Crivvens! Jings! And Help Ma Boab! Just forget the Scottish Referendum for a wee while and bask in a multitude of far right failures! After the fallouts following the EDL’s demo disaster in Rotherham, the collapse of Camp Skank, and next Saturday’s proposed ‘March On Downing Street’ looking very weak, the news that March For England have bottled it going back to Brighton next year is a significant success for anti-fascists. So sit back and relax as we reflect on how poorly the MFE have done over the last couple of years.
No Surrender! Until We Do!’
Of course MFE pretended they were not sick of being humiliated, battered and chased out of Brighton every year so employed their usual hubris. ‘We will be back’ they said which actually means a couple of blokes will stay at a crap Worthing B&B then sneak into Brighton unannounced to take a photo near the Cowley Club when its shut. So what caused this sudden loss of nerve?
Chimps Gone Wild!
The MFE annual humiliation was started in 2010 by long dead groupuscule English Nationalist Alliance led by the comely Bill ‘Chimps’ Baker who was kicked out of the EDL and has since died from a balantic disorder. They gathered up at the train station protected by dozens of cops with dogs, horses, and riot vans, as hundreds of anti-fascists surrounded them. After some delay, they set off. There were about 40 odd ‘chav scrotes’ (copyright EDL leadership) led by plod who eventually forced the march through the blockades set up by militants. There were a few scuffles and the march was continuously delayed: anti-fascists kept pushing them back as plod got increasingly vexed but eventually the ENA reached their demo point for a few tediously predictable speeches about being ‘English Till I Die’ (the sooner, the better). Then plod hurriedly escorted them back to the station followed by large crowds of local anti-fascists who waved them goodbye. It was not a great start for MFE.
In 2011, MFE consisted of 70 non-local and renegade EDL, casuals, the incompetent and the incontinent. The MFE leaders had elbowed ‘Chimps’ Baker out of the limelight, determined to take the glory. Which was sadly lacking. Again, masses of anti-fascists surrounded the MFE at the train station. The UAF contingent were kettled by plod and effectively neutralised as other black blockers, militants and anarchists kept mobile and out of reach. The MFE were hoping to emulate the numbers of the EDL demos but just didn’t have the support and had to bus in eejits from elsewhere. They were really a fragile alliance of tiny groupuscules attempting to organise outside the EDL but could not help falling out with each other. They were again outnumbered, heavily protected by police and then scuttled out of town.
In 2012, plod drafted in other forces and were more aggressive having lost control the year before. The march set off and was blockaded by anti-fascists, many of whom were tangling with police whilst trying to get at the MFE. The march was completely halted and eventually redirected. However militants moved through the tiny backstreets which kept opposition fluid and effective and they blockaded the new route. Boosted by their success and a worried looking MFE, anti-fascists became much more ‘proactive:’ some started banging on a corrugated fence (which sounded well scary) as bottles, crates, bollards and other missiles rained down on the terrified MFE and the cops. Plod eventually forced their way through with some difficulty but the march was now about 1 ½ hours late. The MFE got to their meet up with great difficulty and after a couple of brief speeches and were led chastened and deflated back to the station by plod. This was a definitive victory for anti-fascists. And next year would be even better.
In 2013, seaside plod had had enough of 'shelling out the clams' to other forces because they could not contain the counter-demonstration and were themselves sick of the MFE. Anti-fascists came into contact with the MFE for the 1st time and it proved very dicey for the fash. They had gathered at the new pier as 100s of anti-fascists filled the area. 1 terrified group of MFE hiding in a bookies were rescued by plod then covered in black gunk. Anti-fascists cornered a few faces in an alley who were bricked, slapped and run, eventually being protected by plod. On the seafront there was hand to hand fighting and the MFE came off very badly. In the lanes the black block were chasing stray fascists down to the seafront where they got into further bother. In one incident, a solo fash was attacked and beaten then, as antifascists withdrew, was arrested. After all the boasting about their prowess, the MFE were properly turned over by those they consistently misidentify as ‘soft, middle-class, student anti-fascists.’ In revenge, they vowed to come back on St Obscurities day but this, like their ‘100s of supporters,’ totally failed to materialise.
After the utter humiliation of 2013, the MFE foolishly talked up 2014, again claiming they would be bringing ‘100s’ but gathered scarcely 100 on the day. This time, they were kettled in a Wetherspoon’s as a large group of anti-fascists surrounded them. Plod forced them through to the start of their embarrassing 400 yard stumble and after ½ hour in the drizzle MFE were then sheepishly marched to the train station. As they headed back they were barracked and blockaded by mobile and militant anti-fascists and at one point were completely exposed at the clock tower. We had a brief chat with Paul Prodromou and his idiot son who went ‘come on then’ whilst standing in front of 20 plod. He was given a clip round the ear and then ran off crying. The black block barricaded their way to the station and the redirected MFE were attacked from the sides. Again, the MFE were outnumbered, slapped, humiliated, and embarrassed and they knew it would only be worse in 2015 so their cries of ‘No Surrender’ now sound suddenly empty. Funnily enough, anti-fascists are going to miss it next year as it is now such an enormous mobilisation of anti-fascists and a celebration of diversity by the many groups opposing MFE. Be Seeing You. Or rather, not.