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Unite Against Fascism - or Unite Against Anti-fascism?

oneandonehalf | 28.03.2010 15:19 | Anti-racism

In a further effort to corner the anti-fascism market, UAF are now dishing out disinformation about 'Hope not hate' (HnH).

Although 'Hope not hate' left the UAF under less than happy terms, the former deserve great credit for the manner of their 'quiet' campaign against the BNP, which is proving more effective than the publicity-hungry 'on the streets - in your face - wanna buy a newspaper' tactics of the latter. For this reason, I was dismayed to read the following from a student who wanted to take the HnH route in Barking and Dagenham:

"After the meeting I spoke to Jack from my class, who told me to speak to a man named Roddy who worked for the Unite Against Fascism group. I told him that I had been in contact with the HOPE note hate group and wanted to set up a desk myself. He did not like this idea. He told me that HOPE not hate, despite doing a lot of good work to try and stop the BNP, had another agenda. They are a pro-Labour group who don’t just want people to not vote BNP, but to vote Labour instead. This is understandable as the BNP’s main opposition in Barking and Dagenham is the current Labour MP of the area Margaret Hodge." [1]

While I have the utmost respect for 'lay' members of UAF, I believe the position of the hierarchy is becoming untenable in the anti-fascism sphere. What's more, I think we 'all' know this in our heart of hearts. There is no point beating about the bush and writing a protracted article attempting to balance the 'good' side and the 'bad' side of the organisation; if we want a credible anti-fascism movement, we must ditch the UAF and ensure that the SWP are not allowed to muscle in on any replacement!

[1]  http://joshbroadhurst.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/unite-against-fascism/

oneandonehalf

Comments

Hide the following 3 comments

The UAF are usless in combating racism. They are SWP & they DID "just muscle in"

28.03.2010 16:22

The SWP try to muscle in on just about everything. Don't give them any money!

Lotty


UAF

28.03.2010 21:54

Yes UAF do have their own agenda, and the way UAF use Anti-Fascism to try to promote the SWP is counter-productive. However EVERYONE who doesn't support the BNP is by definition Anti-Fascist, and the great success of organised Anti-Fascism is the way campaigns have expanded to include centre-right groups like the Centre for Social Cohesion, British Muslims for Secular Democracy, many liberal members of the Church of England and other religious groups, the Lib-Dem MP Dominic Carman and the Tory "Nothing British About the BNP" campaign group etc, as well as more traditional libertarian, anarchist and left-liberal campaigners.

However the simple fact is that UAF are still the only organisation that regularly organises Anti-Fascist protests and if they did not, then right-wing groups would march un-opposed the length and breadth of the UK and soon gain the confidence to run amok, trying to incite the race war Enoch Powell predicted. Hope not Hate are a far better, more flexible and strategically subtle organisation when it comes to political campaigning - they too also have their own political beliefs but so does EVERYONE who's involved in politics. We still need to remain united, and stay focussed on what we have in common otherwise the BNP will win in Barking.

Bobsleigh


uaf

30.03.2010 11:40

strange we,antifa, also organised in edin and glasgow. got 100's on the streets. preventing sdl marching. whilst uaf went for a walk in the park

oi oi
- Homepage: http://www.edinburghantifascist.org.uk/


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