fashwatch is back .. and better ;)
Durruti02 | 20.12.2009 20:40 | Anti-racism | Social Struggles | Workers' Movements
some excellent news. fashwatch has returned and has done some good thinking, thinking a few more need to do. so we now have had AFA, elements of Antifa and activists like Durruti02 all arguing that Anti-fascism has failed. seriously people if we don't get stuck into the community we are beat
http://www.fashwatch.org/?p=31
http://www.fashwatch.org/?p=31
"It is clear now at the end of 2009 that traditional forms of antifascism have failed. Tactics such as distributing propaganda and organising mass protests employed by the UAF have had no discernable effect on the trajectory of the BNP and while the militant form advocated by Antifa has achieved small victories in some areas this approach clearly has it’s limits and obvious drawbacks.
What is required is a new approach, or maybe an old approach depending on how you look at it. An article in Red Pepper recently titled Antifascism isn’t Working laid out a realistic assessment of the current situation and more importantly how best to proceed. In a nutshell the model of exposing the BNP and it’s leaders past should be replaced by exposing the ineffectiveness of their policies in tackling social problems and building alternatives. Paul Stott in a speech Giving up No Platform to the Anarchist Book Fair this year argued for the same approach.
It is as part of this current of thought that Fashwatch has been re-launched. Again we’re asking for details of fascist activity in your area but this time we don’t want names or phone numbers. We want details of their political activity, what they’re doing to win votes and the arguments they’re using.
In our section on antifascists we want to detail grass roots organisations that are working in their areas to improve conditions and that have an antifascist stance such as Haringey Solidarity and the IWCA and less well known groups such as the Pits n Pots a radical news site in Stoke on Trent and the Hereford Heckler.
The aim is to use Fashwatch as a resource for analysing the BNP and other far right groups and opposition to them. To look at the initiatives that have been employed by local groups who are opposed to the BNP. What has been successful and what has been less than successful."
What is required is a new approach, or maybe an old approach depending on how you look at it. An article in Red Pepper recently titled Antifascism isn’t Working laid out a realistic assessment of the current situation and more importantly how best to proceed. In a nutshell the model of exposing the BNP and it’s leaders past should be replaced by exposing the ineffectiveness of their policies in tackling social problems and building alternatives. Paul Stott in a speech Giving up No Platform to the Anarchist Book Fair this year argued for the same approach.
It is as part of this current of thought that Fashwatch has been re-launched. Again we’re asking for details of fascist activity in your area but this time we don’t want names or phone numbers. We want details of their political activity, what they’re doing to win votes and the arguments they’re using.
In our section on antifascists we want to detail grass roots organisations that are working in their areas to improve conditions and that have an antifascist stance such as Haringey Solidarity and the IWCA and less well known groups such as the Pits n Pots a radical news site in Stoke on Trent and the Hereford Heckler.
The aim is to use Fashwatch as a resource for analysing the BNP and other far right groups and opposition to them. To look at the initiatives that have been employed by local groups who are opposed to the BNP. What has been successful and what has been less than successful."
Durruti02
Additions
Some clarification from Fashwatch and a comment on Durruti02
23.12.2009 16:16
It's very early days for the new fashwatch, consider what's up so far to be more a statement of intent, an early Christmas present if you like.
Over the coming weeks we are trying to make contact with as many organisations that are active in their communities and opposed to fascism - even, in fact especially if they don't spend all their time screaming about the fact.
We want to build a national picture of what the BNP are doing on the ground, the arguments they employ in a given situation and the POLITICAL tactics being used to counter their efforts.
The only similarity we have with redwatch is the word watch, we will not be publishing peoples details and advocating violence.
Fashwatch is not about a militant response nor is it about arguing about the merits or drawbacks of that kind of response. We have made our decision about the kind of direction we think that anti fascism needs to take to be successful and we are working to play a part in that.
http://www.redpepper.org.uk/Anti-fascism-isn-t-working Wasn't written by fashwatch but sums up the situation and the way forward as we see it.
The argument about the EDL and Durruti02 is silly in the extreme. Durruti02 has a different analysis of the EDL, this does not make him a "neo nazi troll" he just happens to disagree with us about the EDL. That hasn't stopped him from posting this article about our re-launch and it didn't stop us telling him we were going to do it before the site went live. The first track back we had to the site was a link to our EDL article being used as a stick to beat Durruti02 with. Get a grip, if we had to agree on everything to work together we'd a be a lot of groups of one.
As for the MI6 badge of honour comment there's just one piece advice - Don't tell us anything you wouldn't tell a copper. The fact is we aren't interested in any illegal activity you might have been up to, much more interesting to us would be an account of some debt support work you've done or an argument you've had with the BNP about a local issue.
Hopefully this clarifies what we're about and what we aim to achieve. Any ideas or comments are welcome.
Fashwatch.
Over the coming weeks we are trying to make contact with as many organisations that are active in their communities and opposed to fascism - even, in fact especially if they don't spend all their time screaming about the fact.
We want to build a national picture of what the BNP are doing on the ground, the arguments they employ in a given situation and the POLITICAL tactics being used to counter their efforts.
The only similarity we have with redwatch is the word watch, we will not be publishing peoples details and advocating violence.
Fashwatch is not about a militant response nor is it about arguing about the merits or drawbacks of that kind of response. We have made our decision about the kind of direction we think that anti fascism needs to take to be successful and we are working to play a part in that.
http://www.redpepper.org.uk/Anti-fascism-isn-t-working Wasn't written by fashwatch but sums up the situation and the way forward as we see it. The argument about the EDL and Durruti02 is silly in the extreme. Durruti02 has a different analysis of the EDL, this does not make him a "neo nazi troll" he just happens to disagree with us about the EDL. That hasn't stopped him from posting this article about our re-launch and it didn't stop us telling him we were going to do it before the site went live. The first track back we had to the site was a link to our EDL article being used as a stick to beat Durruti02 with. Get a grip, if we had to agree on everything to work together we'd a be a lot of groups of one.
As for the MI6 badge of honour comment there's just one piece advice - Don't tell us anything you wouldn't tell a copper. The fact is we aren't interested in any illegal activity you might have been up to, much more interesting to us would be an account of some debt support work you've done or an argument you've had with the BNP about a local issue.
Hopefully this clarifies what we're about and what we aim to achieve. Any ideas or comments are welcome.
Fashwatch.
Fashwatch
e-mail:
info@fashwatch.org
Homepage:
http://www.fashwatch.org
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