March For England Dismal Failure

When we got to Brighton Station for the much anticipated and poorly attended March For England (MfE) the place was full of plod tugging likely looking individuals and handing out Section 60s. We dodged out of the side and headed for the seafront via the numerous back alleys that have helped Brighton militants and visitors avoid kettling on demos for years. We got to the seafront about 11.30 and there were a handful of MfE who were completely surrounded by 100s of anti-fascists - local folk, UAF, black block, Brighton Anti-Fascists anarchists, socialists, trade unionists, and a load of punks from the Punx Picnic that was taking place that weekend. The sprightly black block kept plod on his toes all day. The cops started gradually extending the cordon from the Sealife centre to the war memorial fountain where the seagulls go drinking to contain the increasing numbers of counter-protesters so 100s of anti-fascists moved from the pier to the roundabout, hopping over fences, as plod got increasingly nervous. A couple of MfE eejits who had stayed in the pub too long and couldn't join the demo stood about looking foolish before scarpering. This was a common sight all day. As the counter-demo swelled the fash couldn't join their simian comrades so either cowered in a pub somewhere out of sight or gathered up enough bravado to wander about. Which usually ended unfortunately for them as the black block proved both mobile and militant. The black blockers chased a bunch of MfE into a bookies in Kemp Town and besieged it until plod managed to move them away. As they did so several MfE and plod were splattered with black gunk. They should have stayed in the pub. The area was swamped with anti-fascists so we went for a wander. At the Sealife Centre we heard the best and politest heckle of the day: 'I don't think you've done well in your lives!'

As plod became more frustrated by the anarcho-runaround, anti-fascists came across some Infidels in a side street who panicked as they came under fire from a mass of projectiles. Horse plod moved in to protect them. Anti-fascists then managed to kettle in plod from both ends of the side street from what we could see. It was hilarious to see one of the Infidels, Diddyfiddler, cacking himself and begging cops for protection.

Plod were pulling people's facemasks off by force which led to several confrontations and de-arrests so we moved to the end of the march route and were soon joined by a large group of black block. As we stood chatting, one toothless goon walked and shouted 'Come On Then!' only to receive a stern talking to.

He also lost the contents of his handbag which were scattered over the road. His mate fared even worse and once they picked themselves up they hid behind the cops and started trying to grass people as usual but to no avail: 'It was the one in black officer!'

Vans, fences and plod lines obscured the view of the actual march which seems to have been about 150 performing monkeys convincing no one of anything. MfE had said it was a 'family day out' and some had bought kids to hide behind but, as usual, their eejits division had already put out statements threatening to 'Have It' with anti-fascists. We are still waiting for evidence that they had anything apart from police protection. 'We go where we want want when we want?' Yeah, with the help of 6 police forces.

Plod chaperoned them from the pier to the Ship Hotel where they stood around listening to the same daft speeches for ten minutes and were then marched back pronto. Back near the pier, Brighton anti-fascists gathered up and marched through town back to the station, triumphantly singing 'Whose Streets? Our Streets!' - something few can deny on the day. By this time we had been on the go all day so we retired to a friendly pub for a few beers and to meet up with some new chums. It had been a very good day and anti-fascism had triumphed yet again.

For a national demo, the MfE effort was piss poor. They had been talking it up as a 'revenge' trip for their utter routing last year but on the day they simply could not mobilise the numbers. Several little groups of them who could not join the march were 'interviewed' by militant anti-fascists and found wanting. The MfE claimed they had got the better of the anti-fascists but there is absolutely no evidence of this anywhere. As in Walthamstow, Bristol and Brighton last year, large amounts of anti-fascists prevented themselves from being kettled and maintained a massive and fluent counter-presence to the far right. Plod had difficulty containing the vast majority of people and we were free to go where we wanted. The MfE looked tiny, subdued and outnumbered. Of course, they are threatening to go back down to Brighton in November on a cold, rainy Wednesday afternoon in 'revenge' but this, like every other attempt they make in Brighton, will be a miniscule and dismal parade of arsebugling fuckspangles dancing round in the valley of the eejits! If they can manage to get there that is.

It was clear on Sunday that the MfE, which had gathered all the tiny splinter groups from the EDL together, is going nowhere. The EDL itself has fallen on hard times with Mr Tommy scared of going back to jail and Kousin Kev Karrol taking over the leadership of British Freedom which promptly collapsed. Fallouts continue as the few remaining arsebugles vie for attention, titles and glory. To little avail. The Infidels cannot gather enough people for a proper demo and so rely on the South East Alliance and other groupuscules for support and eejits like Combined Spent-Forces and Cagoules Unlimited are nothings run by nobodies. There is an EDL demo this weekend in Leeds which will show anti-fascists how many have stayed true to Tommy and the far right are still a bit of a concern in Yorkshire and the North East. However, the main worry for anti-fascists is UKIP sucking up protest votes and BNP members by the score. How they fare at the upcoming election will prove very interesting indeed. As ever, the far right reinvent themselves continually and it is up to anti-fascists to both expose and confront them. Be seeing you!