Anti-Fascism

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Far right on rise in Sweden

The success of far-right populists across Europe continued in Sweden with a surge in support for the Sweden Democrats who took in 17.6 percent of the vote, coming third against the left and right blocs. Both blocs have refused to form a coalition with them but with a motion of confidence due for Swedish Prime Minister and Swedish Social Democrat leader Stefan Löfven, Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Akesson believes Löfven will have to negotiate with him. Akesson focused his election campaign firmly on migration and law and order. He is also in favour of holding a referendum to leave the EU. The...

Do we need a new ANL?

My conclusions from attending a protest against a “Free Tommy Robinson” rally in London on 14 July were as follows: • There were two anti-Robinson marches but combined they were still outnumbered by the right-wing mobilisation. The Unite Against Fascism (UAF) marchers probably had an average age of over 50 and they were overwhelmingly middle class. The march was not stewarded. The Antifa march was younger and had a (purely verbal) stated intention of physically stopping the right. • The SWP who run UAF are in a bad way and are now incapable of putting large numbers onto the streets (and if...

Danger posed by Robinson retrial

Far-right leader Tommy Robinson has been released prison after he had his conviction for contempt of court quashed. The Court of Appeal has ordered a new trial. This will be a major boost for Robinson’s supporters and his own profile. He now awaits a new hearing on the charge of contempt of court. Always prepared to offend, Robinson compared his time in prison to being in Guantanamo Bay, claimed he was moved from Hull to Onley, a prison with a 30% Muslim population and put in a cell opposite the “Prison Mosque.” No such “mosque” exists. As his complaint letter to the prison states, what...

Far right targets socialist bookshop

The socialist bookshop Bookmarks was invaded by far-right activists on Saturday 4 August. The activists threw books, tore up placards and posters, and threatened staff and customers. Fortunately no-one was injured. The bookshop, which is run by the Socialist Workers Party, is located in Bloomsbury, central London. The attack appears to be an opportunistic action carried out by protesters returning from a protest against alleged “censorship” of Alex Jones’s far-right conspiracy-theory platform “InfoWars”. One of those involved was wearing a Donald Tump mask. A video taken by the assailants...

Far-right humiliated in Cambridge

On 21 July 2018, a demo called by supporters of English Defence League co-founder and far-right activist Tommy Robinson ended quickly in humiliation. In sharp contrast to the thousands of Robinson supporters on the streets of London the Saturday before, the Cambridge ‘Free Tommy’ demo had a turnout of 35 at most. Opposing the far-right were two counter-demonstrations that joined forces on a different corner of Parker’s Piece to the ‘Free Tommy’ demo: one called by Stand Up to Racism (SUTR) and Unite Against Fascism (UAF), and another called by Cambridge University Students’ Union BME Campaign...

Unions must oppose far right

While the 14 July mobilisation of anti-fascists to oppose the rally in support of former EDL leader Tommy Robinson was significantly better than that on 9 July, it was still smaller than that of Robinson’s supporters. Some 5,000, many part of an organised far right gathered in Whitehall. Around 3,000 anti-fascist marchers were initially split into two contingents, the majority meeting at the starting point organised by Stand Up to Racism. Others congregating near Waterloo were organised by London Anti-Fascists. The two groups merged on Parliament Street (the approach to Whitehall). However the...

How the German state let Nazis get away with murder

A Munich court announced its verdicts last week at the end of the five-year long NSU (National-Socialist Underground) trial. Beate Zschäpe, the only surviving member of the Neo-Nazi “NSU trio”, was sentenced to life imprisonment for her role in the ten murders, three bombings and 15 armed robberies carried out by the NSU between 2000 and 2007. Zshäpe had claimed that she had known nothing of the activities carried out by Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Böhnhardt, the two other members of the trio who had committed suicide after a botched robbery in 2011. A neo-Nazi all her adult life, Zschäpe claimed —...

The answer to Trump: rebuild working-class organisation

July saw the one-man circus that is President Donald Trump smear its rancid trail across Europe. Most eye-catching was Trump’s support for the anti-immigrant racism of the European populist right. He re-told the standard cultural racist narrative to the Sun, saying that immigration had “changed the fabric” of the continent “I think you are losing your culture.” Trump also continued his ongoing attacks on London Mayor Sadiq Kahn saying, “Take a look at the terrorism that is taking place. Look at what is going on in London. I think he has done a very bad job on terrorism”, with the clear...

Stop the far right in West Yorkshire

On Saturday the 7th of July Leeds has the distinct non pleasure of playing host to two far right marches and rallies as well as the National Front carrying out a demo in Wakefield. In Leeds the Free Tommy group have twice before in June held demos outside Leeds Crown Court were Stephen Yaxley Lennon aka Tommy Robinson was caught trying to prejudice a trial and then sent down after pleading guilty to Contempt of Court. The first Free Tommy march on the 1st of June was completely unopposed and included a March through the centre of Leeds were there were chants of "Muslims off our streets". The...

Stop the far right on 14 July

On 14 July the combined forces of the far right will once again march in London in support of the imprisoned far-right “journalist”, and former leader of the English Defence League, Tommy Robinson. On 9 June, this far right — the Democratic Football Lads Alliances, For Britain and other groups — managed to mobilise up to 15,000 people to a rally in Whitehall. There is no guarantee this loose alliance will be able get the same numbers this time, but they should not be underestimated. The left, labour and anti-fascist movements need to pull out all the stops to build a strong opposing force on...

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