Jobbik chased across London by anti-fascists

 

Jobbik beseiged in the tube station

Hungarian far-right group Jobbik were chased across London by anti-fascists on Sunday as their leader Gábor Vona visited the UK to try and drum up votes from ex-pat Hungarians living in London ahead of elections. Despite calls from MEPs and other politicians to ban Vona’s entry in to the UK and a 14,000 signature petition sent to the Home Secretary by Hope not Hate, Theresa May was strangely relaxed about this particular immigrant and Vona was not denied entry. Thus it was left to anti-fascists on the streets to oppose the arrival of “the most successful fascist in Europe”.

 

Jobbik is the most openly anti-Semitic party in Europe and is the third largest party in the country. Their rally was scheduled for the evening before Holocaust Memorial Day, which one imagines was probably not a coincidence, given that they have previously protested against the World Jewish Congress being held in Budapest.

Jobbik supporters: T-shirt is Rock Against Communism (white power Nazi music).
Flag is ancient Hungarian Arpad flag linked to WWII era Arrow Cross Nazi movement.

There are an estimated 50,000 Hungarians living in London. Jobbik hoped these ex-pats would come to the rally, instead they found them protesting against them: “I’m a Hungarian Jew: you murdered my family”, one man shouted at them, as the police dragged him away. The mere 60-70 fascist Jobbik supporters gathered at Holborn shows that their support does not go as deep as they would like to believe.

Holborn tube was being used as a re-direction point by the far-right group but they were trapped inside the tube station and prevented from leaving by the crowd of about 150 anti-fascists, including members of the Anti-Fascist Network, Unite Against Fascism and Brixton Black Revolutionary Socialists, who then chased them back and forth across the city.

According to Gábor Vona himself: “The venue that the organizers booked cancelled the contract half an hour before the beginning of the event”. Three venues cancelled bookings for the far-right group under pressure from anti-fascists and the large amount of negative publicity Vona’s visit generated.

Under police protection the Jobbik supporters scuttled down into the tube. While Unite Against Fascism activists decamped for refreshments, autonomous anti-fascists chased the fascists to their destination at Marble Arch. Unable to find another venue, the fascists had ultimately been forced to congregate in the rain in Hyde Park. The bedraggled mob of about sixty or seventy people and a couple of Hungarian flags was a far cry from the triumphal rally predicted. There was no sign of any British or other fascist support, despite some online bravado before the event.

The massed ranks of Jobbik supporters getting rained on in Hyde Park.
Hardly impressive.

In advance of Vona’s arrival in London there were rumours that he was here to meet with representatives of the BNP and the Greek Golden Dawn to talk about building a Euro-fascist alliance for the European elections in May.

According to Brixton Black Revolutionary Socialists: “organisers of Jobbik and Golden Dawn were known to have been attempting to have the meeting in central London during the rally” and “Antifascists intercepted 15 Jobbik organisers who pulled knives and screwdrivers… they were forced to flee by local youth and antifascists.”

Well done to all who attended and showed Europe’s some of Europe’s most dangerous fascists that they will be opposed wherever they raise their heads.

from Anti-Fascist Network