Local police have finally decided it’s time to start taking racist graffiti seriously.
No doubt following a kick up the arse from elsewhere, West Mercia Police are now offering a £1,000 reward for information on the graffiti that has appeared on road signs around the county – including swastikas and the hilarious ‘welcome to Poland’.
Back in August last year however the police decided there was no racist motive and put it down to ‘pranksters’. Oh, hahaha. Yes, how our sides ached!
“When hate slogans appear and stay in place for a long time it gives the impression that nobody in the area cares. This makes racists feel more confident and foreigners more isolated,” said the Three Counties Anti-Fascists blog, reporting on the incident last year. And we agree.
What is undeniable is that when an area like Herefordshire receives a dramatic increase of immigrants locals become concerned that the newcomers will be given unfair access to social housing and jobs. On the whole this is not true, and when it is it’s unscrupulous landlords and bosses that are the problem and not the immigrants. Nonetheless these concerns should be taken seriously.
But what should not be given any time at all are racists who simply don’t like anyone from another country. These people are ignorant scum who enjoy nothing more than stirring up tensions between underprivilaged locals and vulnerable foreigners.
When the government makes cuts to housing and education, and when our bosses ignore calls for pay rises, like cowards these faecal-brained idiots turn on the immigrants and blame them instead.
Racism has no place in Herefordshire or the world beyond. Like the people who perpetrate it, it must be stamped out.
Article from our comrades at Hereford Heckler. Three Counties Anti-Fascists had said that this was racially motivated back in the summer, it’s good to see the local constabulary work at a similar speed…
Hunt saboteurs association Press Release November 15th 2012
David Lee peters, huntsman of the Ross Harriers hunt, was today found guilty of racially aggrevated harassment and threatening behaviour at Hereford Magistrates Court. He received fines and costs totalling £3000 and was ordered to pay £200 to the victim of the abuse.
The convictions relate to an incident from January this year when hunt saboteurs were present to ensure no illegal hunting took place.
Mr. Peters shouted racist remarks about a saboteur to other members of the hunt. Fortunately he was overheard by an independent witness who called the police.
Mr. Peters conviction comes just weeks after Paul Standen, a supporter of the Ross Harriers, pleaded guilty to assault after punching a saboteur in the face.
Lee Moon, spokesperson for the Hunt saboteurs association, stated: “Decent people know that racism is completely unacceptable. The hunting community however appear to be stuck in some kind of time warp where it is still ok to use this kind of disgusting language. Maybe they would like to join us in the 21st Century and realise that racism, along with the senseless murder of animals in the name of sport, is something that society no longer tolerates. We hope the Ross Harriers do the right thing and sack Mr. Peters immediately to show that they do not condone racism”
Three Counties Anti-fascists would like to send our solidarity and support to the hunt sabs who go out and oppose these animal abusing scumbags, and racists, every week, especially our local comrades in the Three Counties Hunt Saboteurs. Keep fighting the good fight.
In the last couple of months swastikas and anti-Polish graffiti has appeared on a number of road signs across Herefordshire. West Mercia Plod said there is no racist motive and put it down to ‘pranksters.’ The fact that a number of swastikas have also appeared and the clear anti-Polish sentiment makes us think differently.
3 Counties Anti-Fascists are appealing for any information relating to the graffiti; so if you know who’s responsible or spot any more, then please get in touch.
When hate slogans appear and stay in place for a long time it gives the impression that nobody in the area cares. This makes racists feel more confident and foreigners more isolated. When they get removed quickly the opposite message is sent out.
If you spot any racist or fascist graffiti anywhere in the Three Counties, take a picture, remove it if you can, and send us an email at 3cafa@riseup.net giving the date and location so we can add it to our database.
The blog has been a bit quiet recently, so we thought we would give a brief update on what’s been going on.
There is very little activity from the far-right in the Three Counties at the moment, and therefore little activity from us. None of the local EDL divisions seem to be doing anything any more, not even attending national demos. There also appears to be very little from any of the remaining local branches of the BNP, Worcestershire BNP seemingly the only ones who still exist. They stood a candidate in the local elections in May and very occasionally do a publicity stunt or table-top leafleting session, but apart from that it’s been all quiet from them as well!
