Portsmouth EDL Flashmob protest outside Mosque.

Photograph from Portsmouth News.

A frankly bizarre slogan, One might presume that terrorists were already radicalised.
But then again these are the guys responsible for this little gem.

Evidently the EDL are in league with the White Witch.

This was another rather desperate protest for Portsmouth EDL.The first we heard of it was around 7.30 when we were informed that there were about 20 of them opposite the Mosque in Victoria Road North.When I got down there about 20 minutes later there presence had been reduced to about 15.We did a quick call out of UAF who lived locally to get some support there.

The EDL always need something to hang a particular protest on,in this case it appears to be that a local Muslim has gone to fight with an Islamist group in Syria.

This was a desultory affair and within a short period of time we outnumbered them without any difficulty. The EDL have further embarrassed themselves by claiming they surrounded the Mosque, which presumably means they have very long arms.We peaked at 22 and for the last hour of their protest they were down to 11 people.Under the circumstances we didn't even send out a mass text to get people down there.Portsmouth UAF and Portsmouth Anti-Fascists easily outnumbered them.

This is yet another manifestation of how weak they have become.A rather pathetic end to what has been a pretty disastrous year for the EDL.

Hopefully in 2014 we can finish them off once and for all.

Oppose March for England demo in Portsmouth in October.Portsmouth Trades Union Council and Portsmouth Unite Against Fascism joint Rally against the Nazis.

UPDATED PAGE : IMPORTANT LINK TO EVENT PAGE.

It would help if people indicated to us if they are coming by indicating on the Facebook Page.

 This would assist us in organising seating etc.

The above picture has been appearing all over the internet.The 21ist is a Monday,and it is likely therefore likely they will be going for the 19th or the 20th.

Please note that the image of the Sea Scouts has been used without permission, and they have made it clear to us they do not endorse this event.

 Public Meeting.

24th September.

7.30-9.30

Southsea Community Centre.
St Paul's Square, King St, Southsea, Hampshire PO5 4EE.
Main speaker:

Brian Richardson.
Assistant National Secretary of UAF and Civil Rights Activist.

Other speakers TBC. 



In recent weeks there has been a flurry of Fascist activity in Portsmouth. 

March for England are one of the oldest Anti-Islam organisations ,and whilst they claim to be different from EDL it is the same ragbag of Racists and Nazis at their core.

EDL, MFE and NF .
They are all part of the same Nazi Alphabet Soup.

For years there have been attempts by various factions of the Nazi movement to establish a beach head on the south coast.Due to sustained opposition none of these attempts have born fruit. Much of this has been reported on this site.The murder of Lee Rigby was ruthlessly exploited by the English Defence League, and provided a brief boost to the fortunes of the EDL.The march in London over the summer saw the EDL get well over a thousand on the streets. A recent demo in Birmingham saw them get over a thousand on the streets.

EDL member giving Nazi Salute at the Cenotaph earlier this year.


It is clear that to write off the EDL as a spent force is dangerously complacent.What has become clearer in more recent months is that the Nazis at the core of the EDL are becoming more brazen and it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to claim to being merely a "Patriotic "organisation.



Moving footage of EDL members giving Nazi salutes at the Cenotaph in London.


March For England are now the latest group to want to invite every Nazi sect to descend on Portsmouth.They usually only organise a demo for St. Georges day In Brighton.

Their demos are usually a white trash magnet, when all the various Nazi group-lets are encouraged to drop their differences and come together.

The aim of the meeting is to attempt to bring together activists to oppose the growth of the far right in Portsmouth.

There will be Trades Council and UAF and Love Music Hate Racism stalls at this event.

We would also be pleased if anybody would like to bring Trade Union or Community Association banners to this event. If so please contact us on portsmouthuaf@gmail.com

It would help if people indicated to us if they are coming by indicating on the Facebook Page.

https://www.facebook.com/events/438488476265840/

Portsmouth UAF: 07954218281

This would assist us in organising seating etc.


