http://1millionunited.org/blogs/blog/2010/07/30/exclusive-one-writers-shocking-account-of-his-experiences-of-british-fascism/
Exclusive: One Writer’s Shocking Account Of His Experiences Of British FascismJuly 30, 2010 in BNP News, Exclusives, Various News
When you first encounter Andi Ali, you are struck by his unassuming nature. Intelligent but uncomplicated, this is a man used to working hard, who loves those closest to him and is an upstanding member of his community. You would be forgiven that there is nothing especially outstanding about him.
But underneath this normal exterior, Andi Ali is a Trojan horse investigator whose shocking experiences researching the British National Party – including his brutal stabbing at the hands of audacious thugs outside Downing Street – have led to his forthcoming autobiography; a book for which Andi has turned down previous publishing deals, not willing to compromise or censor the material inside, or to water down the controversial truth.
Titled after a racial slur hurled at him during his research, ‘Dead Paki Walking’ is a searing and uncensored account of life on the front-line of the British anti-fascist movement. In it, Andi details his often disturbing experiences with the BNP, who branded him an ‘extremist’ for heckling fascist protesters, and who posted his picture on notorious far right ‘hit-list’ website, Redwatch. Undeterred, Andi has gone to great lengths to ensure his story is told.
An unsettling mix of extremist violence, legal wrangles, and smears, threats and attacks weathered by Andi at the hands of Neo Nazis, ‘Dead Paki Walking’ is essential reading for anyone that remains blind to the true nature of British fascism, to those who play down it’s seriousness, and those who have also been on the receiving end of their violence and vicious smear campaigns. There cannot be a single reader that will come away from this book unconcerned about the growing fascist sentiment in our communities.
One Million United have been following Andi’s progress with the book and his ongoing research and whistle-blowing, and are proud to bring you this exclusive excerpt:
I’ve been described as a dead man walking, or as the Neo Nazis put it, a dead paki walking. I’ve been put on a far right hit list called Redwatch and told I’m going to end up with a bullet in my head. But what does that mean? Well for a start it isn’t like I can live a normal live. I don’t want to sound bitter about anybody who can, whether it’s the man next door, or the stranger in the street, but that’s the difference between them and me. From the moment they get up to they go to bed all they have to worry about is normal things like paying the bills, the mortgage and football results. They certainly don’t have to worry about being stabbed, shot or even beheaded. But being on Redwatch changes all of that. Your life’s in constant danger – day and night.
So what did I do to get there? I’ll tell you – I chose to pursue academic research on the British National Party (BNP) and ignored death threats to stop. Remember I wasn’t looking for trouble – trouble found me. I did my research and the Neo Nazis got out their baseball bats. Some people say I’m brave, while others describe me as a fool. That’s their choice. Me – I am a liberal. A liberal who believes passionately that everyone has the right to conduct research without being subjected to violence and intimidation.
I may have graduated, but only three weeks ago, I was on my way to Cheshire to help in a by- election. The local MP had died and we were determined to win the seat. Anyway I pulled into a Little Chef to get some dinner when a man walked past me and stopped. “Aren’t you Andi Ali?” he asked. When I told him I was, he put his fingers to my head, clicked his tongue as though firing a gun and said, “I don’t have a real gun on me now, but if I did, you’d be dead now you fucking paki.” That’s what being on Redwatch means.
Not long before I graduated I got stabbed in Whitehall. The British Ulster Alliance (BUA) were holding a protest outside Downing Street and I wanted to take pictures and conduct interviews. I knew the BUA had strong links with the BNP and wanted to find out more about these links. I also knew the BUA was a front, for the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), a Loyalist paramilitary organisation. As I stood in front of the big iron gates that led to Number Ten, three BUA heavies approached me and stole my camera. The police forced them to give it back, but refused to arrest them for robbery. Instead they told me to move on. As I walked away in disgust, I felt a sharp blow to the back of my head and was spark out. When I came to I was lying outside Downing Street in a pool of blood. Twelve hours later, a picture of me appeared on Redwatch along with the words,
Andi Ali takes photographs of Loyalists on the British Ulster Alliance parade in London on 6th October 2003 just before a loyalist took his camera off him until he was confronted and he denied everything. His camera was taken from him and he shit himself. After a while old bill moved him on and we hear that someone took offence to his presence and did him. Maybe he’ll think again before attempting to do his academic research on patriots?
See for yourself at http://www.redwatch.org/andiali.html.
I’ve told you that I’m a Liberal. I will fight injustice no matter how unpopular or dangerous.