We will continue to monitor the activities of fascist and far-right groups in the region and we welcome any information that people can give. From now on we will only update the blog with local news or to advertise or report on anti-fascist activities and events elsewhere in the country. We give our full support to the newly formed Anti-Fascist Network, and we’ll continue to attend call-outs and events when and where possible.
For us, militant anti-fascism isn’t a means to an end in itself, and as individuals we also focus our time on other areas of class struggle and revolutionary politics. We are active in community projects, alternative media projects, workers unions and a whole host of other social, environment or animal rights struggles. We believe that as long as capitalism exists, inequality and division will exist. For working class solidarity, social revolution and a fighting anti-fascist movement – 3 Counties Anti-fascists.
Yet another local hunt has been accused of racism after followers of the Heythrop Hunt, which hunts in parts of Gloucestershire, were caught making racial slurs on the video below.
This comes after two other recent incidents of racism from the hunt masters of neighbouring hunts.
In January we reported on the arrest of 33-year-old huntsman Lee Peters, of the Herefordshire-based Ross Harriers, for racially abusing a hunt saboteur. Even the Daily Mail picked up on this one, publishing a surprisingly accurate article which you can see here.
Alan Morgan, previous huntsman for the Cotswold Vale Farmers Foxhounds, plead guilty to racial abuse aimed at a saboteur in Gloucestershire in December. This followed a string of violent incidents at the same hunt. You can see more information on the case here.
3CAFA would like to send a clear message to the hunts in this region, racism will not be tolerated. You have now put yourselves in the sights of anti-racist activists. We would also like to send our support to those who continue to expose this unacceptable behaviour and stand up to the scum every weekend.
In a recent report on ‘radicalisation,’ the Home Affairs Committee warned of the threat posed by extreme far-right terrorism. MPs said, “We received persuasive evidence about the potential threat from extreme far-right terrorism.”
“The ease of travel and communications between countries in Europe and the growth of far-right organisations… suggest that the current lack of firm evidence should not be a reason for neglecting this area of risk.”
Terrorism is not a new or unheard of phenomenon within British fascism. The most noteworthy case happened in 1999, when David Copeland, a neo-Nazi and former British National Party member, killed 3 people and injured 139 in nail bomb attacks in London.
The aftermath of the bomb blast at the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho. The bomb was part of a campaign against black people and homosexuals by neo-Nazi David Copeland.
More recently, sinister but thankfully less deadly attacks have been thwarted. In 2007 a British People’s Party regional organiser, Martyn Gilleard, was jailed for 16 years after police found him in possession of explosives, live ammunition and 39,000 child porn images. In 2010, Ian Davison and his son Nicky, both of County Durham, were jailed for producing a chemical weapon. The ‘Aryan Strike Force’ members had manufactured enough ricin to kill 9 people.
But far-right terrorism can also been found closer to home.
Bep (left) and his friend – also a South African white-supremacist – Arthur Kemp
One of the founding members of the Herefordshire British National Party branch is a convicted terrorist. South African, Lambertus Nieuwhof (or ‘Bep’ as he is more commonly known), is a previous member of a white supremacist group that planted a bomb in a mixed-race school in 1992. Bep, who was part of Eugene Terre’Blanche’s Afrikaner Resistance Movement, apparently received a 12 month suspended sentence for his part in the bomb plot.
In 1994 he moved to Britain and became involved in far-right politics, setting up and administering a number of BNP websites. Since his exposure he seems to have dropped out of political activity, at least locally. Instead he has spent his time running website-hosting services, ‘Vidronic Online’ and ‘Noisy Dinosaur,’ from his home in Peterchurch, Herefordshire.
Martin Roberts – ex-Worcester BNP
Previous candidate, organiser and treasurer of the Worcester BNP branch, Martin Roberts, also has some unsavoury terrorist links. Roberts, who now lives in Potter Heigham in Norfolk, was once described as ‘the Godfather of Worcestershire nationalism’ by his colleagues within the local group.
Last year he was emailed by Norwegian ultra-right terrorist and murderer, Anders Breivik. Breivik, who killed 76 people, had sent out his manifesto to contacts before carrying out his attacks.
Roberts had also run a web-shop selling tacky far-right merchandise, called ‘Calder Designs.’ Items he sold included badges bearing the names and logos of neo-Nazi groups ‘Combat 18’ and ‘Blood & Honour.’ The website was hosted by Nieuwhof’s company, Noisy Dinosaur.
