the the Labour Party, the SNP, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats, the TUC and the Church of Scotland.