All that is necessary for evil to prevail is that good people do nothing.

Stop March for England demo in Portsmouth in October.Portsmouth Trades Union Council and Portsmouth Unite Against Fascism joint Rally against the Nazis.

 Public Meeting.

24th September.

7.30-9.30

Southsea Community Centre.
St Paul's Square, King St, Southsea, Hampshire PO5 4EE.
Main speaker:

Brian Richardson.
Assistant National Secretary of UAF and Civil Rights Activist.

Other speakers TBC. 



In recent weeks there has been a flurry of Fascist activity in Portsmouth.

For years there have been attempts by various factions of the Nazi movement to establish a beach head on the south coast.Due to sustained opposition none of these attempts have born fruit. Much of this has been reported on this site.The murder of Lee Rigby was ruthlessly exploited by the English Defence League, and provided a brief boost to the fortunes of the EDL.The march in London over the summer saw the EDL get well over a thousand on the streets. A recent demo in Birmingham saw them get over a thousand on the streets.

EDL member giving Nazi Salute at the Cenotaph earlier this year.


It is clear that to write off the EDL as a spent force is dangerously complacent.What has become clearer in more recent months is that the Nazis at the core of the EDL are becoming more brazen and it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to claim to being merely a "Patriotic "organisation.



Moving footage of EDL members giving Nazi salutes at the Cenotaph in London.


March For England are now the latest group to want to invite every Nazi sect to descend on Portsmouth.They usually only organise a demo for St. Georges day In Brighton.

Their demos are usually a white trash magnet, when all the various Nazi group-lets are encouraged to drop their differences and come together.

The aim of the meeting is to attempt to bring together activists to oppose the growth of the far right in Portsmouth.

There will be Trades Council and UAF and Love Music Hate Racism stalls at this event.

We would also be pleased if anybody would like to bring Trade Union or Community Association banners to this event. If so please contact us on portsmouthuaf@gmail.com

Portsmouth EDL March: a bit of a damp firework.

In the run-up to the EDL march there was considerable tension in the air. Not just due to the fact that the EDL were attempting to foment divisions in Portsmouth but also due to the fact that physical threats had been made on Facebook to figures in the Anti-Fascist movement.Jon Woods a leading Socialist and Anti-Fascist had received threats via Facebook and the police had become involved.

Videos of proudly Nazi band No Remorse performing "Smash the Reds" had been posted by the local EDL organiser(who lives in Bath)on to our Facebook page. There had also been threats that a pigs head would be thrown over the wall of the proposed Muslim School.

After attacking Muslim places of worship in Portsmouth,they are now targeting Schoolkids.

That's about their mark.

This was flagged up as their Unity demo.This was to be the day that the South Coast far right was going to unite to prepare for Tower Hamlets on the 7th Sept.

English Volunteer Force ,South Coast Alliance and March for England amongst others were to come together against the Muslim School as a unified  fist against Islam.

They had announced they  were expecting 4-500 to attend.

Some Fascist groups were anticipating even higher figures.

UAF had maintained from the outset that if the EDL were to march and protest outside the site,then we would come down and protest in solidarity with the religious freedoms of the Muslim community and against the EDL outside as well.

We agreed a protest site with the Police, after a bit of wrangling, opposite the School facing the EDL,much to the anger of the EDL,who seem to think they have not just a right to march, but to march without opposition.

Apparently they felt  they could demand we protest elsewhere.

UAF assembled at the Fountain at midday.There were about 150-180 of us.Not just the usual attendees of our demos like Unison, Pcs and the teaching unions but also many people who had never turned up before. At 12.30 we marched down to the site .Significantly we did not just get support from passers by ,but people from the housing estate behind came out to voice their support for our protest.

When the EDL finally ambled their way from the pub they had "mustered" at ,it became pretty clear that this was not to be their finest hour.On the way there they threw lit fireworks at the houses they were passing and one of them was arrested for throwing a blazing firecracker into a policewoman's face.
The Police put the figure for their turnout at around 50.They are claiming 200. The figure of about 100 I think would be fair to the point of being generous.

