173 lines
5.2 KiB
Plaintext
173 lines
5.2 KiB
Plaintext
Anti-Fascist Action
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10 Years On
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Ten years ago 300 people met in a Central London hall to discuss
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setting up a new anti-fascist organisation. The result was the
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formation of Anti-Fascist Action, "to oppose racism and fascism
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physically on the streets and ideologically."
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Since the Anti-Nazi League was closed down by the Socialist
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Workers Party in 1981, there was no national organisation to co-
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ordinate anti-fascist opposition, despite the increasing number of
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racist attacks and on-going targeting of left-wing activities.
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There were small groups of anti-fascists around the country, but
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they were isolated and coming under increasing pressure from the
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police. AFA was formed to end the isolation and draw in larger
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numbers to the anti-fascist movement. Initially the alliance of
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'liberals' and 'militants' in AFA achieved results, certainly anti-
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fascism was put back on the public agenda, and victories over the
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NF at Stockport (1985) and Bury St Edmunds (1986), followed by the
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successful campaign to finish of the NF Remembrance Day parades in
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Central London, showed our ability to disrupt the fascists and gave
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anti-fascists increasing confidence.
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One thing that AFA has learnt is that effective anti-fascism
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doesn't mean rigidly applying a set formula; tactics and strategies
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need to adapt to changing circumstances. By 1989 AFA started to
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define itself as the militant wing of the anti-fascist movement. We
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moved away from protest actions and calls for the government and
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police to lead the fight against fascism. We made it clear that we
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were not fighting fascism to defend the status quo but because
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fascism is reactionary, ultra-conservative, and anti-working class.
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AFA's objective was to clear the fascists out of working class
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areas and create the space for a progressive alternative to be
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built. Armed with this new strategy AFA started to grow rapidly,
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and the successful campaign against the BNP's "Rights for Whites"
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campaign in East London (1990-91) Was soon followed by significant
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victories in the North West of England, Scotland, and then the
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Midlands.
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Once AFA had defined itself as 'militant anti-fascist' it was
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important to give the militants an independent voice. The AFA
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magazine, Fighting Talk, was launched to do this (1991) and the
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hard-hitting AFA video, also called Fighting Talk, was shown on
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BBC's Open Space in 1992, clearly showing the class nature of
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fascism and the need for militant opposition.
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However 1992 also saw the arrival of 'the Left' into the anti-
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fascist arena, with the launch of the ANL, YRE, and ARA. Despite
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having abandoned anti-fascism for over 10 years, these groups now
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decided they would 'lead' the movement. Their access to large
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amounts of money, and sections of the media, allowed them to 'flood
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the market' for a while, but in traditional 'left wing' style, once
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the money and recruits dry up, they jump onto another bandwagon.
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They have done considerable damage, though, for where AFA
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challenged the traditional 'left wing' stereotype (both politically
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and physically) they have simply presented soft targets and soft
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politics. Their support for Labour' in places like East London
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where Labour has presided over the area's decline for years, while
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not promoting any challenge from the Left, has merely helped the
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BNP present themselves as the 'radical' alternative.
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The inability of the BNP to stage public events without severe
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disruption - from Burnley (1993) to Bloxwich (1994), St Andrews Day
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(Glasgow 1991) to St George's Day (Birmingham 1994) - has led them
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to declare that there would be "... no more marches, meetings,
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punch-ups..." (1994 Spearhead). This change of tactics by the BNP
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has presented AFA with a new challenge, for if the fascists have
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withdrawn from the physical arena, new forces need to be created to
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challenge them politically. The space that AFA has made hasn't been
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filled, and if it isn't filled by the Left, it will be filled by
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the Right.
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While the BNP adopt a low-key electoral strategy at present, the
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threat of fascist violence has been taken up by C18. The exact
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nature of this threat remains to be seen, but they have recently
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taken control of the nazi music organisation Blood and Honour.
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Blood and Honour tried to operate openly but were smashed by AFA at
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Hyde Park Corner (1989) and the famous Battle of Waterloo (1992),
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and so now their gigs are highly secretive and therefore less
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effective. AFA has also used music to spread the anti-fascist
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message, initially with Cable St. Beat, the Unity Carnivals (1991-
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93), and more recently the club-based Freedom of Movement.
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C18 is also involved in recruiting at football, and this
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challenge is being met by AFA, with supporters at Celtic, and then
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Man. Utd., giving a lead. European links are growing with the
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Hamburg club St. Pauli and Athletico Bilbau. AFA had developed
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international contacts with many groups, especially in Europe and
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North America, and is actively involved in ending the isolation of
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militant anti-fascist groups - this task being more urgent since
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the German state's attempts to criminalise and destroy the
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militants from Gottingen.
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AFA is well organised, has experience and ambition, and above all
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a plan. Join us.
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