North West Fascism

z3r0 | 27.02.2004 13:42 | Anti-racism | Culture | Social Struggles

Is Fascism on the rise, and if so what are you going to do about it? Reflections on the horrific election results last night in Heysham, Lancaster......

In the local bi-election last night in Heysham, Lancaster, Lancashire some Facist bugger ran for election. Young, masked and gifted there was a little crowd who send the essential message: "Fascist Scum, off our Streets" - "Fascist Scum, off our Streets" - "Fascist Scum, off our Streets"; but what can we do strategically to avoid the horrible result (details below) in the future?

This was much debated last night and in the weeks prior to the election: should we devote them and provide them with attention by going house to house and *warning* people against them? Does this just turn people towards them? Should we be there at the counting? What can we do? The election results look like Denmark where these xenophobic poor souls in a somwewhat more housebroke version similar to the BNP, is the third biggest party in parliament. And in Italy they have a Fascist Dictator - Austria is dodgy as well, and of course the King of the Hill George the Second in the White Power, erhh, I mean White House is the worst of them all.........

Act now! - meanwhile a local reflection/meeting is in the brewing - there is a need for better understanding what went wrong (apart form the fact that Tony Blair is a loser) and what can be done in the future - i.e., what strategies, and when these are decided upon, what are the specific deployment of them, all the way down to the, yes !, PR aspects of how one dresses when doing informative anti-fascist outreach). We have everything to lose and everything to win, so why not?

Pictures coming later today......... and hopefully comments to this horrific result - and oh, yes, forgot to mention: the candidate is a student in the Politics Dept. of Lancaster University!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Pasted from a local Green Party list (although by no means advertising for any political party, merely uisng their email to inform you all!!!!!!!!!):

There was a turnout of 27.22% in the Heysham South Ward by-election yesterday.

Ken Brown for the Conservatives got in with a 6 vote majority, there were 2 re-counts.

Ken Brown - Conservative: 499
Darren Clifford - Labour: 493
Paul Bamford - England First Party: 191
Christopher Greenall - MBI: 143
Terry Taylor - Lib Dems: 37
Ashley Toms - Green: 20

The MBIs have therefore lost a seat that they won with more than 500 votes at the elections in May. The Conservatives did not stand a candidate in May.

We did, Elaine Lewis picked up 183 votes - most of those were probably anti-war votes from Labour voters. There were two spoiled ballot papers at the election yesterday, one was marked for both Labour and Green.

How is it possible for an England First party to get so many votes, nearly 14% of the total cast? Though some of the England First group were disappointed and heard to remark that Michael Howard's speech in Burnley had lost them some votes to the Conservatives. It is surely more than Jon Barry's theory of alphabetic advantage, which we witnessed in the John O'Gaunt ward election between the surnames Hart, Mills and Renolds.

In a country that is more hungry for sports champions than solar panels it is surely more than voting for a logo that resembles the England football shirt with the 3 lions rather than a global sunflower.

Ashley wasn't too disappointed, apparently it is 3 more votes than the Ecology Party managed in Heysham at their first election in the 1970s and with our well known anti-nuclear power station and Heysham - M6 link road policies we aren't known for our 'positive news' attitude in that ward.The crowd of protestors outside St James Community Centre were there to greet the England First group and were there at the end to see them off, with a police escort to their cars.

z3r0

Comments

Hide the following 9 comments

far-right in cumbria

27.02.2004 14:11

thats some scarey stuff
the efp are putting up candidates in cumbria
and the bnp are targeting cumbria to
and i'm sorry to say they have a better chance to get in

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/02/285645.html

jimbob

jimbob

query about words

27.02.2004 14:35

does shouting the word 'scum' at fascists do any good?
how does it assist democracy? (democracy was one of the words on the banner at the demonstration last night.)
are we seeking to convert them, change them or criminalise them?
how important to 'us' is the label that we provide for 'them' - 'fascist'?

Mary Chabrel
mail e-mail: m.chabrel@lancaster.ac.uk

pictures from heysham...and a thought

27.02.2004 15:00

candidate at far right of picture

reclaiming democracy

it was a bit cold...

Well, they are certainly fascists, and arguably also scum. I don't think it does any harm at all for them to get shouted at, though of course it's only one of the ways of fighting them, and probably one of the least effective. Talking of tactics, I suspect that going round telling everyone in the ward that they were standing might well have got them extra votes...

mike

Scum is as scum does...

