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Secret BNP meeting stopped by Anti-Fascists in Bath

(A) Sab x | 15.05.2007 10:55 | Anti-racism | Oxford

After having his talk at Bath University cancelled, it looked like Griffin would be giving the city a miss. However, a report on BBC 'points west' stated that he would be holding a secret meeting arranged by nazi Bath student Danny Lake.

Upon hearing that the meeting was still taking place at a secret location, we rang BNP national office who obligingly provided us with BNP youth organiser Danny Lake's mobile number.
We rang him, posing as a student who was pissed of that the uni talk had been cancelled, and he was happy enough to tell us the pub the BNP were meeting in before the speech.
We rang the pub, who seemed worried at the prospect of having Nazis in their bar.
We only had a short time to organise the demo, but got 20 anti-fascists outside the pub within 2 hours notice. The nazis turned up, looked confused and tried to reorganise a meeting place. Our spotters followed the ringleader into a nearby pub, which we entered, chanting and confronting the facists. Despite big talk, they seemed to be unwilling to enter into confrontation.
After being ejected from the pub by the cops, we had a demo outside. When the BNP left the pub (in much smaller numbers than they entered!), we were prevented from following, although a team of spotters managed to get around the police and follow them. They ended up having a tiny gathering in a park, well outnumbered by anti-fascists, who drowned out their speeches with chanting and anti-nazi punks played down a megaphone!
we heard later that Griffin was intending to record his speech and use it as propaganda, but could not do so because of the background noise!
All in all, a good day for anti-fascism - we managed to crash a secret meeting, doubling fash numbers, push them out of three venues, then reduced them to 10 skinheads standing in a park!
Nazis are not welcome in Bath - wherever they go, we will stop them!

NO PASARAN!

(A) Sab x

Additions

my two cents...

16.05.2007 12:46

Well, been reading this thread with some interest, but not liking the flaming. how well we slag each other off is neither here nor there, whilst it may make some of us look clever and eloquent, and make us feel righteous, it serves little use. post theories on here, yeah, post news, and calls to action - all that makes sense. and solidarity and construction criticism, too...

i dunno

i was one of the ones on the demo, and i would modify some of the facts to fit with my observations. we only found out about the demo about 2/3 hours beforehand, and it did involve some creative thinking to get to find where the meeting was at, it wasn't public knowledge. local press broadcasted that the meeting would be going ahead within the city somewhere monday evening, but it was difficult to find more than that.

so, yeah, the demo wasn't huge because we didn't have much time to get a huge gathering together [the Trade Unions, i believe, were still holding their 'festival of diversity' at Bath Uni, which they had originally planned - i won't comment on that idea] , but managed to field 17, plus 1 or 2 that flittered in and out. some of the day was less than organised, but we found them, we effectively chased them from 2 pubs [revolution and litten tree], just by presence alone, we had the local media in on it, support from passersby, some death-threats from drunk BNP supporters, then followed them, with a little police obstruction, to the royal crescent, where about 10-12 or so of them, plus 5 Bath Uni politics students heard Griffin give his talk to a vieo camera instead of a town hall, with anti-fascist music roaring in the background - humiliating. the students from Bath uni were mostly self-proclaimed anti-BNP, but were in attendance to logically defeat them in discussion. we ourselves adopted more the belief that far better to kick them and their filth from our town, instead.

not amazing heroics, but did the job.

Pink


Comments

Hide the following 19 comments

Oh dear this is lame

15.05.2007 11:19

I hate the b.n.p as much as the next person but even David Blunkett can see right through this as a total fabrication. You would also know that the b.n.p don't have secret meetings and organisers mobile numbers have always been available. Meets on both the left and the right usually have re-direction points and a degree of security. So please don't try and make out you've done something special when the real revolution is being waged by the likes of myself. And playing a song by the dead kennedys called nazi punks fuck off is not re3ally appropriate is it? Read the lyrics numbskull. Finally where the pictures? the nazis always seem to provide us with pictures so where are yours on the momentos occasion? Its people like you who make a mockery of all our hard work and put us two steps back while the nazis sit back and laugh at us.

