London Indymedia

March against the NF.

Peter Dean | 12.01.2005 14:11 | Anti-racism | London

Unite Against Fascism call on all those who can, to join us to stop the fascist National Front from marching in Woolwich this Saturday 13th January 2005.

Please assemble at 12 noon Saturday 15th January
Woolwich Dockyard Station, Belson Rd, Woolwich.

The fascist National Front have said that they will march in Woolwich next Saturday 15th January. They must be stopped. Their only purpose is to stir up hatred and try and divide black and white people in Woolwich.

The National Front, and their bigger fascist friends the BNP, are not welcome in Woolwich. They will all come in from outside the area - polluting our community.

The NF say they are marching to mark the death of Terry Gregory who was stabbed to death in a tragic and horrible incident a year ago. Yet when the NF rabble marched last year the Gregory family rightly said they wanted nothing to do with the NF, their march or their politics.

The NF follow Hitler. Their leader who has called the march is Terry Blackham - convicted twenty times for violence, including four years for gun running to Loyalist killers in Northern Ireland. Is this the kind of person we want strutting the streets of Woolwich under police protection?

Woolwich residents, both black and white, should unite and tell the NF to keep out of Woolwich. The police should stop the march from taking place. If they do not, then as many people as possible should assemble to stop the NF from marching.
We are calling on all anti racists in South London and beyond to join us. We ask you to bring your friends and families and to bring banners .

Unite against fascism says STOP THE NAZI NF- UNITE TO OPPOSE RACISM. For more information call Unite Against Fascism on 020 7833 4916/020 7837 4522


Peter Dean

Comments

Hide the following 19 comments

UAF

12.01.2005 14:47

"In its present state UAF cannot achieve anything - except perhaps as a de facto election campaign for the Labour Party. While Livingstone made criticisms of Labour policy on asylum-seekers, there was little else from the platform except scaremongering and platitudes. There is no blame laid at the door of the mainstream parties for peddling anti-asylum-seeker propaganda and then denouncing the BNP for doing essentially the same thing. Working class people who have turned in their alienation and desperation to the BNP are denounced as much as the BNP itself.

It is popular frontist cynicism at its worst. Young people are patronised and herded to the ballot box where they are meant to vote for one of the establishment’s trusted parties, or maybe even Respect, on the basis of apocalyptic warnings that a German-type fascism is about to sweep the country. Meanwhile Tony Blair and New Labour uphold the system of monarchy and capital, take us to war on the basis of lies, help US imperialism occupy Iraq, maintain the Tories’ anti-trade union laws, hound illegal migrants in the name of multicultural Britain and pass all manner of draconian ‘anti-terrorist’ laws.

Of course, the BNP is a bunch of Nazi thugs in suits. But the New Labour government is surely the main enemy."

Anne McShane

 http://www.cpgb.org.uk/worker/518/uaf.html

- -


Good cause, wrong people

12.01.2005 15:40

It's an exclusively white area. What would the people there prefer to see on their doorstep?

The NF looking a bit odd, or the usual SWP unwashed middle class types that will turn up with lollipops and stupid slogans? Let the local people deal with it. UAF and its thieving types only make people more considerate to the NF.

Please does us all a favour and keep Benette away form working clas people!!

Joe Clemence
mail e-mail: red_action@hotmail.com


Antifa?

12.01.2005 15:46

I can't be bothered to waive placards with these idiots.

Are Antifa going?

Cedney


anne and joe are idiots

12.01.2005 17:03

thank god that Anne and Joe do not represent or have any influence inside the working class.

they both belong in long established political parties (communist party and red action) and should know better. if we were to listen to these tossers in the 1970s then the NF would probably would be a mass party with MPs and a broad base. haven't they learnt a thing about how the NF were beaten in the 70's. just in case you forgot, it was because of mass mobilsation on the streets by black and white people. have you forgoten about the time the NF tried to march in Lewisham in 1977 and that they were physically stopped by the locals and supporters of the Anti Nazi Leauge.

Do you remeber CAble Street demos in the 1930s??





red letter


We were there

12.01.2005 17:44

Um, we were there. That's why the likes of the UAF/SWP expelled us.

Where were you in the 80's, on Daddy's farm?

Nice porn (not)

Joe
mail e-mail: as before


Some idiots

12.01.2005 19:03

Some people are so thick.

Red Action an established political party? Where and since when?

RA (The Independent Working Class Association) is a pressure valve to measure and encourage working class resistance to the "New Labour" fascism.