27.02.2004 15:24

I think the acxtions last night at Heysham followed a traditonal policy adopted by the anti-fascist movement. Leaflets delivered to every house in the ward by a broad coalition of people from all parties and none carried (I think) the quote from Herr Hitler on the only method by which his 'movement' could have been halted in its tracks: by 'smashing' it at the very beginning (his words not mine). An impromptu decision was made by those outside to do a little more than simply berating the candidate and his 'guests' as they emerged, and that something was to 'escort' them away. It was felt that this might give them some impression of the intimidation they and their friends have dealt out, and would like to deal out in a politically legitimated form, to ethnic minorities, refugees, lefties etc. I also feel that the mass leafletting of the ward may have served to raise awareness of their candidature, and that the action last night was more effective in not justifying their position, but challenging it very directly. In terms of language, the police had informed everyone outside that swearing could prompt arrest under section 5 of the Publc Order Act (language or behaviour likely to cause distress?) and so the traditional insult 'scum' was adopted...

anarchoteapot

Tactics, strategy and the diversity of approaches

27.02.2004 15:36

What else?

In agreement with both of the above comments it seems relevant to note that strategy and tactics when debated often sink into a basis of ideology or habitual patterns of behaviour provided through the identity that the belonging to a collective, group, organisation, party or religion inevitably carries with it.

Can there be another way? Can there be other ways then all ways? Who can we agree to follow when ideas are so diverse and (in-)different? Should we "follow" or will the leaders have to follow when the people lead?? -- even if they, the common people-the profanum vulgaris, are not highly educated and hence in possession of (appropriate) sophisticated means of expressions that can suit that socalled democratic process and the stiff upper-lip?

The good thing about last night was that there was a seemingly quite broad cross-section of the political spectrum represented in the crowd - although divided in terms of 'how to do it' it neverheless got done and in a variety of ways.

The provocative question would be: 'why did people on the inside, those with the privilige to monitor the proceedings from inside the Hall of Fame, not take action against these perpetrators of moral decency?' 'when does silence and non-action become a factor of tolerance and acceptance?'- and subsequently you may ask: ' why is there at all an 'inside' in a ""democratic"" process - what is (so) democratic about it?'. Is there a democratic process worth 'respecting' at all?

Finally, what are the respectable and authoritarian political groups going to do now? Well, we know the answer to that: business as usual, ehh?

Some say 'Fight Fire With Fire', some say 'Fight Fire with Prayer' - these are black and white - I say 'Fight Fire with all you've got' - surely we can find, then somwhere in there, the grey areas of effective resistance to this symptom of social misery, degradation for which we are all responsible, including, most certainly those who claim to represent "us" - the suits and the ties on the inside - from Green, to Red, to whatever you can think off.....

Value conflicts are great, if they are reflected upon and met with a genuine, sincere wish to get rid of the causes of fasicsm or whatever it is politically correct to label such hoodlums as this week.

...........and so, yes, the Struggle Continues...... hasta la victoria siempre!!!!
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z3r0

Another view from the 'inside'

27.02.2004 16:08

An e-mail from another 'invited guest' who was allowed into the vote count:"The power of the demo outside polling station was equivalent to the hatred that fascists engender - I was chilled to my marrow but also in awe of the efficiant and clear message of protestors that - fascists are not welcome on our streets. I did not feel happy to be in close proximity with people whose belief system is so abhorrent to me. They did in fact look like 2 footballers, 2 skinheads and one statician with a manic eye. The rosette was like being in the presence of football supporters and when I say two of them looked like footballers it was thier tan, suits and hair gel which gave this impression. I guess they could have been some kind of male hair product sales- man. Not that I am into stereotypes- you understand !
So well done the demonsrators and thank goodness we are not facing being with them in the council chamber - yet. Let us all be vigilent."

anarchoteapot

Fascism on the rise?

27.02.2004 17:09

More like another dismal failure for UAF and their collection of mind slop TV stars.

ho hum

The 'fascist' label

27.02.2004 18:01

Quotes from Mary Chabrel

'does shouting the word 'scum' at fascists do any good?'
They hate all 'non-white' immigrants and if they obtained power would send them back to their perceived country of origin whether they wanted to go or not (no doubt, in the famous phrase used by the BNP, 'in body-bags if necessary'.
They hate gays and anyone else they consider to be sexually abnormal (meaning non-hetero) and would make any such activity illegal.
They hate Jews - not for any reason other than they're Jewish. In fact, let's face it, they hate anyone who isn't white, Anglo-Saxon and Protestant. The word 'scum' may not work for you but it certainly fits in with my perception of them.

'how does it assist democracy?'
Democracy isn't the issue here. If you look at their site and those that they link to, it becomes pretty clear very quickly that they have no interest in the democratic process except insofar as it has the potential to lead them to power. Once in power, democracy would cease to exist. They use the the democratic process to subvert democracy.

'how important to 'us' is the label that we provide for 'them' - 'fascist'?'
It isn't simply a label - they are fascist. I don't get your point here. Are you saying we shouldn't call them fascists?

Quote from ho hum

'More like another dismal failure for UAF and their collection of mind slop TV stars.
This had nothing to do with UAF at all - except that a group of disparate people got together to voice their opinion of the fascist Paul Bamford and his entourage. United Against Fascism? We certainly were last night.

Ketlan

Ketlan
Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/arcnorth/