As usual, the response from UAF and other anti-fascist groups was great, around seven or eight hundred people turning up as the (very wet) day progressed, all enthusiastic and ready to boo his lordship as he went into the court. Five of us went up from Lancaster, half a dozen from Barrow and a bunch of great anti-fascists from Ulverston. Even the police were on their best behaviour, dishing out warnings all over the place and frowning at everyone - even passers-by - but not generally getting too heavy.
There were only a couple of small dramas: one came when a bunch of nazi heavies tried to get into the crowd of anti-fascists for reasons of their own and were hussled out pretty speedily. The police piled in and shoved them off down the road. While the heavies were being shoved, one of their mob continued to take pictures of the anti-fascists, no doubt for inclusion on Redwatch at some point. I got a couple of pictures of this guy and when he realised I was taking pictures of him, he started walking towards me - presumably in an attempt to be intimidating - so I stopped and asked if he was one of the nazis. Of course, he assumed I was one of theirs because he grinned and said yes. So much for Nick Griffin's claim that the BNP's nazi past is behind them.
One of our Lancaster contingent saw Roy Goodwin, of Blackpool BNP, going into the court, so shouted, 'Keep the BNP out of Blackpool.' Goodwin's response was to make an obscene gesture and shout, 'Traitor', back at him. Nice guy. And this is the man the BNP wanted to have in Parliament?
The only other drama was at the rally in front of Leeds wonderful art gallery. The speakers were speaking and the crowd was listening when a couple of nazi dimwits decided to walk up the middle of the road waving flags of the cross of St George. Dear oh dear. When told to push off by the police, they went pretty speedily but really, is this all the so-called master race can offer? Provocation, intimidation, stupidity and abuse?
It's great fun going to a demo - especially an important one like this. Not only do you get to shout at nazis (which is always fun), you also get to meet some excellent people and make a hell of a lot of useful contacts. Demonstrations are worth going on for a lot of reasons and the cause, of course, is paramount, but there's a kind of comradeship that shows itself up wonderfully in adversity.
When a couple of nazis tried to worm their way on to our side of the demo, the person who spotted them and shouted out was immediately joined by a dozen other protestors for safety and support; a guy I'd never met before warned me at one point that a nazi cameraman was trying to take a picture of me and joined me in shooing him away; I watched as a crowd of protestors (and protectors) instantly clustered around as the police began to harass a young lad who had shouted some (mild) abuse at a nazi.
Then we spoke to the happy bunch of people who had started off at 4.30am in order to arrive on time - they weren't pissed off that they'd had to get up when I'm normally going to bed; they were pleased that they'd made the effort, done what they felt they should and were meeting a lot more friendly allies. These are the kind of things that make you feel the world's not entirely full of crap and that there are plenty of people out there who are worth working for and with. If you can make it to the next anti-fascist demo, I'll introduce you to them. :-)
Oh, and a tiny footnote. At one point, the BNP broke into as much as they know of Jerusalem. That's a revolutionary song - I wonder why they sing it?
Comments
Hide the following 15 comments
where the photo's >i demand proof
17.01.2006 13:13
inspector morse
Same coin
17.01.2006 13:27
I also spoke to a mate who works just down from the court, and he said that, at best, there were 200 anti-BNP protesters, and fewer than half that from the other side.
Magpie & Crown
BNP humiliated by tiny national mobilisation
17.01.2006 15:08
It was as disgusing as it alway is to see hundreds of police sent to the event to provide state protection for the fascists, and particularly appalling to see them providing BNP members with escorts from the main road to their police sanctioned pen.
The rally was quite good, but somewhat too self-congratulatory (this isn't to say that the demonstration wasn't good... and I suppose that is half the point of having a rally) I wasn't keen on Weymann Bennett's comment 'lets turn BNP into H.M.P' this puts far too much faith in the judicial system dealing with fascism, and backs away from the necessarry argument of no platform. There was also no talk from the speakers of tackling state racism, which after all provides the BNP with the springboard it needs to gain more supporters. Organised community anti-racist work plays a crucial role in defeating facism, and never seems to gain much of hearing in UAF.