Somebody recognised me at an anti-racist rally in Belfast and I was approached by a woman wearing a blue jacket. She told me she had heard about the assault and was pleased to see I was well. She also told me if I wanted to know who was responsible, then I was to be on the Shankhill in thirty minutes.
Half an hour later I got off a bus and saw her waiting for me outside a cafe. “Don’t worry about the man next to me she said, “He’s with me.”
“Ok,” I said, “so who was it who assaulted me?”
“We can’t tell you here Andi, but if you come with us we’ll take you to some people who can. And please don’t worry nobody’s going to hurt you.”
I said, “if you think I’m going to get in a car with you or anybody else for that matter, who I don’t know, you’re nuts.”
With that her companion produced a gun and I was bundled into a car. Bloody hell! I came here thinking that I was going to find out who had assaulted me and now I was being kidnapped by these people. Not only that but the bastards had blindfolded me, so I couldn’t see a damn thing.
An hour later, four men turned up in the room I was being held captive in, and stood at the table across from me. Military looking geezers carrying guns, and wearing balaclavas. I took a handkerchief from my pocket and wiped the sweat from my forehead. I didn’t need to ask who this lot were; they had UDA written all over them.
The only way out of the room was a window to my right and a door to my left. The one in charge sat down and pulled his chair up opposite the table. The other three terrorists stood behind their leader and I sat facing the lot of them. A picture of me on Redwatch was thrown on the table and the man began speaking. He told me that the UDA was not a racist organisation and that it was not behind the racist attack outside Downing Street. He said the UDA did not have any links to the British Ulster Alliance or any other far right group. This was 27 January 2004, the room was stuffy and my throat was dry. I was just wondering why the man had picked up his gun when he shouted out “no surrender”. Then he stood up, took a step back, and all four terrorists pointed their weapons at me. These guys are killers and within seconds they were firing enough shots to down an elephant. I fell back and hit my head on the chair. Any second now I would be dead. It never happened. It was obvious that they didn’t want to kill me, because when they stopped shooting I was alive. I opened my eyes and slowly got up. The terrorists were looking at me but no longer pointing the weapons. The whole purpose of this meeting, one said, was to prove to you that the UDA did not want you dead, nor were behind the assault. “If the UDA wanted you dead Mr Ali,” he added, “you’d be dead.”
I never said a word so the terrorists left the room. Ten minutes later they were back, words were exchanged and it was all over.
I didn’t get an apology or glass of water from any of them, just blindfolded, and dumped back on the Shankhill. Sod ʼem! I had only come to Belfast to take part in an anti-racist rally anyway.
Back at the University I popped in to see my tutor and he said “any news?” The Metropolitan Police had not arrested anybody for the assault, so I just shook my head. Like the Stephen Lawrence enquiry they were just not taking my assault seriously.
I had only been sitting down for a few minutes when I spotted a message on a number of far right websites. It was about me, and it wasn’t pleasant.
It turned out that the Neo Nazis had turned up at the Tax Credit Office in Preston where I worked, and submitted a number of complaints against me. It seems that they objected to non- whites being employed by the Civil Service and wanted me out. They also complained that I was a suicide bomber, paedophile, and an extremist for heckling the BNP. I have to say this wasn’t the first time they had made these allegations.
Nine months earlier I was outside Burnley Town Hall, watching the BNP and Anti Nazi League shouting abuse at each other when a steward came up to me.
“Mr Ali,” he said, “I know you’re only doing your research but the BNP have made a complaint against you. They don’t like you taking pictures and trying to interview their members. Do you think you could stop?”
“No worries mate, I’m just about done here anyway.”
I walked across the road, put my bag down, and opened a can of coke. I was just wondering whether to get something to eat, when four police officers surrounded me. Same old thing – put your hands in the air and keep them where we can see them. I saw that a police van had pulled up and wondered if I was going to get arrested. It didn’t come to that though. It turned out that because I had brown skin and was wearing an Arabic headscarf, some BNP supporters had told the police that I was a suicide bomber with a bomb strapped to my shoe. Now is that the most absurd thing you have ever heard, or what?
The police checked my shoes and let me go, but the Neo Nazis weren’t finished with me yet. The next day a picture of me taken at the protest appeared on Redwatch, along with the words, “Andi Ali wraps an Arabic headscarf around the mother of a 14 year old girl he raped back in 1997.” See for yourself at www.aryanunity.com/redwatchonline//old1.html.
All I’m doing is giving you an idea what it’s been like studying the BNP. When most students conduct research, all they have to worry about is attending lectures, writing essays and passing exams. They certainly don’t have to worry about being shot, stabbed or having numerous false allegations spread about them at work. Yet I’ve had to face this harassment ever since I began my study. Would you continue with your studies? Would you put your job with Her Majesty Revenue and Customs at risk by standing up to the BNP?
