“On Saturday 9th November, notorious fascists and neo-nazi has-beens called a demonstration in support of the jailed leadership of the murderous neo-nazi Golden Dawn party at the Greek Embassy in London.
A Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn flag goes up in smoke
Over 40 militants from the AFN responded in a co-ordinated action to send a strong message to those attending or thinking about attending neo-nazi and racist demonstrations – that they are not welcomed and they will be opposed. The message was spelt out to them with a “frank discussion” before the demonstration. For all their talk of “smashing the reds” not one of the 12 fascists said a word, instead the sense of shear fear on their faces would hopefully make an impression and knock some sense in the younger attendees that were present. Around 5 of the younger fascists were escorted out of the pub onto trains by AFN militants and told to fuck off home.
After we had left the remaining fascists, who had hoped for a large police presence at their pub but with none insight, pleaded with community support officers to escort them to the demo as they were too afraid to leave. They ended up getting taxis to the embassy.
Flames of resistance
Our aim was to never attend or call a counter-protest, if we had we would have had given the 30-35 odd balls that turned up a sense of importance and the cops more intel. The location of the embassy and the high police presence meant that any counter protest would have been completely in the control of the cops. Different situations require different tactics.
After the action, seized Golden Dawn Flags were burned. We give our total solidarity to our working class brothers and sisters in Greece, the many migrants who are struggle against racist and fascism and to our Brother Pavlos who was murdered by Golden Dawn members.
The Met Police made up to 300 arrests (07/09/13) in order to allow the EDL to march across Tower Bridge and into the outskirts of Tower Hamlets.
The day started well enough with hundreds answering the Anti -Fascist Network‘s call to stop the EDL. The AFN responding to earlier threats by the Met to march the league into the heart of Tower Hamlets had announced their meeting point as Altab Ali park – effectively as a side rally to the Unite against Fascism shindig.
The UAF affair went down much as expected – a platform with speakers firmly within the designated protest zone. In the end they produced nearly fifty speakers (all the usual suspects and local worthies). It also has to be said that the UAF really only started banging the drum for Tower Hamlets when it was clear that a police ban on an EDL march into Tower Hamlets proper would be enforced.
Meanwhile the AFN quietly assembled towards the back of the park and when the moment came around 500 surged out behind the banners and to the cops’ surprise marched east in order to outflank them and exploit a few undefended side streets. Many locals joined in with the break away.
Swinging round, the block made for Tower Bridge and tried to make its way through the hastily improvised police cordons. Some were kettled or turned back but one group of around a hundred made it to within sight of the EDL’s rally point on Tower Bridge. Determined attempts to break through were met with the threat of horses and dogs. In the end the exchange between anti-fascists and EDL was limited to shouting abuse.
Other anti-fascists operated in small groups along the route of the EDL’s march. After the huge build up and with all the benefits of the Lee Rigby incident the league only numbered around 600 on the day. One SchNEWS reporter who walked alongside them said “They seemed pretty despondent, there was very little shouting or chanting”.
At the EDL’s rally point at Aldgate station one brave couple, who’d evaded police detection, unfurled a banner with the pithy slogan “Racists fuck off”. This provoked a hail of bottles from the enraged EDL. The banner wielders were then nicked for ‘breach of the peace’. There were also (unconfirmed) reports that non-aligned anti-fascists got into a building site to the south of the rally and hurled bricks into the crowd.
The EDL were permitted a half hour rally, during which Tommy Robinson announced a series of charity walks in the Tower Hamlets area, an obvious move in light of the astounding success of the last one. They were then marched directly back along their route and embarked on their buses. A handful remained drinking under the watchful eyes of cops in pubs near the bridge. No EDL supporters managed any kind of visible presence in Tower Hamlets on the day.
As the news of the EDL’s departure came through the UAF staged a ‘victory march’ along Whitechapel High St. The celebration of this ‘victory’ while nearly two hundred comrades were being held in police kettles and being prepared for mass arrest was condemned by at least one AFN activist as a “fucking disgrace”.
