by bristolantifascists -

Solidarity from Bristol to Tottenham

Bristol Antifascists stand in solidarity with the Tottenham community and anti-fascists in London following the recent attack on a family music event by a mob of Polish fascists
Bristol Antifascists stand in solidarity with the Tottenham community and anti-fascists in London following the recent attack on a family music event by a mob of Polish fascists

On Saturday 21st June, a small, family-orientated ‘Music Day’ festival was being held in Marksfield Park, Tottenham, north London. A group of around 40 Polish neo-Nazis and football hooligans belonging to Zjednoczeni Emigranci (ZE – United Emigrants) attacked the event with flares, rocks and bottles. Attendees defended themselves, pushing back the fascist attack. A Polish festival goer was stabbed during the fight, fortunately only suffering superficial injuries. A Jewish man was also assaulted by the group before they reached the festival, with one ZE member arrested for religiously aggravated common assault.

Two days later, 200 locals and anti-fascists gathered in Marksfield Park to demonstrate against the attacks on the community. London-based Polish anti-fascists, Dywizjon 161, have been at the forefront of this response to the attack, along with London Antifascists and London Black Revs. They have cleared the park of fascist stickers and graffiti, leafletted the area and created a visible anti-fascist and anti-racist presence there.

On Saturday 28th a second rally and march was held in Marksfield Park, with between 200-300 people attending. The same evening anti-fascists in Bristol gathered in solidarity, holding a collection and leafletting session in a number of pubs, raising awareness and funds to be used in our work and to support others.

At a time when far-right attacks are on the rise in this country and the political establishment along with the mainstream media are using the age old tactic of divide and rule, we need to stand together now more than ever. We are proud to work alongside anti-fascists from across the world here in the UK and realise that the recent events stress the need for a diverse, organised and militant anti-fascist movement in this country. Fascist organisation must be and will be resisted in whatever guise it takes, wherever it comes from.

For international working class solidarity and community self defence. Zero tolerance of fascism!

by bristolantifascists -

Anti-fascists organise against neo-Nazi violence in North London

taken from – antifascistnetwork.org

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On Saturday a group of Polish neo-Nazis from the group Zjednoczeni Emigranci (ZE – United Immigrants) attacked the small ‘Music Day’ festival in Markfield Park in Tottenham, North London assaulting a Jewish man and stabbing another Polish man. This pre-planned and unprovoked attack on a family music festival was carried out by a group of about 40 fascists and involved throwing glass bottles, stones and flares. Several other people were injured.

The individual who was stabbed purely through luck suffered only superficial injuries. One member of ZE has been arrested for religiously aggravated common assault in connection with the assault against a Jewish man.

In response UAF swiftly called a vigil outside Tottenham Town Hall on Monday evening. A crowd of about 200 anti-fascists gathered and listened to speeches including from 43 Group veteran Monty Goldman.

After the end of the UAF rally, a group of around 100 led by the Polish anti-fascist group Dywizjon 161 marched up Tottenham High Road to Markfield Park and removed ZE graffiti and stickers throughout the area, replacing it with anti-fascist stickers and messages.

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ZE have been gathering in the area of Markfield Park for some months, covering the area in their stickers and graffiti and holding large rallies of several hundred people in the park. Many local people, although aware of their presence were unaware of what sort of group they actually were.

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Dywizjon 161 have called another demonstration for 3pm in Markfield Park this coming Saturday 28th. Anyone opposed to the presence of this group of violent racist hooligans in the area should make an effort to attend and show a united front against fascist violence. This call-out is being supported by London Anti-Fascists, London Black Revs and the AFN.

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Dywizjon 161 – Facebook // Twitter

by bristolantifascists -

Victory in Cricklewood! Fascists fail and retreat

taken from – antifascistnetwork.org

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The anti-fascist mobilisation against the South East Alliance demonstration in Cricklewood this weekend was a resounding success. Approximately 200 anti-fascists confronted a mere 40 far-right marchers and prevented them from completing their march, forcing them to turn around and go back the way they came.

The SEA is an even more right-wing splinter group of the EDL that exists in an alliance with all the other tiny far-right splinter groups. Therefore the small number of far-right nationalists in North London on Saturday contained many familiar unpleasant faces from the English Volunteer Force, Casuals United, the March for England etc. Research by London Anti-Fascists correctly anticipated many of the unpleasant characters who would be there.

