taken from – antifascistnetwork.org
They’re falling like nine-pins!
This week saw BNP fuhrer Nick Griffin pushed out by his own party shortly after becoming unemployed due to losing his seat in the European Parliament. As if that were not enough, a few days later we had Britain First founder and main funder Jim Dowson quitting and pulling the plug on funding the far-right wannabe paramilitary group.
Just like when chief racist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon quit the EDL because – surprise-surprise – the organisation he founded was full of racists, long-time Christian bigot and racist Dowson’s sudden implausible discovery that Britain First was a bit racist really tells another story.
With both Griffin and Dowson (and Yaxley as well), it has been the relentless pressure on the far-right from anti-fascists and anti-racists that has undermined and worn down the fascists. From researchers digging the dirt and websites cataloguing or mocking their every racist utterance, to leafletters on the streets, crowds of local people opposing them wherever they go and dedicated anti-fascists confronting them physically on the streets – it has been this work of thousands of people that has been responsible for their failure and our success.
Their lack of success has exacerbated tensions within the far-right that have then led to splits, denunciations and total failure. A Britain First statement admits as much by saying Dowson’s decision was partly due to his “persecution” by the “far-Left” – i.e. opposition from people who don’t like racists.
Piss Poor Tour of Shame
Britain First looked like a slick professional outfit and appeared to be on a roll with hundreds of thousands of Facebook followers, until they were stripped of 150,000 of them for purchasing them from a click farm. Then they embarked on a ‘national roadshow’. This would seem like a natural move, but it only highlighted the gulf between their pretensions on social media and their lack of real-world support. None of their meetings across the country attracted more than 20 people, and that’s including the goon squad they brought with them. They faced opposition from anti-fascists almost everywhere they went and had their venues cancel on them in Sheffield and Dartford. Eventually they just abandoned the whole thing, cancelling gigs in Bristol and Belfast that were supposed to be the culmination of their tour.
In a further humiliation, Britain First were chased out of Stevenage and given a slap by soldiers of the Royal Anglian regiment that they idolise.
Now following Dowson pulling the plug, Britain First’s remaining leader Paul Golding says their strategy of ‘mosque invasions’ will cease. He also said “we’re not going anywhere”. Funnily enough that’s exactly what Griffin said before being kicked out as BNP leader. Note to fascists: Groups which aren’t failing don’t need to keep repeating that they’re not going anywhere.
How will Britain First manage without Dowson’s money? Will Golding try and struggle on with ever increasing appeals to the faithful for cash or without it’s sugar-daddy will the groupuscule just evaporate into nothing?
And what now for the BNP? They’re going to start looking like a less professional outfit as the Euro MEP money dries up and it’s not looking good as they just pushed Griffin out in favour of an even less attractive leader.
One thing’s for sure: Even though anti-fascists are currently getting organised and stronger as the fascists fall to pieces, the threat still remains and we must remain vigilant and organised against racists and fascists to make sure they don’t get a chance to re-organise.
