Antifascist multicultural festival in Dundee Scotland which took place on 1st Sept 2012. After an earlier anti-fascist demonstration in Dundee at which flowers were laid at a memorial plaque to commemorate the Dundonian volunteers who gave their lives to fight Fascism in Spain, a multicultural festival was held in the city square which lasted all afternoon. There were anti-racist stalls, stalls with food from different cultures and there were speeches against fascism as well as various bands. This video is of some of the speeches and one of the bands 9:53. 1) John spoke of the Catalonian people who, like the Scots are considering their future. Some have lived under Franco 2) The SNP speaker was up next and he had just been to a memorial to lay wreaths for those who died fighting against fascism in the 2nd war. 3) Sarah Glynn spoke on behalf of the Scottish Unemployed Workers Network. Im speaking on behalf of the Scottish Unemployed Workers Network. And were here not just to listen to music but also to say no to the SDL and their far-right friends. But who are the so-called Scottish defence league? Some of these are just people who are looking for a fight and if they didnt find one through the SDL theyd find one somewhere else. And some clearly just enjoy playing the bully. But we have to admit that some of those people who might be tempted by far-right rhetoric, probably have quite a bit in common with many of us in this square: weve all been let down by a system designed to concentrate Britains wealth in the hands of a small rich elite. Weve seen many of the things that weve come to take for granted being closed down and disappear, most notably jobs and job security but lots of other things too like cheap transport local shops and pubs and community centres. And weve been consistently let down and abandoned by all the mainstream parties every one of whom has succumbed to the lure of get-rich-quick free-market economics. In a hostile system where those in power seem oblivious to the impact of their actions many of us seek the solidarity of community links and try to strike back at the forces waged against us. Fascism and sectarianism take these positive responses and solidarity and resistance and twist them into their opposite. Instead of bringing together the whole community of people suffering from this economic system the SDL and their friends try to limit community feeling through ethnic division and turn one group of people against another. And instead of directing peoples anger against the political forces that are holding us all back they encourage their members to let rip at their fellow-sufferers. Meanwhile of course, those in power are left to laugh all the way to the bank. However the media tries to hide the olympic circus neither this nor any other entertainments can hide the huge economic inequalities in this country, inequalities and poverty that is destroying homes and communities, inequalities on which fascism thrives. And fascism, prejudice and discrimination dont only hurt the people to whom they direct their attacks, theyre designed to divide and destroy effective resistance to this inequality and thats why the Scottish Unemployed Workers Network has a special duty to be here. Instead of calling for collection of unpaid taxes and redistribution of wealth, people are being encouraged to turn their anger on the worst-off in society. Prejudice is invoked so that anger at the system behind them is deflected onto benefit recipients. Instead of fighting for. Investment in more jobs and decent wages and against a system that prioritises massive profits for the few, fascism persuades its followers to blame their fellow-workers who are competing for the few measly jobs available. Its an old, old trick and I want to quote from a pamphlet written by Jewish socialist immigrants way back in 1895. They ask their British fellow-workers, and I quote: whether it is not rather the capitalist class, which is constantly engaged in taking trade abroad and opening factories in China, Japan and other countries, who is the enemy [the capitalist class] or whether it is not rather their duty [the British fellow-workers] to combine against the common enemy that fight against us whose interests are identical with theirs. Were here, not just to fight against fascism but to fight for a better more equal system. Student band 9:53 αντι-φασιστική антифашистский антифашистката 反法西斯 안티 - 파시스트 антыфашысцкі frith-faisisteach विरोधी फासीवादी հակաֆաշիստական ต่อต้านฟาสซิสต์ антифашистський বিরোধী ফ্যাসিস্ট gwrth-ffasgaidd chống pht-xt andstingur-fasista ანტიფაშისტური વિરોધી ફાશીવાદી protifašistični kontra l-faxxisti ضد الفاشية اینٹی فاشسٹAnti-racist Scots held

• published: 17 Jan 2014
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