The Portsmouth News video gives a flavour of proceedings.




Their turnout was bad and their conduct was incomprehensible.

Chucking fireworks at the homes of  local working class people.

Is this Portsmouth EDLs idea of outreach?

The EDL are Fascists.

We call them that and thankfully our local newspaper Portsmouth News calls them that also.

We managed to maintain a lively demo throughout, the undisputed star of our protest was a young schoolgirl,CJ who for over half an hour took command of the megaphone declaring "I love all communities and all sexualities!"


It certainly isn't the children of Portsmouth who are filled with hate. 


After their speeches and a few scuffles between themselves and the police they ambled there way back to the pub.

This was important.Our protest against them when they held their 50 plus march for Lee Rigby was very poor, we only mobilised 40,and this protest clearly saw a revival in our support.

We were on the day able to chant "There are many, many, more of us than you !"

This had added poignancy,as this was the road where we stopped the NF from marching down in the early eighties ,and we effectively blocked their rise in Pompey  and smashed them.

This was a very significant day for us ,and the general feeling was that we had inflicted a significant defeat upon them ,their blogs are not crowing ,and it is generally felt  that this was a victory for us  and they have  now gone rather quiet .

One local EDL activist posted this in a response to a comment about the spirit of  unity on their demo:

"Unity? Pahahahaha"

The main purpose of their demo had little to do with the Muslim School .Obviously they despise Muslim Schools.However, in reality the schools issue was what Alfred Hitchcock called a MacGuffin, in that was a peg to hang the demo on.

They plan to invade Tower Hamlets on the 7th.

The reality was that for the South Coast Fascists ,the road to Tower Hamlets lies through Portsmouth.

Even with bringing people in from Weston Super Mare ,Bournemouth and elsewhere they had a risible turnout.

This has given Portsmouth UAF a huge boost in building for Tower Hamlets on 7th September.

Anyone wishing to attend the demo on the 7th please get in touch with us.
Portsmouthuaf@gmail.com

NO PASARAN!

Oppose the EDL March in Portsmouth on August 17th : Now they're targeting School kids.

The racists of Portsmouth EDL are now taking their fight to School kids.On 17th August they have announced they will be marching from the Connaught Arms along Fratton Road to the site of the new Muslim School on the corner of Lake Road.

There have been various threats in recent weeks emanating from Portsmouth EDL to hurl pigs heads onto the site and damage the property.

For the background to what's been going on please read this.

They have virtually no support in Portsmouth so they have realised that they will have to bus in support for their demo.

Their local regional organiser, Mickey Bayliss, actually lives in Bath.


Here is the masthead from his facebook page which he took down shortly before starting negotiations with Portsmouth Police over the demo arrangements.

The EDL are now busy trying to ensure that they get something more than the 50 people who attended their last march in Portsmouth.They are now publicising their demo aggressively amongst the far right community with groups like the National Front etc.




EDL supporters giving Nazi Salutes near the Cenotaph in London recently.

The idea that the EDL is opposing the School is because they are affronted by religious divisions is frankly laughable.

All faiths have the right to their own Schools if they so wish. There are plenty of other religious schools in Portsmouth.

Why are they singling out Muslims?

I think we know why.



Freedom of religion is non-negotiable.


It is important that we have the largest possible mobilisation to protest their visit to Portsmouth on the 17th.
They have been trying for ages to get a foothold in Portsmouth and it is essential we tell them they are not wanted in Portsmouth.

The assembly point for the Anti-Fascist protest is 12 Noon at the Fountain Commercial Rd. Portsmouth.
Please get as many people there as possible.Please note details may change.
Contact :
Portsmouthuaf@gmail.com

07954218281


To help us build the demo it would be enormously helpful if you sign up to the protest by telling us you are attending.
Could people please go to the demo page below sign up and invite friends etc.

https://www.facebook.com/events/162876940569078/

ALL THAT IS NECESSARY FOR EVIL TO PREVAIL IS THAT GOOD PEOPLE DO NOTHING.

