Below we set out the principles for which we, as South London Anti-Fascists operate under. It is important that before working with SLAF (e.g. attending meetings, taking responsibility for tasks such as social media control) that you read the statement below, ensuring that you agree and are willing to comply. Anyone who is found to be acting in a way which is in violation of these principles will be formally disassociated with and will no longer be welcome at SLAF meetings, with immediate effect. You will also no longer be welcome at SLAF organised events.
What we stand for
We are an anti-fascist and anti-racist group from South London acting in solidarity with other similar organisations. Our structure is non-hierarchical. Our approach is grassroots community self-organisation. (For more see http://www.slaf.org.uk/about).
SLAF strives to always act in accordance with the principles of collective liberation. The idea of collective liberation recognises that all struggles against oppression are linked. This includes (but is not exhaustive to) the struggles against capitalism, racism, imperialism, ableism, and patriarchy (including transphobia and whorephobia)
As a group we recognise that struggling for justice in the wider world must be accompanied by self-criticism and challenges to structures of oppression within the group itself. As individuals do not live in conditions devoid of the structures outlined above, it is important to remain open to dialogue and sharing of ideas to combat ignorance and unintentional prejudice. However, there will be no tolerance for views or behaviour amongst members that is bigoted and is deemed to be:
- Racist
- Xenophobic
- Sexist
- Classist
- Transphobic
- Homophobic or biphobic
- Ableist/disablist
- Queerphobic
- Anti sex-worker/whorephobic
- Engage in victim blaming or promotes the idea that culpability for rape, sexual assault and interpersonal violence can be diminished by certain circumstances.
These principles are also applicable when considering other groups we may work with.
Engaging with the police
We believe that the police are part of the machinery of state violence, particularly against certain groups in society (e.g. People of colour, sex workers) and our policy is to have as little involvement with them as possible during anti-fascist activities. Anyone who is found to be engaging with the police in a way which puts other anti-fascists and/or community members in danger will no longer be welcome in the group or at SLAF organised activities. For example, anyone who is found to be sharing personal information about other anti-fascists/community members or sharing information relating to planned anti-fascist activities.
In the interest of transparency and trust it is also the responsibility of members to inform the group as a whole if they have in the past been employed by state security services (including the police and UKBA/Immigration Enforcement).
Please also read our Demonstration Safety Guidelines document which explains how we approach anti-fascist demos in a way which in our view offers the safest conditions possible for those who are attending. Members are expected to act in accordance with this document.
If any of this is unclear or you wish to raise a concern relating to the above, please email hello@slaf.org.uk
30th October, 7pm in the Cinema (room RHB 185) at Goldsmiths, University of London, SE14 6NW.
Free, donations welcome.
The film is around one hour long.
South London Anti-Fascists are proud to host a screening of David Koff’s 1978 documentary ‘Blacks Britannica’.
Blacks Britannica shows the realities of race and class in 1970s Britain with rare honesty and is a powerful base for thinking about racism and the state today. The film charts the history of black people and black struggle in Britain from colonialism and migration to the Notting Hill Carnival and the Spaghetti House siege. The film has been described as “a harsh, relentless and passionate indictment of the British ruling class for manipulating and exploiting British blacks in the interest of profit”. Originally produced for US public television, the film was re-edited and censored by TV station management who then tried to sue the director to prevent him distributing his version of the film (we are showing the original cut).
There will be a chance to discuss the film after the screening with Colin Prescod, one of the writers and activists who features in the film. Colin himself made the acclaimed series 'Struggles for Black Community’.
The evening is free and all are welcome. If you have any specific requirements please message us on facebook or email hello@slaf.org.uk.
Michael Che continues his quest to find a safe space for unarmed Black men. Pt 2.
(Pt 1 set)
(http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/qtvov3/race-off—-live-from-somewhere)
I had been hoping that UK Uncut would use today’s apology by the Met police commissioner to talk about the wider implications of police violence and access to justice. Obviously I’m glad that people have managed to take the Met to court and wrung both money and an apology out of them, but I dread…
We concur
For the first time South London Anti-Fascists decided to take a stall at Lewisham People’s Day, the community festival of the London borough of Lewisham. An estimated 20,000 visited over the course of the day, helped in no small part by the weather.
We were delighted with the response to the stall and spoke to a number of people from varied backgrounds, including young people directly affected by stop and search as well as teachers and youth workers concerned about those they work with and care for. One particularly encouraging exchange was with a teacher from a local secondary school who was keen to take a large quantity of stop and search know your rights cards produced by Newham Monitoring Project back to her school for the new term. We hope to have contact with the school in the future and to do all we can to help with these sorts of enquiries. In another case, a coach from a youth Basketball team approached the stall - again with great interest in the stop and search materials. He told us how his players regularly encounter police stop and account and stop and search at 5 am as they make their way to training. It is unfortunately something that has become a daily nuisance in their lives.
It wasn’t just the information on stop and search that peaked people’s interest however; a large number of people read the posters from the Anti-Raids Network that were at the front of our stall. Many expressed their surprise at the rights people actually have when approached by UKBA/Immigration Enforcement Officers.The stall seemed to attract more people towards the end of the afternoon as the demographic of the crowd became younger and was a good lesson for us for future years, of which we hope there will be many. The increased interest in our stall towards the end of the day also seemed to be influenced by word of mouth as enthusiastic members of the public approached us to find out more or tell us of other community events that we should attend.
Saturday was a decent success and something that all those present agreed to do far more of in the future. Spreading information into the local community is certainly a priority and this felt like a really good way of doing this. It is also important to acknowledge organisations that provided materials used on the day including the Anti-Raids Network, Newham Monitoring Project, London Campaign Against Police and State Violence and Freedom Bookshop. The high quality of the resources we were able to distribute was a massive reason for the success we enjoyed.