Police brought commandeered buses to the two kettles and began loading prisoners into them to be distributed to police stations across London. Arrest support was organised by Green and Black Cross across the capital, with activists waiting outside police stations for released detainees. As far as SchNEWS is aware virtually nobody has been charged with an offence or even interviewed. They have all been bailed away from ‘demonstrations by the BNP, EDL or EVF inside the M25’. These are the very same bail conditions handed out to activists who confronted the BNP’s attempted march on the Cenotaph . Clearly the Met at least are worried about the growing presence of militant anti-fascists on the streets.
Were you arrested? If you haven’t already then it’s probably worth your while to contact Green and Black Cross who are collating information and organising legal support.
For more information on autonomous street based anti-fascism – ANTI FASCIST NETWORK
Australian Anti-fascist prisoner Jock Palfreeman, serving 20 years in Sofia/Bulgaria for defending two Roma boys from a racist mob, is on hungerstrike from 13th January 2013 because the Director of the Central Sofia Prison has ordered another punishment measure because of Jock´s activist work as chairman of the Bulgarian Prisoner´s Association.
Due to this punishment Jock is now not allowed to finish his studies which is very important to him.
Jock’s health is rapidly worsening as he continues his hunger strike and he is not even allowed to see a doctor as yet another repressive measure by the prison authorities.
He asks for solidarity from all of you by sending a letter to the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice. Please start putting pressure now before it’s too late. Jock needs our support!
Well, first of all, the Director stopped me from my Uni degree! See I’ve been helping other prisoners, obviously part of the union and solidarity with fellow convicts. So to punish me, for my solidarity ie legal advice! the Director of the prison cut me off from the computers where I write my essays. It happened several days ago after 10 guards badly beat a prisoner with batons. I helped the prisoner get legal advice and explained to him the procedure for how to instigate a criminal investigation into their attack. For that I’m being punished in that they are stopping me from my studies.
So on the 13/1/13 I started a hunger strike, I have not eaten since then, I am only drinking water drinks eg mint tea (without sugar) and normal water. I have lost a lot of weight in 9 days but I don’t know how much as the prison refuses to send a doctor to me. I don’t plan on stopping until I am returned to my studies, but I don’t think this director will allow me, so prospects look dim! To help me, please send letters of complaint to:
Ministry of Justice
Diana Kovacheva
No. 1, Slavanska Street
Sofia 1040
Bulgaria
I recommend writing as individuals.
22nd January 2013
Hunger strike…. not happy, the worst is that I’m getting bad heart burn from my stomach acids!
Let’s defend ourselves against the English Defence League!
The EDL are marching in Bristol on the 14th of July. The counter- mobilisation is in full swing, so get involved. There have been alot of posts on Bristol Indymedia about the EDL demo.
Now is the time for our call to action. Come to Templemeads area and line the route at 10am on the 14th to give them the welcome they deserve. Stay alert. Stay mobile. Bring your mates
There are many many ways to show your opposition to the EDL: don’t let them march, don’t give ’em a lift in your taxi, put posters up in shops, don’t serve them drinks, raise awareness about their farcical attempts to disguise their homophobia, chat to work colleagues, decorate the city…. do whatever you feel comfortable with but now is the time to get a crew together and take action against racism in our city.
We want to meet them at the station to stop them marching for any distance. We will resist them wherever they turn and we will be watching them. Let’s defend ourselves against the EDL! Zero tolerance of fascism on our streets.
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.
“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.”
On the 14th July the EDL are proving their stupidity by attempting to march through Bristol. Bristol Anti-Fascists are hard at work organising a community response – here are some leaflets and stickers to view, print off, and distribute… have fun!! (drop us a mail if you can’t use the ones here and we can arrange to e-mail you the files in a different format.) More Info to follow closer to the time. Get involved innit!
3 Counties Anti-Fascist Alliance (3CAFA) 
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