Casualties United Seaside Album (Brighton June 2nd)

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Bangers and Fash (Schnews article)

Brighton – June 2nd

“You asked for it”– “you sowed the wind, now you’ll reap the whirlwind” , “no women and kids this time” “We are coming back to Brighton IN NUMBERS and you dirty lefty child abusing cunts will be dealt with” – These were just a handful of the online threats made by EDL supporters in the wake of the humiliation of EDL splinter group March for England on April 22nd.

The EDL’s football hooligan division, Casuals United, had been boasting on their blog that they would be returning to Brighton in numbers and strength to take revenge on local people. Six weeks previously, hundreds of locals stood side by side against right wing racists who had tried, and failed, to parade around the city under the banner of ‘March for England’.

Weirdly, Casuals United named 2nd June the day for their action, but decided to keep the details quiet. They were obviously caught between the stools of either keeping the whole thing completely offline and having tiny numbers or advertising it and having to deal with police and anti-fascists. In the end they plumped for calling the whole thing a ‘social’, as if coming to Brighton, the South Coast’s biggest tourist town, and buying a pint while in disguise was an achievement of some sort.

Brighton anti-fascists decided against an extensive counter-mobilisation on the grounds that the Casuals weren’t going to pull the numbers and a big call out would simply be crying wolf on their behalf.

Nonetheless on the Saturday around a hundred anti-fascist activists assembled in Brighton’s main shopping area, Churchill Square. This was to support the Brighton Uncut Great Brighton Street Party and the regular Palestine Solidarity campaign stall. They anticipated the arrival of some kind of flash mob as the fash gathered in Hove and around Palace Pier. (Well, most of them – two were nicked at Hove train station for cocaine possession). However all we saw were EDL spotters, at least two using their wives as cover. Police numbers were huge so the spotters were just politely encouraged to fuck off.

FASH BANGS

By 3pm the stalls and street party were winding down – co-incidentally this was exactly as we received reports that the fash had stopped skulking in pubs and in an astounding display of both Dutch and Colombian courage had sallied out of the pubs into Kemptown* to throw bangers around and make homophobic remarks. It was presumably at this point that well-known local EDLer Stephen ‘Sugar Plum Fairy’ Sands got nicked for letting off fireworks – something we all no doubt enjoyed when we were fourteen but possibly a little immature at 44.

*the thriving heart of Brighton’s gay community™

In response anti-fascists set off for an impromptu march down North Street, towards Kemptown behind a large ‘NO FASCISM’ banner. After dealing with a police roadblock and attempted kettle most of the anti-fascist crowd made it down to the Old Steine where the first face-to-face confrontations with the Casuals occurred. Mostly due to the numbers of cops these were confined to slanging matches but there was at least one exchange of blows. There were skirmishes along Old Steine and in Pool Valley bus depot. Anti-fascists were arrested and four were held for public order offences and one (ridiculously) for assault of a police officer.

The whole time this was happening more local people joined the mobile protests. Brighton Anti-fascists distributed a leaflet to explain their actions:

“Fascism grows if we let it. We are here to challenge the racism, Islamophobia and fascism of the EDL, Casuals United and the March for England. This has no place in our city or anywhere else.”

By 4pm police rounded up the majority of the Casuals, (around 35 of them) and marched them to the station where they were forcibly placed on a train and dispersed out of town. They were harangued by anti-fascists the whole way. A few more were arrested at this point for ‘racist chanting’. By the end of the day the fash had taken thirteen arrests meaning that even if we take their inflated estimate of a turn-out 100 at face value then one in seven of them were nicked. The spread of towns they came from means that this really was an attempt at a national mobilisation… oh dear.

In an effort to save face Casuals United have said that the vast majority of their supporters stayed hidden and undercover – moving around in small groups. Unfortunately for them, travelling to the City-by the Sea with all their racist and homophobic baggage meant that they did, in the end, reveal their true colours.

CASUAL LIES

For those disappointed by the end of this year’s season of Game of Thrones there’s always the mystifying fantasy world of Suzy from Casuals United.