If you’re wondering why I did, then perhaps when you’ve read my story, you’ll understand.
When you first encounter Andi Ali, you are struck by his unassuming nature. Intelligent but uncomplicated, this is a man used to working hard, who loves those closest to him and is an upstanding member of his community. You would be forgiven that there is nothing especially outstanding about him.
But underneath this normal exterior, Andi Ali is a Trojan horse investigator whose shocking experiences researching the British National Party – including his brutal stabbing at the hands of audacious thugs outside Downing Street – have led to his forthcoming autobiography; a book for which Andi has turned down previous publishing deals, not willing to compromise or censor the material inside, or to water down the controversial truth.
Titled after a racial slur hurled at him during his research, ‘Dead Paki Walking’ is a searing and uncensored account of life on the front-line of the British anti-fascist movement. In it, Andi details his often disturbing experiences with the BNP, who branded him an ‘extremist’ for heckling fascist protesters, and who posted his picture on notorious far right ‘hit-list’ website, Redwatch. Undeterred, Andi has gone to great lengths to ensure his story is told.
An unsettling mix of extremist violence, legal wrangles, and smears, threats and attacks weathered by Andi at the hands of Neo Nazis, ‘Dead Paki Walking’ is essential reading for anyone that remains blind to the true nature of British fascism, to those who play down it’s seriousness, and those who have also been on the receiving end of their violence and vicious smear campaigns. There cannot be a single reader that will come away from this book unconcerned about the growing fascist sentiment in our communities.
One Million United have been following Andi’s progress with the book and his ongoing research and whistle-blowing, and are proud to bring you this exclusive excerpt:
I’ve been described as a dead man walking, or as the Neo Nazis put it, a dead paki walking. I’ve been put on a far right hit list called Redwatch and told I’m going to end up with a bullet in my head. But what does that mean? Well for a start it isn’t like I can live a normal live. I don’t want to sound bitter about anybody who can, whether it’s the man next door, or the stranger in the street, but that’s the difference between them and me. From the moment they get up to they go to bed all they have to worry about is normal things like paying the bills, the mortgage and football results. They certainly don’t have to worry about being stabbed, shot or even beheaded. But being on Redwatch changes all of that. Your life’s in constant danger – day and night.
So what did I do to get there? I’ll tell you – I chose to pursue academic research on the British National Party (BNP) and ignored death threats to stop. Remember I wasn’t looking for trouble – trouble found me. I did my research and the Neo Nazis got out their baseball bats. Some people say I’m brave, while others describe me as a fool. That’s their choice. Me – I am a liberal. A liberal who believes passionately that everyone has the right to conduct research without being subjected to violence and intimidation.
I may have graduated, but only three weeks ago, I was on my way to Cheshire to help in a by- election. The local MP had died and we were determined to win the seat. Anyway I pulled into a Little Chef to get some dinner when a man walked past me and stopped. “Aren’t you Andi Ali?” he asked. When I told him I was, he put his fingers to my head, clicked his tongue as though firing a gun and said, “I don’t have a real gun on me now, but if I did, you’d be dead now you fucking paki.” That’s what being on Redwatch means.
Not long before I graduated I got stabbed in Whitehall. The British Ulster Alliance (BUA) were holding a protest outside Downing Street and I wanted to take pictures and conduct interviews. I knew the BUA had strong links with the BNP and wanted to find out more about these links. I also knew the BUA was a front, for the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), a Loyalist paramilitary organisation. As I stood in front of the big iron gates that led to Number Ten, three BUA heavies approached me and stole my camera. The police forced them to give it back, but refused to arrest them for robbery. Instead they told me to move on. As I walked away in disgust, I felt a sharp blow to the back of my head and was spark out. When I came to I was lying outside Downing Street in a pool of blood. Twelve hours later, a picture of me appeared on Redwatch along with the words,
Andi Ali takes photographs of Loyalists on the British Ulster Alliance parade in London on 6th October 2003 just before a loyalist took his camera off him until he was confronted and he denied everything. His camera was taken from him and he shit himself. After a while old bill moved him on and we hear that someone took offence to his presence and did him. Maybe he’ll think again before attempting to do his academic research on patriots?
See for yourself at
http://www.redwatch.org/andiali.html. I’ve told you that I’m a Liberal. I will fight injustice no matter how unpopular or dangerous.
Somebody recognised me at an anti-racist rally in Belfast and I was approached by a woman wearing a blue jacket. She told me she had heard about the assault and was pleased to see I was well. She also told me if I wanted to know who was responsible, then I was to be on the Shankhill in thirty minutes.