Historically and honestly, if you check the pictures of or were perhaps there, you would see that there was actually very few black faces at Lewisham.

As for the ANL that people flocked to at that time, who do you think that is now? That "ANL" (Mark 1) was controlled by the SWP, which at at crucial time in the 80's expelled those very militant members, who became........Red Action.


The problem we have with UAF and ANL(Mark II) is its total irrelevance to fighting fascism now. Never (as is suggested will or has happened) in the original post either, has UAF actually stopped a fascist march.

The contentious issue is, by their nature the UAF(SWP) will do more harm then good in challenging the fascists. None of their membership actually connects with the white people that they want to "protect" from the NF.

The use of porn on here is a clear ploy by the UAF to side-track the argument and discussions that should now follow.

Of course, no we do not "remember" Cable Street, but unlike yourself, we stem from the very tradition of militant antifascism that was Cable Street and was so readily rejected by the SWP/ANL in the 1980's when it lost political kudos and financial donations for them.

Only the working class can challenge fascism in working class areas. The UAF are therefore incapable of either challenge.

Lorna Reid
- Homepage: http://www.iwca.info


Historically and Honestly

12.01.2005 19:53

Lorna

1. You are too young to have been in Lewisham in 1977, so how do you know how many Black people were there?

2. How many of those people expelled from the ANL/SWP, who went on to form Red Action, were subsequently expelled from Red Action?

3. What % of those expelled for squadism by the SWP still support or are members of Red Action/IWCA today?

4. Perhaps you would like to explain why AFA, the most effective anti-facist group in recent times, went tits up under Red Action's leadership?

"historically and honestly" would be nice!

Arthur Pint


Here comes Serarchlight

13.01.2005 00:00

Propogating the Zionist lies of Searchlight does not detract from Lorna's original argument.


When ,ilitant antifascism was most relevant and important, the people behind the UAF deserted and chided the fight.

Once AFA's policies (led by RA) were proved correct and the BNP was beaten off the streets, the SWP re-ignite the ANL and subsequently the UAF as a spin on working class politics.

The BNP is oonly relevant to working class people because the people in the Labour "movement" still make it so.

22 BNP councillors make that right.

You do not havr to have been at Lewisham to know what Lorna said is correct.

Joe Clemence


"Our area"

13.01.2005 00:47

Personally, I'm more amused by the UAF's claim that Woolwich is their area.

They'll all be bussed in form Hampstead as they ususally are for these events.

Terry


Woolwich exclusively white?

13.01.2005 01:32

Woolwich is not an exclusively white area. This is pure nonsence. Pop down and see for yourself. The black community kicked the crap out of the fash at New Cross (1&1/2miles appox from Lewisham) in 77. The UAF might be shite but should we just accept the NF marching?

Jason Cortez


In 1977 in New Cross it was the police you attacked!

13.01.2005 10:43

I would like to correct you in saying that you anti-fasicsts kicked the crap out of the NF in New Cross in 1977. You couldn't get near the NF as they were so well protected by hundreds of police so what you did instead was pelt the police with bottles, brick and other weapons. Over 200 anti-fasicsts were arrested that day for violent offences of which included GHB and assualt on police officers.

The you did the same again in Welling in 1993 when you tried to attack the BNP headquarters, this time seriously injurying a BLACK police officer. Who when interviewed said that he did not agree with the BNP but believed in free speach. I think that black police officer in defending the right to free speach was braver than all you so called anti-fasicsts who can only fight when you are in large mobs and have to hide behind masks. If you don't agree the BNP or NF then tell people to vote for someone else. Violence has no place in politics! I for one no longer want to be involved in your anti-fascist adventures.

An ex anti-fascist activist


This is the filth

13.01.2005 11:34

How can the UAF argue against these facts?
How can the UAF argue against these facts?

They are everywhere in town.

OAP


in reply

13.01.2005 13:01


to start of with- no joe my daddy is not a farmer- if you would like to know - he runs an italian cafe in cardiff- as it happens ,he held ANL meetings in the 1970's in his cafe.

As to Lorna - several points

firstly- UAF have not stopped many nazi street protests- only because the BNP do not tend to have marches, they have learnt lessons from the 1970's (something you should also do)that it is not productive to do so, knowing full well that the anti-nazis would mobilise if they did. when Le Pen came to UK , UAF did organise a good turnout of people to welcome him.