Their fantastic account of the weekend started with spotting “loads of UAF” up at the train station.

Actually there was no demo so we’re guessing that some of the idiots just ran into the crowd heading up to the Fatboy Slim effort at the football stadium and jumped to conclusions.

In the morning they came across “some unwashed anarchist scum on the beach in sleeping bags”..ermm do you mean homeless people? So much for the Soldiers off the Streets campaign.

Later, despite “not seeing a Commie all day” the Casuals apparently beat loads of us up.

“Ten people were arrested during these scuffles, mostly ours as several Anarchists were knocked out. A lot of ours then went to the police station to make sure those arrested were ok.”

In boring mundane reality no-one from either side was ‘knocked-out’. Even more hilariously not a single EDL supporter went to Hollingbury police station where their arrestees were being held (as Milton Keynes EDL member Darell Hobson found when he was released).

In the last analysis Suzy is still defiantly pretending that there were hordes of undercover Casuals in town but rather gives herself away with the last sentence “I know some people had genuine reasons not to turn up, but some people said they were going, didnt say they werent and didnt turn up. They should be ashamed and next time they say anything it will be treated as the shit it is.” Temper, temper dear.

The fascists present in Brighton on 2nd June will of course know that this is BS of the highest order and will perhaps begin to lose faith in their organisations and then hopefully, their politics.

Source.

Fascists not welcome .. anywhere in the world

Today saw the fascist menace repelled both in Hamburg, Germany and Brighton in the UK. In Hamburg it is reported that 10,000 turned out to oppose a march staged by 500 neo-nazis, an event which saw 700 anti-fascists detained by police. There is a timeline of today’s events in Hamburg here (google translated) plus a video/report here from Russia Today.

Meanwhile Schnews give the lowdown below on today’s events in Brighton as well as a timeline report of the day’s actions posted here (indy uk)

“Casuals United, the football hooligan wing of the EDL, made complete tits of themselves in Brighton today (2nd). In response to their humiliation at March for England the fash thought it would be a good idea to come back in even smaller numbers to have a go at the “rabid hordes of commie UAF gays” that passes for the population of Brighton.

Far right websites, blogs and Facebook pages are already attempting to claim that antifa either a) didn’t turn up, b) ran away, and/or c) attacked patriots unprovoked. In reality the knuckle draggers managed to skulk about in a few pubs (including Belushis, The Saint James & The Amsterdam) while around 100 antifascists stewarded the UK Uncut demo and Palestine Solidarity stall near Churchill Sq. Once the stall had packed up around 3pm the antifascists mobbed up and headed towards Old Steine to confront the racists.

Police halted the majority of the march halfway down North St, meaning only around 30 made it to the bottom of St James Street, where small groups of fash were skulking around making homophobic remarks. A spirited fistfight broke out, though the police waded in before a decisive outcome was reached.

The cops then rounded up most of the EDL and marched them to the train station, with antifascists haranguing them all the way. Many of them then left town with a few others heading back into town to find a pub to defend from Sharia Law.

Antifascists then regrouped for a well earned pint, while others headed to Hollingbury police station to pick up arrested comrades. So far at least 5 antifascists and 5 fascists have been nicked today.

A more complete & concise roundup of the day’s events will be posted in the near future.

Up the punks!!”

Fascist EDL Splinter Groups To Assemble In Brighton (June 2nd)

“It has been advertised on facebook and the casuals united blog page that the buffoons of the EDL/ MFE and casuals united are due to assemble in Brighton this weekend for the queen`s jubilee, clearly these idiots cannot define patriotism between crude abusive racism, The last time any fascist group invaded Brighton they were smashed off the streets by anti fascists and locals(members of the LGTB community) and this weekend will be no exception.

It is obvious that the pathetic fascists cannot admit defeat, they have no support in Brighton and they are clearly travelling to Brighton to cause trouble, let`s make sure that the nazis are removed from the streets just as MFE were.