Auntie Christ


re: Oh dear this is lame

15.05.2007 11:50

why is indymedia starting to be populated with a new brand of conspiracy freakos who deny an action happening if there's no photos or mainstream coverage! Pick holes in language to sit more comfortably in your armchair, Auntie Christ? How lame is that!

Well done Bath

lamer n lamer


To Auntie Christ

15.05.2007 12:03

Fine, we'll sit and home next time, and then spend the rest of our lives listening to dicks such as yourself whining about there being nazis all over the place.
The infomation we had about the meeting was that it was secret, and we went to lengths to find out the location, using contacts that we set up for just such an occasion. Im not saying it was majorly difficult getting the location, but had we have not used subtle means, we would have been told to fuck off.
The whole point of this BNP meeting was just so they could say that they had a meeting in Bath after being banned from Bath Uni. They drafted in memebrs from far and wide, with only about 2 of the gathered people being know as local fash.
Had they have had their meeting, they would of hailed it a success, and the media were present, so they would also have reported that the meeting went ahead.
Instead, the media has reported that we moved them from pub to pub, then finally into a field, where they stayed for 10 minutes before pissing off.
Would you rather we stayed at home, and give the BNP the message that they can do what they want when they want in Bath? Can you tell me what part of this action was not a success?

You're obviously a dick, so im not even going to make the 'solidarity' argument - just fuck off!

(A) Sab


auntie christ

15.05.2007 12:22

"don't try and make out you've done something special when the real revolution is being waged by the likes of myself" - sorry but ive got two words for you, fuck off. Your waging the real revolution eh? what would that be? sitting in your armchair, spouting off a load of pretentious shite and trying to take the piss out of people who are actually doing something? do us all a favour and keep your pretentious pseudo-revolutionary rants to your self ya arsehole. well done to all those anti-fascist lads in lasses in bath who actually did something.

northern anti-fascist


ooh. Indy Media is above being questioned

15.05.2007 12:46

Offical news source... we always question it and view it as fake most of the time, hence the need for Indymedia

Indymedia - question it and get called a wifebeater ( this did happen)

Indymedia should be a place where the truth can be shown; and as its the truth it can handle questions. When people attack others for asking questions they are turning into the poodles Bush and Blair ( and soon Brown) want them to be.

YoY


To Truth seeker

15.05.2007 14:25

Not quite the truth?
The BNPs website showed a small number of the counter demonstrators. Yes there was only 20 of us, but we had 2 hours notice after finding the location of the meeting. However, the pictures on the BNP site do show the tiny number of people who attended the talk. And also, just because Nick Griffin stood infront of a sign for Bath Uni for a photo op, it didnt mean he went inside. Infact, the overwhelming majority of sudents made it abundantley clear that he would be chased back out if he did try and set foot in Bath University.
It was fully cynical to slag of the numbers at the counter demo, which everyone knows would have involved hundreds if not thousands, were it not for the original speech being cancelled and reduced to a 'secret' meeting.

Face it fash, no-one likes you!

(A) Sab


Nice job

15.05.2007 14:34

Excellent job. Well done to all the anti-fascists who took part in yet another humiliation for Griffin and co. :-)

Lancaster UAF
mail e-mail: lancaster.uaf@zen.co.uk
- Homepage: http://lancasteruaf.blogspot.com/


WELL DONE ALL yous IN BATH

15.05.2007 14:41

WELL DONE.THIS IS JUST THE START.WELL DONE FOR NOW BATH!!

