UK Indymedia | Police Harrassment of Anti-Fascists Increases In Leeds

Leeds cops force cancellation of anti-fascist benefit and harrass those attending.

Police Harrassment of Anti-Fascists Increases In Leeds

Over the past few months there has been considerable harassment of anti-fascists in Leeds. In the latest incident, the police put pressure on a local squat to cancel an anti-fascist benefit night which was due to take place there on Friday November 11th. Not satisfied with having had the gig cancelled, police harrassed those trying to attend. In one incident (described on Leeds-Bradford Indymedia), two people were swooped on by plain-clothes police, causing one of them to have an asthma attack.

“We were stopped on the back street by a plain clothes white police estate car, we had noticed it following us for a while. As we came around the corner, without warning, the car screeched up at the side of us and put on it's blue police light strobes concealed in the cars lights, at first we thought we were going to be attacked until two officers who had photography equipment with them shouted at us to stay where we were, and my buddy had a asthma attack. Within seconds, yes seconds, a police van and a police car had rolled up to join them and we were searched. I had a printout of the fundraiser in my bag and some smoke...major crime stuff !”

Despite now facing prosecution for possession of a small amount of cannabis, it was the tactics of the police which their victim found most unsettling.

“What was more worrying was the way the police were using a secret police car to spy on us and the fact that the officers asked us if we were on our way to the event. When my friend got a bit cocky with the arrogant police and refused to tell them they called in the harrasment squad in a police van and a police car.”

It is inevitable that these two people were not the only ones who faced police harassment for trying to support an anti-fascist benefit Police Harrassment of Anti-Fascists Increases In Leeds. Anti-fascists in West Yorkshire can no doubt expect more harassment over the coming months as they continue to wage an effective battle against organized fascism in the area and Blair’s little stormtroopers attempt to help out Griffin’s. We will not be intimidated.

How the BNP was humiliated in Leeds

Hundreds attended the anti-fascist mobilisation outside Leeds Crown Court

Just 150 turned up to support BNP führer Nick Griffin
by Anindya Bhattacharyya

Nick Griffin, leader of the fascist British National Party (BNP) was pelted with eggs and flour as he arrived at Leeds Crown Court to face charges of incitement to racial hatred on Wednesday of last week.

Over a thousand anti-fascist protesters confronted a “national mobilisation” of just 150 BNP members, holding a demonstration followed by a rally.

Local campaigners were delighted with the size and confidence of the anti-fascist turnout. “We’ve put a marker down today,” said Katie from Leeds Unite. “If they try sticking their heads up again, they’ll know we’ll be here — and there’s a lot more of us.”

A humiliated Griffin, and his sidekick Mark Collett, scuttled into the court building, surrounded by minders and police. The court decided that they have a case to answer — they will face a full trial in January. The charges follow the screening of the Secret Agent BBC documentary about the BNP in West Yorkshire.

The anti-BNP demo was called by Unite Against Fascism and Yorkshire and the Humber TUC. Trade unions from across the region attended with their banners, with the PCS civil service workers’ union and NASUWT teachers’ union prominent.

At 9am an already sizeable Unite presence was swelled by a huge contingent of students from Leeds University, where Mark Collett studied.

The colour drained from the Nazis’ faces as they saw hundreds of young people, black and white, marching on them. Unite protesters jeered at the fascists, singing “Where’s your führer gone? He’s going down!”

The Unite protest ended with a lunchtime rally. Activists heard speeches from Unite campaigners, Leeds councillors, the TUC and others, all vowing to keep up their unity and smash the BNP.

John Campbell is chair of Yorkshire and Humberside Unite Against Fascism and a Labour councillor in Sheffield.

Powerful
He told Socialist Worker, “We showed today that we can mobilise people, trade unionists and students, young and old.

“It’s sent a powerful message to the BNP that they are not welcome in the Yorkshire and Humberside region, or anywhere in Britain.

“And it’s shown that the BNP might brag, but they are nowhere near as strong and powerful as they would have us believe. Now we need to get out and make sure people won’t be voting for them in May.”

Chris Beastall, campaigns officer for Yorkshire and the Humber TUC, helped build the impressive turnout from regional trade union branches. She spoke to Socialist Worker.

“The trade union mobilisation went exceptionally well,” she said. “This won’t be a one off event either. Nick Griffin starts his trial on 16 January and even though we outnumbered them ten to one this time, we can’t rest on our laurels — we can expect them to come back in bigger numbers.

“We’re also looking towards the elections. The BNP is trying very hard to get people onto councils, and they’re targeting Yorkshire. The main thing is information. We need to let people know what the BNP is really about.”

Leading Unison activist Yunus Bakhsh spoke about the continuity between the fight against the BNP today and anti-fascist struggles of the past. He drew cheers when he reminded the rally of the anti-fascist cry of the Spanish Civil War — “They shall not pass!”

Several MPs sent messages of support to the rally, including Respect’s George Galloway. “We must unite to stop racism and fascism,” he said. “We must make sure we have the strongest possible united movement to oppose the fascists and racists.

“But I also believe we have to go one step further. There is only one fundamental division in our society. It is between the haves and the have nots — between those whose voices we hear too much and the voiceless.

“We have to fight to ensure they have a movement that will give voice to their needs. Then we will see the racists and fascists pushed back into the gutters from which they crawled.”