The far-right English Defence League recently went on another jolly in London, rallying in Barking with a poor turn out yet again. Not content with the days outing, a group of around 20 decided to pay a trip to Whitechapel. After hitting the pubs, the drunken mob assembled outside the East London mosque.
According to one anti-fascist witness “They were there briefly, shouting ‘Allah is a paedo’, then almost straight away one of them got knocked out. Within ten minutes there were three or four hundred locals there ready to confront them. There were also TSG [riot police] all over the shop. The EDL were then all arrested for their own safety” Nice one guys!
Note ambulance crews treating injured EDL member on right of the picture
Back in September, 3 Counties Anti-Fascist Alliance joined a mobilisation against the EDL, who planned (and failed) to march into Tower Hamlets. They have it in their heads that getting pissed up, threatening people and marching mob-handed into areas will heal community tensions and deal with the problem of Islamic extremism. How many more times will they try this before they realise that it doesn’t work?
‘Fighting Talk’
Back issues of anti-fascist magazine, ‘Fighting Talk,’ have finally been made available to read online. ‘Fighting Talk’ was the magazine of the UK-wide militant anti-fascist organisation, Anti-Fascist Action, who are widely credited with driving the National Front, British National Party and other fascist groups away from street-based activism and marches in the 1980s and 1990s.You can view the magazine here.
Ex-AFA activists were recently interviewed by magazine Red Pepper. The extensive interview, covering the history and aims of militant anti-fascism, the origins and the activities of AFA can be read here.
Antifa Hack-Attack
Anti-fascist ‘hacktivists’ affiliated with Anonymous have crippled the websites of neo-Nazi groups, as well as leaking membership lists and individuals personal information. As part of ‘Operation Blitzkrieg,’ 15 websites linked to Germany’s extreme far-right National Democratic Party have been shut down, along with the details of UK customers of neo-Nazi music enterprise, Blood and Honour, and the BNP membership list being released. To view all of the leaks, go to the NaziLeaks website.
From the 32 counties
Anti-Fascist Action Ireland have been busy lately, keeping an eye on visiting fascists, opposing Nick Griffin’s visit to UCD and taking part in speaking tours and commemorations. You can check out the latest issue of their newsletter, ‘In the Area,’ here.
Anti-fascists over there are also organising to oppose a planned visit by Nick Griffin to speak at Cork Uni. We wish our comrades over there every success for spoiling his little visit.
Today marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street, the day when East End anti-fascist, Irish, Jewish, anarchist, communist and socialist groups united to block the march of Oswald Mosley and his British Union of Fascists. Hundreds of thousands of locals gathered, blocked the path of the march and fought running battles with fascists and the police who were drafted in to clear the march route. This use of mass community direct action was hugely successful and the march was eventually abandoned. Around 175 people were injured, and about 150 were arrested.
On Sunday 2nd October over 1,000 people took part in a commemoration march in London.
This year marks 75 years since the Spanish Civil War began. Up to 35,000 people from around the world volunteered to fight against Franco and his fascist forces, with many joining the ‘International Brigades.’ Alongside Spanish anarchists, communists, socialists, trade unionists and freedom-loving people, the International Brigades played an important role in the war. Amongst them were 2,000 British people, 500 of whom gave their lives.
Here we remember the volunteers from the Three Counties who left to fight fascism.
Lewis Clive was a volunteer associated with Hereford. Born on 8th September 1910, he was the son of Herefordian, Percy Clive, a Conservative MP and Lieutenant-Colonel killed in the First World War. Lewis was a keen rower, winning a gold medal at the LA Summer Olympics in 1932. He was also a socialist, a member of the Labour Party and the Fabian Society.
He volunteered for the International Brigades early on in the war, and became a Company Commander in the British Battalion. He was killed in action on August 2nd 1938 at Hill 481, Gandesa, during the Battle of Ebro, the longest and bloodiest battle of the war. Speaking of Lewis after his death, his comrades said this; “This big, cheerful, and sincere man had performed his duties as Company Commander with distinction. Well liked and respected in the battalion, this was a great loss to us all.”