As for the three fascists who came into the crowd at the end of the demonstration to take photos (one of them being local thug, alcoholic and alleged child molester Tony White, who was seen lurking in a bus shelter, out of punching distance, and within wailing distance of the cops) I've never seen a more convincing argument against the 'master race', they were quickly grabbed and pushed out of the way, albeit with their camera intact unfortunately. However, despite no harm being done, the incident made the case clearer than ever for organised defence against C18 thugs like this on anti-fascist demonstrations...the police cannot be trusted and should not be relied on.
All in all a good day!
Harehills Red
Homepage:
http://www.workerspower.com
Numbers
17.01.2006 15:15
And what do you want photos for? To upload to redwatch?
Rich
It happened, OK?
17.01.2006 16:04
and that well known source of commie propaganda, Reuters, agreed there were 'more than 500 anti-BNP protesters' there:
I'm used to nazis trying to deny the holocaust, but attempting to cast doubt on something that happened YESTERDAY is pretty inventive.
Samiam
Free Speech
17.01.2006 20:00
Go away back to your worm hole (or is it pigsty?), get a life and, like the rest of your mangy hangers-on, go and get a wash!
British
BNP site overloaded!
17.01.2006 20:31
On the thread of Smarter "than the average nazi"'s post (
Kev Scott was a quiet unachieving no-mark at school! He got piss poor grades and was the number one fan of 'The Jam' so there you go!
He used to hang around in Sunderland town centre in the 80's with 3 skinheads and an old man and his dog, with the obilgatory union flag.
Twat..........
bob
Tell me why
18.01.2006 10:21
If the BNP et al are all working for the Bosses, then why does the Bosses' Judicial System keep dragging these people in court for being racist? Why do the 'racist police' spend more time trying to get White racists locked up than they do dealing with drugs dealers and burglars, paedophiles and conmen?
Is it because the Capitalists really love multiculturalism? Looks like it to me. The Tories brought in the 1986 Public Order Act, the New Labour tories are always bringing in legislation to stop racism and make crimes worse if they are 'racist'.
Well, it looks like it to me. Maybe we should shout 'Blame the bosses FOR the Blacks'?
Why are most 'anti-fascists' middle-class anyway? None of you seem to live on council estates, you all seem to have good jobs and nice houses and live miles from any coloured people. Your mummies and daddies are the same, have you have had your electricity cut off when you were kids cos your single-parent unemployed mum couldn't afford to pay the bill? Did any of you live on a council estate with outside toilets until 1987? I did, betcha not many of you lot did, you're all from the suburbs and the countryside. Rich kids with bad consciences.
Interested
88
18.01.2006 10:30
If the BNP et al are all working for the Bosses, then why does the Bosses' Judicial System keep dragging these people in court for being racist? Why do the 'racist police' spend more time trying to get White racists locked up than they do dealing with drugs dealers and burglars, paedophiles and conmen?
Is it because the Capitalists really love multiculturalism? Looks like it to me. The Tories brought in the 1986 Public Order Act, the New Labour tories are always bringing in legislation to stop racism and make crimes worse if they are 'racist'.
Well, it looks like it to me. Maybe we should shout 'Blame the bosses FOR the Blacks'?
Why are most 'anti-fascists' middle-class anyway? None of you seem to live on council estates, you all seem to have good jobs and nice houses and live miles from any coloured people. Your mummies and daddies are the same, have you have had your electricity cut off when you were kids cos your single-parent unemployed mum couldn't afford to pay the bill? Did any of you live on a council estate with outside toilets until 1987? I did, betcha not many of you lot did, you're all from the suburbs and the countryside. Rich kids with bad consciences.
