On Saturday 9 November, various fascists and neo-Nazis (including the newly-formed “New British Union”) called a demonstration at the Greek Embassy in London in solidarity with the jailed leadership of Greek fascist party Golden Dawn.
Although many of those behind the demo are marginal cranks whose risible pretensions rather outweigh their social significance (the NBU’s handful of members enjoying dressing up in uniforms and pretending it’s 1936), such openly Nazi groups could grow in conditions of ongoing austerity and mainstream media and state racism by attracting disaffected activists on the EDL’s rightwards fringe.
Fortunately, the fascists didn’t get to have their fun unimpeded. Supporters of the Anti-Fascist Network mobilised against them, and were able to engage a contingent of Nazis in what a statement describes as a “frank discussion” at their pre-demo meet up. Some of the younger fascists were physically escorted onto trains home, never arriving at the demonstration. Fascists were later seen bleating on social media about being set upon by a “band” of “reds”.
Golden Dawn flags seized from the Nazis were the spoils of the day. AFN supporters have vowed to continue to mobilise to subvert and disrupt fascist organisation wherever it occurs.