There is a plaque commemorating Lewis Clive at Wormbridge Church, Herefordshire. It reads “In memory of Lewis Clive. Born September 8th 1910. Killed at Battle of Ebro, August 4th 1938, Fighting with The Spanish Republican Forces.”
Laurie LeeMBE was a poet, novelist, screenwriter and also an International Brigade volunteer. Born on 26th June 1914 in Stroud, Gloucestershire, Lee left school at 16 and began working at an accountants in Stroud. However he quickly became bored and decided to embark on an adventure, walking to London. He settled in Putney and began work as a builder’s labourer. During this time his interest in poetry blossomed, with his writings appearing in The Gloucester Citizen as well as other newspapers.
Laurie Lee had previously visited Spain, and in December 1937 he decided to return to help in the fight against Franco. He said he “owed it to the Spain he knew” and the friends he had made there. After realising he wasn’t going to get any help in reaching his destination, he decided to cross the Pyrenees by himself. He was initially captured by Republican forces, with them mistaking him for an enemy spy. He was saved from an almost certain fate, and went on to join and fight with the International Brigades. His time fighting during the Spanish Civil War was cut short due to epilepsy, and he left Spain in February 1938. Lee recalls the time he spent in Spain during the war in his book, ‘A Moment of War,’ published in 1991.
Laurie Lee died on 13th May, 1997. He is buried at Holy Trinity Churchyard, Slad, Gloucestershire.
Jack Watson was a volunteer from Worcester. He was killed in action at the Battle of Jamara on 27th February 1937. The Battle of Jamara was one of the main battles in which the British Battalion of the International Brigades took part. It took place in the Jamara Valley, to the east of Madrid. The battle began on 12th February 1937, when Franco’s crack troops from the Army of Africa advanced to the Republican lines to try and dislodge their hold on the valley. After a few days and nights of heavy fighting, the ill-equipped and outnumbered International Brigade volunteers held out. Both sides dug in and a stalemate ensued which lasted for most of the war.
We salute the bravery and selflessness of the anti-fascists from this region and from around the world, who put their lives on hold to join the fight against the advancing tide of fascism across Europe. Despite eventually losing the war in 1939, the Brigadistas and Spanish anti-fascists gave a noble example of the strength of international solidarity. That year was to see the start of another brutal war, and was followed by some of the darkest days in history.
It is vital that we learn lessons from the past. The struggle against fascism across Europe is as relevant today as it ever has been. Let’s remember and put into practise the phrase used by anti-fascists in the 1930’s, ¡No pasarán! – They shall not pass!
If you have any additional information on the International Brigade volunteers listed above, or any other locals who fought in the Spanish Civil War, then please get in touch. For more information on the British Battalion visit; International Brigades Memorial Trust. To learn more about the Spanish Civil War go to the brilliant Spartacus Educational website.
They came. They saw. They failed. And now they’re coming up with the usual bullshit to save face…
Saturday saw the long awaited EDL outing to London. For them, it was nothing short of a failure. Despite planning this one for months and claiming it was to be ‘the big one,’ they only managed to muster around 1,000 infidel, ray gun fighting warriors. Many groups struggled to fill coaches and some bottled it all together.
Locally they were poorly represented- the only group to turn up from the area were the Bristol & Gloucestershire division.
The Hereford EDL ‘division’ (if it can be called that) failed to get anybody there at all. Sad act and self-appointed leader, Darren Poland, has been doing his nut on Facebook since. He’s now calling for an ‘emergency meeting’ this coming weekend. We doubt its worth the effort mate, you’ll only end up getting two of you along like the last one.
The Worcester division were quiet for this one as well…London is a bit further from home than Telford is after all. Too much effort, Dave?
Before the day even arrived the EDL were finding it hard; members were left confused after the ban and were relying on the leadership to put the plans on the internet the night before. Pubs that were due to be hosting them pulled out one after another, following pressure from anti-fascist campaigners. The night before, RMT activists threatened to close the tube stations where the EDL were meant to gather, adding a further headache to their plans.
On the morning of the 3rd, RMT activists followed through with their plans and offered some great practical solidarity to anti-fascists. Tube stations were closed, and emergency alarms in stations and trains were set off, leaving some groups of EDL stranded in various parts of London, delayed from getting to their meeting points.