88
Anti BNP protesters told off by judge
18.01.2006 11:56
Wolf
Nazi troll lives in la-la land
18.01.2006 12:54
Now crawl back to your sewer and take your bitter little fantasies with you, fuckwit.
anti-fascist worker
listen 88...
18.01.2006 14:59
You say that the state wouldn't put away nazi fuckwits, because the fascists sustain the state (If i interpreted your grunts correctly)...
It is very true that fascism is a way for the bourgeosie to sustain their hold on the system, however in my opinion:
1) It is the bourgeosie who use fascism, not SPECIFICALLY the state
2) the state must be seen as the upholder of law and order, and also must give an illusion of fairness. All challengers must be shown to be weaker. They put Griffin on trial in order to try to show they are more in control. They also want to hide their bias form the anti-fash.
3) the current state does not want to be replaced, it wants to keep it's job as suppressor of class consciousness.
4) Whether the bourgeosie need fascism to sustain their rule or not, that doesn't mean they actually like you turds! it's like unclogging a toilet, you don't want to stick your hand in there, but sometimes it's necessary!
As a closing point, one of your number WAS put away, some goon with a green jumper and a Saint George's cross. The retard just jumped over the barrier, and landed in fuzz!
Mike (leeds uni)
and plus...
18.01.2006 19:05
Just wait and see if he is convicted or not. Either way, a populist likeGriffin will use it to his advantage, but hey.
I'm sure the outcome will reflect the established bourgeosie's true feeling towards fascists!
Let us remember the situation after the Munich putsch. For high treason, Hitler got off with a sentence a petty thief would be thankful for!
Let's just wait and see shall we... ;)
Mike (leeds uni)
Like with like
18.01.2006 22:53
Tony Hammer
And there's the rub
19.01.2006 08:18
'Populist' is the key word here. Say what you like about the BNP, but many, many people vote for them every time elections roll around. They're certainly on a par with Respect, if not more popular.
That's what the real problem is. Standing around surrounded by police while shouting "nazis fcuk off" isn't going to convince a 93-year-old pensioner in Burnley who can't get his leaky council house roof repaired not to vote BNP when the nice man in the suit came round and sold him a wonderful lie.
You need to engage with normal people in the community in the same way the BNP does. Use their own tactics against them. It doesn't matter whether you had 300 more people than them outside a court on one afternoon. It doesn't matter that you can shout "racist troll" louder than anyone who tries to be constructive on an internet site.
Get thee to Burnley and tell our 93-year-old why the BNP are not the only option for getting his roof repaired.
Change peoples' attitudes through education, not intimidation and aggression.
As the always spot-on Chris TT puts it:
Poverty's bad war is bad racism's bad,
Well done, have a biscuit
Sing it out loud to a partisan crowd,
If everybody here agrees with me
Maybe I should go and sing to the enemies
But no, I don't want to risk it.
Don't you ever think this is all just a big waste of time?
Have you ever seen a single person change his mind?
Move along son - don't you know,
If you're preaching to the converted you might as well go home.
Move along son - don't you know,
You're preaching to the converted.
Shaking hands, kissing babies, making speeches
If there's a point, well sorry I missed it.
Climbing up a ladder where opinion doesn't matter
If all of my mates believe in me,
Maybe I should run the whole country -
I bet you can't resist it
Nobody's got any good red songs anymore.
And Billy Bragg's gone fishing in his four by four.
Move along son - don't you know,
If you're preaching to the converted you might as well go home.
Move along son - don't you know,
You're preaching to the converted.
And I'm sick to death of the dicks on the left
Being just as nasty as the dicks on the right
Leaving stupid dicks in the middle having all the fun:
Everybody is a dick, green, blue, yellow or red,
You get a bit of power and it goes straight to your head
So take your spin and your need to win
And stick it up your bum.
And wiggle it around while it's up there -
That's your brain stuck on your thumb
Move along son - don't you know,
If you're preaching to the converted you might as well go home.
Move along son - don't you know,
You're preaching to the converted.
Magpie & Crown