 

If anyone had any doubt about the politics of those on the SEA demo there are plenty of photos of marchers doing Nazi salutes and displaying neo-Nazi flags with the emblems of the Greek Golden Dawn and the Celtic Cross.

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The pretext for the SEA demo was that above a kebab shop on Cricklewood Broadway is the office of a media organisation that supports the ex-governing party of Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood. In January, the house newspaper of the far-right – the Daily Mail – identified the location as “the centre of operations for Egypt’s once-mighty Muslim Brotherhood”. Hence the people of Cricklewood being besieged by racists – initially by Britain First earlier this year and now by the SEA.

The SEA arrived at Kilburn station and were escorted inside a mobile kettle of police towards Cricklewood Broadway. Anti-fascists assembled near the kebab shop target of the SEA and when they saw the SEA being brought towards them by the police, they moved swiftly to block the road. Headed up by a large ‘No Pasaran!’ banner, the crowd of locals, trade union members and anti-fascists from across London and beyond made sure that they did not pass.

More cops than fascists in Cricklewood!

Faced with a large and resolute crowd the police initially stopped the SEA about 20 metres from the anti-fascist crowd. There the fascists remained while plod scratched their heads for a bit, before finally deciding abandon the whole thing. To cheers and shouts of ‘goodbye – don’t come back!’ from the anti-fascists, the SEA were turned around and sent back the way they had come, without ever having got to the supposed destination of their demo. They were taken back to Kilburn station and removed from the area.

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The SEA looked pissed off and bored and did not look like they were having a good time. Some of the retreating fash tried to duck into a Cricklewood pub for some relief, but were told in no uncertain terms to get out. Hopefully they’ll learn London is not fascist-friendly and they’ll stop coming back!

Saturday also saw the national conference of Unite Against Fascism at Congress House in central London. Some of the muppets from the SEA demo decided later in the day to go and try their luck there having a go at people attending the conference. They did not succeed in disrupting the conference at all, but lurked about making a nuisance of themselves. Some anti-fascists followed them from Cricklewood and scuffles ensued.

Good work was put in by many anti-fascists in the run up to the demo, leafletting and talking to locals in the area. Hopefully these links will bear more fruit in the future.

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If you were arrested on Saturday or witnessed any arrests or assaults on anti-fascists, please contact GBC with any information.

Well done to all who took to the streets on Saturday to confront the far-right and to show them that they will never get an easy ride in London and that local communities will pull together and unite to keep them out.

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by bristolantifascists -

2014 UK European Election results from a militant anti-fascist perspective

So it’s now June and we’ve all been hearing about and discussing the recent ‘earthquake’ European election results. There’s been a fair few headlines in the last week reading things along the line of “2014 the rise of the far right” and they are not far wrong. The mainstream political system across Europe has just taken a big step to the right and unfortunately with that comes a threat much closer to home. Times are hard and the living standards of the working class have been in severe decline for some years now thanks to our lapdogs of the rich coalition government and their forced austerity measures attacking and strangle holding every single community up and down the country. Everyone is looking for someone to blame and fair enough, but as always at times like this and as repeated throughout history, the ruling elite have done a pretty good job of convincing everyone that it’s not them and their monstrous swollen bank balances always going up that are to blame. They’ve been giving us easy scapegoats. They’ve been telling us to blame the immigrants, the disabled, terrorists, Muslims, Europe, people without a job and it has been working for them and we are now seeing a new rise of the far right street movements. Whilst the recent buzz of the European elections has been going on, with Nigel Farage all over the TV and in the newspapers, there was a left wing gig in Portsmouth attacked by EDL thugs, an openly fascist white pride demonstration in Swansea, a huge Islamaphobic hooligan march in Brighton and fascists having to be kicked out of Easton in Bristol by the locals to name but a few of these far too often occurring incidents. Uniformed fascists Britain First were invading (their words) mosques in East London the other day!!! This cannot carry on. With this new rise of the mainstream far right across Europe comes a new rise of street level fascism from right within the heart of the communities we live in. It must be stopped and the most effective way to stop fascism is by organising and confronting it in our streets as soon as it rears its ugly head. We must fight back and we must do it now.