Half an hour later I got off a bus and saw her waiting for me outside a cafe. “Don’t worry about the man next to me she said, “He’s with me.”
“Ok,” I said, “so who was it who assaulted me?”
“We can’t tell you here Andi, but if you come with us we’ll take you to some people who can. And please don’t worry nobody’s going to hurt you.”
I said, “if you think I’m going to get in a car with you or anybody else for that matter, who I don’t know, you’re nuts.”
With that her companion produced a gun and I was bundled into a car. Bloody hell! I came here thinking that I was going to find out who had assaulted me and now I was being kidnapped by these people. Not only that but the bastards had blindfolded me, so I couldn’t see a damn thing.
An hour later, four men turned up in the room I was being held captive in, and stood at the table across from me. Military looking geezers carrying guns, and wearing balaclavas. I took a handkerchief from my pocket and wiped the sweat from my forehead. I didn’t need to ask who this lot were; they had UDA written all over them.
The only way out of the room was a window to my right and a door to my left. The one in charge sat down and pulled his chair up opposite the table. The other three terrorists stood behind their leader and I sat facing the lot of them. A picture of me on Redwatch was thrown on the table and the man began speaking. He told me that the UDA was not a racist organisation and that it was not behind the racist attack outside Downing Street. He said the UDA did not have any links to the British Ulster Alliance or any other far right group. This was 27 January 2004, the room was stuffy and my throat was dry. I was just wondering why the man had picked up his gun when he shouted out “no surrender”. Then he stood up, took a step back, and all four terrorists pointed their weapons at me. These guys are killers and within seconds they were firing enough shots to down an elephant. I fell back and hit my head on the chair. Any second now I would be dead. It never happened. It was obvious that they didn’t want to kill me, because when they stopped shooting I was alive. I opened my eyes and slowly got up. The terrorists were looking at me but no longer pointing the weapons. The whole purpose of this meeting, one said, was to prove to you that the UDA did not want you dead, nor were behind the assault. “If the UDA wanted you dead Mr Ali,” he added, “you’d be dead.”
I never said a word so the terrorists left the room. Ten minutes later they were back, words were exchanged and it was all over.
I didn’t get an apology or glass of water from any of them, just blindfolded, and dumped back on the Shankhill. Sod ʼem! I had only come to Belfast to take part in an anti-racist rally anyway.
Back at the University I popped in to see my tutor and he said “any news?” The Metropolitan Police had not arrested anybody for the assault, so I just shook my head. Like the Stephen Lawrence enquiry they were just not taking my assault seriously.
I had only been sitting down for a few minutes when I spotted a message on a number of far right websites. It was about me, and it wasn’t pleasant.
It turned out that the Neo Nazis had turned up at the Tax Credit Office in Preston where I worked, and submitted a number of complaints against me. It seems that they objected to non- whites being employed by the Civil Service and wanted me out. They also complained that I was a suicide bomber, paedophile, and an extremist for heckling the BNP. I have to say this wasn’t the first time they had made these allegations.
Nine months earlier I was outside Burnley Town Hall, watching the BNP and Anti Nazi League shouting abuse at each other when a steward came up to me.
“Mr Ali,” he said, “I know you’re only doing your research but the BNP have made a complaint against you. They don’t like you taking pictures and trying to interview their members. Do you think you could stop?”
“No worries mate, I’m just about done here anyway.”
I walked across the road, put my bag down, and opened a can of coke. I was just wondering whether to get something to eat, when four police officers surrounded me. Same old thing – put your hands in the air and keep them where we can see them. I saw that a police van had pulled up and wondered if I was going to get arrested. It didn’t come to that though. It turned out that because I had brown skin and was wearing an Arabic headscarf, some BNP supporters had told the police that I was a suicide bomber with a bomb strapped to my shoe. Now is that the most absurd thing you have ever heard, or what?
The police checked my shoes and let me go, but the Neo Nazis weren’t finished with me yet. The next day a picture of me taken at the protest appeared on Redwatch, along with the words, “Andi Ali wraps an Arabic headscarf around the mother of a 14 year old girl he raped back in 1997.” See for yourself at www.aryanunity.com/redwatchonline//old1.html.
All I’m doing is giving you an idea what it’s been like studying the BNP. When most students conduct research, all they have to worry about is attending lectures, writing essays and passing exams. They certainly don’t have to worry about being shot, stabbed or having numerous false allegations spread about them at work. Yet I’ve had to face this harassment ever since I began my study. Would you continue with your studies? Would you put your job with Her Majesty Revenue and Customs at risk by standing up to the BNP?
If you’re wondering why I did, then perhaps when you’ve read my story, you’ll understand.
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