We need a strong anti fascist counter protest on june the 2nd to remove these idiots from Brighton on a long term basis, if we allow these fascists platform then clearly they will continue to spread their poisonous message around multi cultural Brighton. we cannot allow this.

We urge all concerned anti fascists to be in Brighton on the 2nd of june.”

Taken from Indymedia uk

Update: .. more info from elsewhere

(Callout from Germany) Hamburg next Saturday: No future for the Nazis!

“One of the biggest Nazi marches in Germany takes place next Saturday in Hamburg. Project Antifa gives you the background for the march.

Saturday 2 June, the Nazis under the slogan “Day of the German future – our signal against over immigration,” march in Hamburg. Anti-Fascists have called for the demonstration and blockade – the demonstration will start at 9.30 on Gerhardt Hauptmann-Platz, the square just off the Central Station.

The Nazis tried to get approved an eight-hour march in Hamburg’s city center and the district of Altona. This has been rejected by the authorities because the resistance in these neighborhoods will be too great. Instead, they will demonstrate in the district of Wandsbek, which is not far from Hamburg’s city center. Wandsbek have also been victims of Nazi marches several times in the past. The Nazis have proclaimed that they will be over a thousand participants.

Since 2009, the Nazis tried each year to assert itself in June with “a day for the German Future”. Officially becomes the march organized by the initiative “Future rather than immigration,” which is a grouping of several regions, bringing together both free friendship groups and NPD-wishers from all over northern Germany. Several of the organizers has for decades been the key people in the North German Nazi environment.

The neo-Nazi groups around Hamburg, are closely linked. This is evident when you look closely at who is behind the march. The notifier Thorsten Schuster, a member of the NPD in Hamburg. The current president of NPD-Hamburg Torben Klebe, played an important role in building the militant network Blood & Honour in the area. His deputy in the Hamborgske NPD, Thomas ‘Steiner’ Wulff, one of the ideological authors of the concept behind the free fellowship groups. He was also a reviewer of the first “day for the German future-march” in 2009 in Pinneberg.

The fifth May, more than 3,000 people to a festival against Nazi march. The mobilization of the anti-fascist activities are in full swing and the mobilization of wide everywhere in Germany.

A broad initiative with 200 different organizations and support groups, call for demonstration and picketing, including unions migrantiske initiatives, anti-fascist groups, autonomous groups, neighborhood initiatives, student political organizations and fodboldfanklubber from St. Pauli and HSV. Preliminary list of initiatives that support. The initiative leaning “Dresden Nazifrei” who organized the great mass picketing in Dresden, in February. Against this background, they have decided a block code, similar to that in Dresden.

It reads:

– We use civil disobedience against Nazi march.

– From our side there will be no escalation.

– Our mass picketing, human blockades.

– We are in solidarity with all who share our goal to prevent Nazi march.

Autonomous and anti-fascist groups in Hamburg has convened modaktiviteter the day. In a call they write, among other things:

“Opposition to the big Nazi march in Dresden and Hamburg in 2008, has shown that it is successfully to act in solidarity and commitment. Using a concept which we jointly stand side by side from mass picketing on direct action, as it was in Dresden in February, will be repeated in Hamburg. We are determined to prevent Nazi march! ”

“We want to make Nazi march in Hamburg on 2 June to a failure! We urge everyone to protest and show resistance, no matter by what means you choose. We are in solidarity with all who share our goal to prevent Nazi march. No future for the Nazis – Attacker racist state! ”

The expected anti-fascists from all over Germany and neighboring countries. From several towns people travel by buses, and in Berlin is a common departure by train. It is clear already that the anti-fascist mobilization will be one of the largest in many years, in northern Germany.”

There are direct train service from Copenhagen and Aarhus to Hamburg Central Station. Eurolines has buses to Hamburg.

More info about the anti-fascist activities:

Info on the march: Kein tag der Deutschen Zukunft

Wide Anti fascist group in Hamburg

If you need a bunk, then you can contact them here: cchamburg.blogsport.eu