Bristol antifascists joined a community mobilisation against Britain First, including local antifascists and a contingent of Football Lads and Lasses Against Fascism, in Nuneaton on Saturday 1st March.
Britain First are a fascist, christian fundamentalist organisation arguing for closed borders and forced deportations of migrants and asylum seekers. Their ranks are heavily populated by old school fascists who would once have marched with the National Front or the British National party, with unashamed racism at the core of their politics. They were desperate to make a big impression with their Nuneaton national demonstration and pulled out all the stops. “True patriots” were urged to chip in as the Britain First membership fleecing went into overdrive. £18000 was apparently spent on lots of flags and an oversized TV screen to show off Paul Golding’s oversized ego via their video nasty, Britain First, the movie.
On the day only around 150 showed up and had to wait for over an hour to start marching as a result of the large counter demonstration which outnumbered the fascists. Local people had clearly done some good organising to bring people out together to show the fascists they were not welcome. As we have seen so many times before, the police did what they do best, forcing the fascist march through with their characteristic brutality against anti racist demonstrators. It was yet another reminder of how the police and the state are as much our enemy as the fascists. Their politics are in so many ways aligned and they both do the dirty work for the rich and powerful.
Seeing Britain First supporters telling Black and Asian Counter protestors to get out of Britain and back to ‘where you came from’ was a reminder that the theme of Golding’s march; ‘Re-migration’, is an attempt to whip up the basest levels of racism that have always been a feature of these groups. We need to make sure their ‘message’ is hurled back at them, as one young Asian counter protestor replied when he said ‘I’m from Coventry!’
In the face of the police violence, various attempts were made to get in the way and to actively resist. We were encouraged to see that there were a good number of comrades prepared to work together, to take the risks and actually take the road and block the fascists’ march. But it was also a reminder that we really need to rebuild a combative and confident movement of militants organising effectively together. We need more people who, when push comes to shove, are committed to actually stopping fascists marching, to get on the road and in the way, to realise and act on the slogans we shout and to really mean it when we say the streets are ours.
Solidarity with all our communities facing violence and intimidation from fascist mobs. We will continue to resist, counter and organise in direct opposition to the toxic hatred, lies and violence that these people preach in the name of ‘patriotism’.