Lorna accuses the UAF = swp. well have a good look at the UAF website- supporters include no less than 30 MPs, almost all of the general secertaries of the trade unions and other definate non-swp people.

In the 1980's the ANL did disband-only because that the NF were no longer a threat then.

On a political debate- Lorna makes the mistake that new labour = facsism, well this is politically untrue, labour do not want to smash trade unions, kill jews, ect ect. we will be mistaken to think such things-the BNP &NF do- thats the big diffrence.

lewisham 1977- yes there were large numbers of black people on that counter demo- if i have got time and can find , i will down load some archive photos to prove.

red letter


Posh Coffee drinkers join the fight

13.01.2005 14:02

Latte, anybody?

30 MPs sign up to support them, but the UAF is an SWP front organisation. Ring the number.

I only mentioned that the UAF had never stoped a nazi march, because that is what they were going to do according to the initial post.

The NF unimportant in the 80's? Come, come. If you only knew (or cared) what they were up to back then.

The BNP do not hold marches anymore? Correct. Why is that? Is it because AFA and RA kept taking the fight to them right through the 80's and 90's? Yes.

And Labour do not want to destroy unions? Maybe just make them irrelevant instead eh?

Joe
- Homepage: http://www.iwca.info


Where's RA

13.01.2005 17:47

countering facism with more than banners is essential. UAF in reality does very little, its messages are targeted to reach the mainly unaffected and passive masses. Confrontation in breeding grounds for facism by RA provides an alternative group of friends football & fighting. "fight fire with fire"

I would encourage RA to produce an alternative opposite site to redwatch listing the facists

as for the labour party its mainly led by the populist agenda in the papers, prodominantly by the mail - as with the mail, it pushes agendas with a racial undertone, whilst at the same time saying it doesnt suport facism.

shameless malik


Missing points

14.01.2005 10:35

Well, we can join this row too, as like RA we were in the SWP in the 1970s and were chucked out and saw how they were running the ANL as a cover up for Labour just like now (the 30 MPs are part of the problem, not a counter to it).

So, a few points:

1. The Labour Party is the biggest problem. It does want to/is wrecking working class organisation (with the help of well paid trade union leaders. At present it doesn't care about killing Jews as it prefers slaughtering Iraqis but the propoganda accompanying the current immigration and 'anti-terrorist' laws vilifies Asians and Muslims in just the same way previous govts attacked Jewish immigrants. The SWP pretend that this is not the case and hang on to their alliance with Labour 'lefties' as they have always done.

2. It is right to try and stop the NF/BNP marching any time, anywhere. It doesn't matter who stops them and if the marchers are 'bussed in', and come from the UAF. Such opposition is ok and it is a kind of inverted snobbery to oppose it taking place. But saying it is ok as it upholds a non-platform principle and stops the fash having it all their own way is not at ALL the same as organising in the area that is affected, which is much harder.

FRFI supporter


What Jason said!

14.01.2005 10:49

UAF, RA, IWCA, SWP, ANL.... blah, blah, fucking blah.

But, like Jason said, are we going to let them march in our area?

Knopf


Racists in uniform

14.01.2005 11:22

I'm sorry if i get my racists mixed up at times. But there were some gaps in the line of filth at times, that were that expoilted. So you great plan to defeat Fascism, is ask people to vote for someone else.The mainstream parties are partly responcible for recent raise in the fortunes of the BNP. It was their polices and propaganda that created the conditions for the fash to flourish.

Jason Cortez


Are The UAF Aware Of This?

14.01.2005 12:00

The NF has moved its protest


Name: NF ADMIN
NF member?: Member
Sent: 9:47 GMT on 14 January
Topic: URGENT MESSAGE TO ALL OUR MEMBERS / SUPPORTERS R&R

****************IMPORTANT MESSAGE INFORMATION**************************

Our campaign of Remembrance ceremony has been put back to SUNDAY 16th January 2005 at 1:pm.
This is because we have been contacted by the Police who have announced they will not allow us to fly any union flags during the walk from our assembly points to the place where we will lay the floral tributes.

This is just in case the flying of the union flag upset certain people.

This is not acceptable to us and we are therefore making our own arrangements to perform the walk the following day without any Police supervision or co-operation.

We would ask all people planning on making this trip to keep a close eye on this guest book for further updates, which will be made as soon as we receive them.

Unfortunately we cannot take any comments or suggestions concerning this matter via this guest book until we know more about the situation

Thank you and we apologise unreservedly to our members and supporters for the inconvenience. R&R

Joe


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