All the EDL
The EDL had a pitiful turnout in London on Saturday, with a mere 50 of them on their national demo. They didn’t get to march to Parliament as they had intended and were harrassed and heckled by anti-fascists along the way.
EDL leader Ian Crossland had gloated and joked online about the murderous racist attack on worshippers at Finsbury Park mosque and the hate preachers at the EDL rally stayed true to form.
There’s a lot going on this weekend for Antifascists. Here, we’ve rounded up the main demonstrations, and what’s going on.
To welcome in 2015, the Anti-Fascist Network has put together an idiots’ guide to the idiots on Britain’s far right. No need to thank us, it’s a public service.
British National Party
Introducing the man who will definitely revive the fortunes of the BNP… Adam Walker
Formerly known as Britain’s most successful and ambitious fascist group since the 1930s, recent years have not been kind to the BNP. Membership and electoral support for the party has plummeted after a disappointing performance in the 2010 local and general elections. This unleashed a series of bitter internal disputes culminating in longstanding party leader Nick Griffin being unceremoniously booted out during 2014.
Alongside Griffin, most prominent party members who were at least semi-competent and kept the show on the road have either resigned or been expelled. This has left the BNP bereft of people with the kind of basic skills necessary to do organise election campaigns or community work. Adam Walker, Griffin’s replacement, is uniquely poorly placed to lead the party. Although he lacks political skill, charisma or any observable talents, he does have a conviction for chasing children in his car and threatening them with a knife. Read the rest of this entry »
The people of Edinburgh today rejected the racism of the Scottish Defence League – the tiny and even nastier wannabe version of their southern cousins.
The SDL decided that the best place to display their ignorant racism was in Scotland’s capital in the middle of the world’s biggest cultural festival.
However, there were over 100 anti-fascists there to oppose them compared to under 50 of the SDL and their bussed-in English supporters.
Anti Fascists in Bournemouth have been busy publicizing the event to oppose the EDL next Saturday the 23rd. They have announced the counter demonstration will meet at 12 midday in central Bournemouth. The exact location will be announced in the middle of the week.
Edinburgh
If you are based further north you might fancy opposing the Scottish Defence League in Edinburgh. The fascists plan to meet at the Market Street entrance to Waverley station, at 1pm on 23rd August. They want to march to the parliament for 2pm. Unite Against Fascism are meeting at 1pm on Chambers Street.
More information coming soon from Essex Antifascists on details for Stop the EDL in Colchester, on 6th September.
A brief report and some pics on opposition to the fascists marching in Berwick-upon-Tweed on Saturday
The fascists were an unholy alliance of the Scottish Defence League – long-known for being a smaller and nastier franchise of the more well-known English brand – and the North East Infidels – also a split from the EDL, who left to be free to be more racist.
They joined forces to bring their unwelcome message to the streets of Berwick. But the combined might of the fash of two countries appeared to equal about 40- 50 people. They had laughably decided the excuse for this outing was the call to ‘Ban the Burka’ – why this message was to be directed at the people of Berwick in particular remains a mystery. Mainly we suspect to provide the racists with an excuse to don their favourite masks and balaclavas.
On July 5th, the Scottish Defence League and North East Infidels with their North West branch as well and other minor groups such as the EVF – the same extremist Nazi nutjobs who’ve caused Tommy Robinson to quit as EDL leader – are coming to BERWICK for yet another piss-up.
That’s the same drunken thugs who’ve previously pelted people in Sunderland with beer bottles and fireworks, while their Nazi chums in the North West Infidels have targeted the Unite trade union offices and a PCS picket line in Liverpool.
The stated objective of the fascists is to ‘Ban the Burka’ which would be funny if it wasn’t so serious, of all the things going on they focus on this irrelevance.