The large student turnout was an important component of the united spirit of the anti-fascist demonstration. Hanif Leylabi, one of the students who helped build the protest, said, “We’ve been leafleting really hard for two weeks across the university.”

The students are now organising for the elections, he added. “We aim to take this into communities and organise to help Unite canvassing, telling people to use their vote against the BNP.”

A delegation from Keighley Trades Council joined the Unite demonstration with their banner. Nick Griffin stood in Keighley, West Yorkshire, at the general election, polling just over 9 percent of the vote.

The BNP had planned to hold a national demonstration in Keighley on Saturday of last week, in an attempt to whip up racism against Muslims.

But these plans were blocked at the last minute by the home office at the request of the police and local anti-fascists.

“I’m here because I can’t be doing with racism,” Keith Drudge from Keighley Trades Council told Socialist Worker. “There’s no difference between black, Asian and white. We’ve got to preserve people’s rights. That’s why I’m against the BNP.”

Success
Weyman Bennett, joint secretary of Unite Against Fascism, stressed how the unity and breadth of the anti-fascist movement had delivered a solid blow against the BNP — but now we need to keep up the pressure against them.

“The BNP wants to emulate the success of Le Pen in France,” he said. “We must never let them get a toehold in Britain. Every single time they try to raise their heads, we have to make clear that our streets belong to us, not them.

“Now we need to get every trade union branch and students’ union to affiliate to Unite. We must build this kind of united opposition to the BNP across the country.”

Unite will hold its postponed national conference at the TUC in London on Saturday 18 February next year. Go to www.uaf.org.uk for more details.

That's what you get for drug dealing. Serves yerselves right - losers!

BNP candidate 'heroin dealer' charge May 4 2005

By Richard Porritt The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

THE BNP Parliamentary candidate for Huddersfield has appeared in court
accused of dealing in crack cocaine and heroin.

Karl Hanson, 34, of Fieldhead Way, Heckmondwike, appeared at Leeds
Magistrates' Court yesterday facing five class A drugs offence charges.

Three of the charges were for supplying crack cocaine, one was for
supplying heroin and one was for possession with intent to supply class A
drugs.

Possession of £15's worth of cannabis?

I agree that £15's worth of cannabis is nothing. And yes that does constitute harrassment. But it's not the first time that certain AFA persons have been busted and claimed it to be political - and been busted for a lot more than fifteen quid too!

Why wont anti-fascists defend Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. You cannot be an anti-fascist is you fail to support democracy! Israel has suffered a fascist terrorism onlsaught from the fascist PLO in its 38 year campaign to wipe the country off the face of the world. Yet anti-fascists in the west refuse to support the plight of the Israeli people, who have suffered tens of thousands of deaths and injuries because of fascist arab terrorism!

http://www.shalomatlanta.org/section_display.html?id=59

The Lib-Dems want to legalise drugs to be sold over a shop counter according to one of their top MEP's. I dont see much squaking from the likes of Red and Black over this Party policy. He prefers to target individuals who cannot be accounted for by a party.

Weak argument, as i could have listed druggies, paedos and the rest from any of the big three parties.

Anti-fascists do not support Israel because most of us consider it little short of a fascist state.

What are you whining about Nazi? This is a thread about anti-fascism, not about the so-called ‘Liberal Party’. Why don’t you sod off back to Stormfront?

And let's not forget Israel's long-standing support for the fascist Lebanse Phalange, the Apartheid regime in South Africa, the murderous Shah of Iran, and more than 50 years of genocide against the Palestinian people. In what other 'democracy' would a fascist butcher like Sharon be elected?

Sex arrest BNP man set to quit

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A BRITISH National Party boss has been arrested on suspicion of a sexual offence.

Andrew Kershaw, secretary and treasurer of the Yorkshire and Humber branch, was arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning at his home at Fieldhead Gardens, Dewsbury.

The high-ranking figure spearheaded the BNP's assault on the Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Batley seats during the General Election campaign earlier this year.

No BNP candidates were successful.

A spokesman for the BNP said: "Following an emergency disciplinary meeting of the full Kirklees BNP committee it was unanimously decided to suspend with immediate effect Andrew Kershaw and seek national authorisation to permanently expel him from the British National Party.

"These actions have been taken following details of his involvement in a serious matter coming to light."

But Mr Kershaw has today announced he is to quit the party.

The 43-year-old was released on bail by West Yorkshire police pending further inquiries into the allegation.

Heckmondwike councillor David Exley said: "Everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

"This issue is out of our hands now and has been passed on to the party nationally to deal with.

"They will act accordingly if and when Mr Kershaw appears in court."

The arrest is set to once again rock the far-right party only months after Huddersfield General Election candidate Karl Hanson was found guilty of possessing heroin and crack cocaine.

Just two days before the public went to the polls, the Examiner exclusively revealed Hanson had been arrested.

And let's not forget the SWP's support for the Iranian revolution and the starving of civil rights for women.

Oh yes, and the Respect Party, where the bearded ones make women sit on the other side of the room.

True, but your name isn't Hassan is it? Thought you'd have your hands full at the moment Collett.

Let's at least get it right "Hassan". The SWP's support was specifically for the Ayatollah Khomeini.

15.11.2005 23:20