Bristol has a proud tradition of refusing to allow fascists to take our streets. Over the past few months, several racist & far-right marches have targeted our city. Police officers have shamelessly protected the marches, using serious violence against the anti-racists who stood in their way.
This month local antifascists, police monitors, and solidarity groups are holding a meeting to discuss recent antifascist organising in Bristol:
Panel discussion from 7pm – 8:30pm Q&A and discussions until 9:30pm Campaign stalls and informal chats Free hot drinks and snacks
Yesterday, Bristol Patriots announced that both Britain First and UKIP will be at tomorrow’s demo with Nick Tenconi as a speaker.
These two groups latching onto this demo is not a coincidence. Fascism and authoritarianism is growing, and these groups want to destroy the solidarity and strength we showed last summer. To them, it is more than just Bristol or attacking this specific location housing migrants, its building an international fascist movement.
Nick Tenconi and UKIP have been doing demos outside of refugee housing all summer. Tenconi himself was caught on camera doing a n*zi salute.
Britain First is partially responsible for Operation Raise the COlours, putting ridiculous amounts into funding nationalism across the country.
Both are committed to build a world that’s actively hosting to migrants, queer and trans people, and working class people.
Coming out tomorrow does more than protect this one hotel. And even if it were, we’d still be there.
They want to “take” Bristol because of the culture, the sense of community, the willingness to stand up and fight. Cities with similar reputations are getting targeted worldwide, so those positives can be replaced with corporate and fascist interests.
Showing up and not letting fascists and racists just do as they want is part of an ongoing fight against capitalism and state authoritarianism.
We are all Bristol Antifascists.
That means stopping fascism everywhere it appears and every form it takes.
Tomorrow, that means supporting migrants stuck in temporary accommodations getting directly targeted.
But in the future, that also means supporting racialized people, queer and trans people, women, unhoused and working class people, disabled people, s*x workers, ex-prisoners and many more in whatever forms those lived experiences take. We need to act in solidarity with everyone who has been oppressed until all of us are free.
So, we’ll see you out there tomorrow. Wear black, bring a friend and hopefully make some more friends.
What a line up for the punk benefit gig raising funds for Bristol Antifascists at The Red Lion, BS5 – Friday 14th November – 7pm – £10 tickets on the door 🎸🔊
⏰12:00 Sat. 15 Nov. 📌 Meet at corner of Redcliff Parade & Redcliff Hill.
Wear all black.
Last summer, a coked-up racist mob tried to smash up the Mercure hotel in Redcliffe, which is home to asylum-seekers and refugees. We got in their way and successfully defended it from their attacks; police were nowhere to be seen.
Now, “Bristol Patriots” want to hold another demo outside it in an act of blatant intimidation. We will stand with the residents.
Targeting the Mercure again after the thwarted attack last year is a clear escalation from Bristol Patriots.
Racist “Bristol Patriots” want to hold a protest outside the Mercure hotel in Redcliffe. Last August, the people of Bristol defended refugees and asylum seekers in the hotel from a violent racist mob. It’s time to turn up again and show those staying in the hotel that we stand with them and that they are welcome in Bristol 🌻
Come along to BASE Cafe for a film screening of ‘Fires and Fascism’ followed by a Q&A with director Pete Knapp – Sunday 19th October
Pay what you can vegan food from 6pm Film starts at 7pm
FIRES AND FASCISM is a new 57-min documentary shows the wildfires in Europe are more than just climate change and mismanagement. It links the increasing wildfires of Europe with past fascism, big business, organised crime, and the rise of the far right. It showcases how communities are engaging in direct action, protest, rewilding, and suppressing the rise of uncontrollable fires and the far right through direct actions.
The racists still haven’t got the message. After being defeated and humiliated last weekend, “Bristol Patriots” intend once again to sow hatred on our streets.
Their lack of numbers – and fascists’ general fear of organising in Bristol – is no accident. It is our collective strength, organisation and repeated willingness to mobilise that makes our city a bastion of antifascism.
As other hotel demonstrations across the country see a resurgence of open Nazism, we must not concede an inch to racist ideas.
