Anti-fascist news update

Britain First, British National Party and Trams
The arrest of Emma West for the now infamous ‘My Tram Experience’ racist rant video on Youtube sparked backlash from the far-right, with groups competing for the best ‘Free Emma West’ campaign.

The British National Party wasted no time getting their ugly mugs involved, and their new splinter group, Britain First, jumped at the opportunity to have a campaign and some publicity of their own.

She’s now been released on bail…and Britain First activists have been left scratching their heads, wondering what to do next.

British Freedom Party and zee EDL
With splits happening left, right and centre, and rapidly declining turnouts on demos, the English Defence League have decided it’s time for some reinventing. They’ve entered a pact with the other new BNP spin off, British Freedom Party. They believe the pact will give EDL activists somebody to vote for, a prospect that the BFP has gleefully jumped at.

However this is hardly the best suited of marriages, and it’s doubtful that it will be too long before real cracks start to show. In a leaked British Freedom Party ‘Skype meeting,’ they have already laid out that they are the ones who should wear the trousers and discussed how the EDL can be ‘used.’

You can listen to it here.

Down South
Anti-fascists have been busy on the south coast recently, harrying the British National Party at their every turn.

An article from Schnews said, “Over the last month, the BNP have been trying to establish a street presence down south. They’ve attempted with varying degrees of success to hold stalls in Worthing and Bognor, and made a morale-boosting effort to host Nick Griffin in Hastings. Throughout they have been opposed by a rag-tag but determined bag of anti-fascists.

Although they have managed to hold street stalls under the radar, Griffinbore couldn’t show his face in Hastings and a constant weekend vigil by anti-fascists has frustrated any further stalls. The most recent effort in Worthing on Remembrance Sunday was abandoned as quote “there are too many scruffy commies in town”.

A further blow for them came when they advertised a meeting on their website happening in Bognor/Littlehampton on 15th November at 7.30pm. Spice was added to this snoreathon by an attempt to keep the meeting place secret.

Unfortunately for them, they aren’t running a very tight ship and the venue location was leaked – Aldwick Parish Hall. On the night of the meeting anti-fascists attached banners saying “Racism in secret is still racism” to road signs and roundabouts along the route to the hall. In the face of such opposition, the meeting was called off and never took place.”

For more check out Brighton Anti-Fascists site.

Sweden
There were clashes in Stockholm on Saturday 10th December, as anti-fascists attempted to block the annual ‘Salem march’ by far-right and fascist activists.

Around 400 people were taking part in the fascist march, with anarchists, socialists, trade unionists and others coming out against them. Bricks, bottles, firecrackers and flares reined down on the fascist procession, as the police ran around trying their best to protect them. 2 fascists received hospital treatment and half a dozen arrests made.

The BNP’s Nick Griffin joined the rally, one of his many recent jollies around European fascist events – no doubt at the expense of European tax payers.

Here’s a video that sets the scene of the day…

Montreal
A small march by around 30 members of the far-right separatist group, Légion Nationale, came into contact with anti-fascists in downtown Montreal at the end of November. Around 15 anti-fascists made their arrival known and pelted the march with bricks and bottles. Unfortunately around 10 arrests were made.