The usual mixture of unions, left-wing organisations, community and faith groups assembled on Whitechapel Road throughout the morning and early afternoon, bulked up by large groups of locals. We have to admit that this was also a pretty poor turnout, with only around 1,500 on the streets. However, larger numbers of locals were also in surrounding areas, awaiting the arrival of the EDL…
But they never came. The closest they got to the ‘lions den of militant Islam,’ (Tower Hamlets) was Aldgate tube station. They could do with touching up on their local geography though, because that’s in the City of London. Doh!
Groups of militant anti-fascists and anarchists, as well as large groups of local youth made spirited efforts to reach the EDL all day. Whilst this wasn’t possible due to the area resembling a police state, it was very encouraging to see links made between them, and a lot of people seeking to confront the EDL and not simply being led by the UAF and their ‘official’ counter demonstration.
So after pulling around 1,000 troops and managing to get as close as they would to their intended destination, the usual spectacle began. They chanted three letters over and over. Out came the beer bellies and shit tattoos. Scuffles began and a few arrests were made.
Then Steven Lennon took to the stage. Disguised as a Rabbi, he gave a speech. He was also breaking his bail conditions, which he publicly stated, goading police officers to arrest him. He was surprised when they did. He’s currently on ‘hunger strike’ in police custody. This situation will have one of two conclusions; this noble freedom fighter will fast until death, putting his beliefs first and giving his life to the cause. Or he will fail miserably and be back on the chips and pies diet before you can say ‘you fat bastard.’ As much as the former would be a fun spectacle, we think it’s likely to be the second option that comes through.
And after all of that, they finally got their march… back to their coaches via Tower Bridge.
Shortly afterwards a group of locals gave a heartfelt ‘farewell’ message to some EDL members. In a move of sheer idiocy, a coach full of the numpties made its way down Whitechapel Road, with it’s occupants goading local young muslims. Within seconds the mob charged and the coach came under sustained artillery fire, with its oh-so-brave occupants now cowering inside. The bus was left with some new ventilation, and the 40 EDL members inside left with their tails between their legs, behind the protection of about 200 police officers in full riot gear, who rushed to their rescue.
The response since to the 3rd has been almost as interesting as the day itself. The EDL haven’t even released an official statement or report on the day yet, with a few comments on Facebook apparently enough to keep the rabble happy. ‘EDL 1 – Tower Hamlets 0’ they claimed. A strange choice of words we feel, after all they were going there to oppose militant Islam, and highlight the problems of sexism and homophobia in the area, right? Evidently not, they’ve declared the entire borough and it’s population as their enemy… This façade really is wearing thin now guys! I doubt even the blindest of EDL supporters will follow this line without question for much longer.
The illiterate fools over at the Casuals United blog have an interesting take on the day too. According to them the day was a ‘massive victory’ for the EDL, with us ‘Commies’ in despair over the low turnout on the counter demonstration. The tools behind Redwatch have also made us chuckle. They’ve put up a couple of pictures of an anti-fascist block on a Gaza solidarity demo in 2009 and claimed they’re from Saturday… Silly twats.
So to round off; they didn’t have the march through Tower Hamlets that they wanted, they had a shit turnout, their leader got arrested and a bunch of them went home with stained pants and their tails between their legs. And they consider this a ‘massive victory.’ As they try to keep grassroots support and hold the image of the organisation together, they are reliant on half-truths, misinformation and outright lies. We can only wonder how long they can keep this going…but until then, lets “paint some white sheets” for our brave martyr Tommy, as they have cleverly suggested.
3CAFA would like to thank ALARM and the other anti-fascists we met on the weekend, for the hospitality and all of the great work they did both beforehand and on the day itself. We look forward to working with you again in the future. Until next time…
Local police have finally decided it’s time to start taking racist graffiti seriously.
What is undeniable is that when an area like Herefordshire receives a dramatic increase of immigrants locals become concerned that the newcomers will be given unfair access to social housing and jobs. On the whole this is not true, and when it is it’s unscrupulous landlords and bosses that are the problem and not the immigrants. Nonetheless these concerns should be taken seriously.
When the government makes cuts to housing and education, and when our bosses ignore calls for pay rises, like cowards these faecal-brained idiots turn on the immigrants and blame them instead.
3 Counties Anti-Fascist Alliance (3CAFA) 
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