WELL DONE


Last comment from me (hopefully)

15.05.2007 16:46

About 2 of the 20 or so anti-fascists are students. If you wern't there, don't spectulate with your tired stereotypes, and if you have any better ideas, then suggest them, but i suspect you don't, so try shutting the fuck up. I cant be bothered to defend myself much more but seriously, if you can do better than we did then fuck off and do it, if you can't, just fuck off!
Indymedia is a brilliant rescource, but is ruined by wankers and armchair activists who sit on their fat fucking asses all day and do nothing but criticise people who can be bothered to get active. Thank you to those of you who have suppotred our action on this post, and even those who have offered constructive criticism. But those of you who are basing your posts on assumption, or even worse, the BNP website (which showed a picture of a small group of us, claiming it was the entire demo) then fuck off and leave us alone - and i'm not just talking about Baths anti fascists, but all activists that inconvienences themselves in order to do the right thing, but gets rewarded with derogatary posts from dickheads

(A) Sab


w00t

15.05.2007 16:57

nice one!

rasputin


Even lamer

15.05.2007 18:35

I was amused at how lame the first post was but as it went on it became more and more laughable. The nazi scum are laughing at us and you think this pathetic demonstration was some kind of victory? All this kind of thing does it make them laugh at us more and puts all our hard work in the firing line and open to ridicule while your childish demonstrations give the fash excuse after excuse to make us look like a joke.

Pathetic

Auntie Christ


Why?

15.05.2007 19:12

Alright Aunty Christ, youve let us know what you think of our demo, but now can you tell us why? Can you give us any hints and tips that can bring us up to your impecable standard of activism.
Can you also tell us what it is that you are doing that is so effective that it makes our demo seem crap and laughable, because it seems that what you are doing is so much better that what the rest of us are doing, it needs to be shared. The fate of the revolution is in your ingenious hands, and without your pearls of wisdom, our movement is nothing.
Unless of course you're just some sad wanker who spends his life criticising other people without contributing anything positive yourself, but, like I say, if you want us to do better, tell us how... were listening.

(A) Sab


I love you all

15.05.2007 19:35

You're all beautiful and wonderful. Well done Bath people, I love you all. You showed Nick Griffin that he's not welcome in Bath, well done! Love, F x

Federica


auntie christ reminds me of.....

15.05.2007 20:16

that fat comic book shop owner off the simpsons. anyone else think that?

northern anti-fascist


I'm with A Sab on this one...

15.05.2007 20:41

Auntie Christ's criticisms may as well be constructive. What do you suggest, Auntie?

F


Disinformation and Information Warfare

15.05.2007 20:43

"Auntie Christ" is a troll at best, posting to wind people up, posting to discourage activists, posting to divide activists -- people assume that everybody posting on this site is a genuine activist -- this is not the case. There are serial posters on this site who's sole aim is to piss people off, and worse.

So, what to do? Don't get too wound up, I know this is hard but your anger is because you think that the crap comment is from another activist who is having a go -- it probably isn't.

Two options to do in cases like this:

1. Ignore them and get a IMC admin to hide the trolling comments.

2. Reply and engage in a debate -- if you do this don't expect to win, you don't win arguments with psycopaths, post to demolish their arguments for the others that will come after you.

Personally I find it hard to summon the energy for option 2. and tend to go with option 1....

Once people have started to go with option 2. then option 1. becomes harder -- hiding all the "Auntie Christ" comments would now make the rest of the thread make no sense...

Remember that this is wartime, right now and for the foreseable future.

scanner


If...

15.05.2007 23:16

the "secret meeting" where Griffin was to speak was discovered, and if they had managed to disrupt or ensure its cancellation...

...then all I have to say is...

WELL DONE FOLKS!

Fascist scum should not be welcome ANYWHERE, at ANY TIME.

Tom A


don't censor them???

16.05.2007 09:00

Of course Flem and qwey are trolls and as such should be fed... see my comment above...

But the suggestion that Indymedia shouldn't censor them is so absurd: you are clearly not serious -- if you were the you would be proposing to the working groups of indymedia that they need to abandon this editorial clause:

Discrimination : posts using language, imagery, or other forms of communication promoting racism, fascism, xenophobia, sexism, homophobia or any other form of discrimination.

Want try try to put a coherent argument why the Indymedia collectives should host a site that allows racism on it?

scanner


just as bad

05.08.2008 23:01

im no fascist but by stopping the bnp from expressing their views and beliefs you are more oppressive than then

matt


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