David Irving, Notorious Holocaust Denier and Anti-Semite to embark on UK Hate Tour.

David Irving the infamous Nazi apologist is about to launch a national UK tour.The subject of the tour :

The Life and Death of Heinrich Himmler.

 This is not the first time he has been out on the stump with this one.He did a U.S. tour on Himmler two years ago . He will doubtless be plugging his video of the same name.
The way it works is this you buy the tickets online from sites like this.


http://irvingbooks.com/xcart/home.php?cat=250

About 24 hours beforehand you will find out where Reichsführer Irving will be holding forth on Himmler.
From what I can gather the line is Hitler was kept in the dark about what Irving still refuses to call the Holocaust.However it was all the allies fault ,because Himmler wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been for the allied bombing.

So it was all Churchill's fault.

Er, that thing that didn't happen .

You all got that?

When Irving toured the U.S.A. some time back there were attempts to vet attendees to ensure no Jews got tickets. You can read about that here.

Below the tour dates:


18th August 6.30pm, Southampton:-  

20th August 7pm, Exeter
21st August 7pm, Bristol
22nd August 7pm, Coventry Rugby
24th August 4pm,  Manchester

25th August 5pm, West Yorkshire
27th August 7pm, Newcastle upon Tyne

30th August 7pm, Oxford

31st August 4pm, London .

There are obviously going to be protests at all his proposed meetings.

Anybody who hears anything please contact UAF.

It is worth reminding ourselves of the Judges summing up when Irving tried to sue the distinguished Holocaust Historian and academic Deborah Libstadt for libel, and lost dramatically. 

"Irving has for his own ideological reasons persistently and deliberately misrepresented and manipulated historical evidence; that for the same reasons he has portrayed Hitler in an unwarrantedly favourable light, principally in relation to his attitude towards and responsibility for the treatment of the Jews; that he is an active Holocaust denier; that he is anti-Semitic and racist, and that he associates with right-wing extremists who promote neo-Nazism.... therefore the defence of justification succeeds. ... It follows that there must be judgment for the Defendants."

Irving is a Nazi and a Nazi apologist and a Holocaust denier.

Wherever he shows his face he must be run out of town.

Portsmouth EDL declares war on School Kids. Another EDL Demo looms.

In recent days there has emerged an online campaign to petition against the possibility of a  Muslim school opening on Lake road sometime in the future. A cursory glance at the signatories  shows this is clearly being supported by Portsmouth EDL. It also references Lee Rigby, so it raises questions about the politics of the petitions author.They are busily telling people that this is all happening behind closed doors at Portsmouth City Council, however the main decision over the school will be made in London. It is not applying for status as a Local Education Authority School and therefore the councils input will be over practical considerations like traffic etc rather than approving it as an education establishment.This process will take a long time and will be decided by The Dept for Education and inevitably by Michael Gove.

The reality is that this will be a private School and will be either an Academy School or a "Free" school.There are many who don't approve of Academies or private schools, but that is not the issue here.
There are many who don't approve of religious education and there are legitimate campaigns to oppose it.Richard Dawkins and others campaign against all religious schools.
However this is not a campaign against religious schools ,but against a Muslim school.The comments on the petition make that horribly clear.

This is a part of an ongoing campaign targeting Muslim Schoolkids.There has been the stock letter that has been circulated on EDL sites to send to schools to isolate Muslim children from others.

Link 

They also tried to make an issue out of the recent  Daily Mail story of children believing they were not allowed to drink water during Ramadan. This story has been dealt with here.
There is a long tradition on the far right for targeting children of a different culture in schools. The National Front did it in the seventies and the BNP were leafleting schools in North Portsmouth 3 years ago.

Whether the school is granted permission or not its application will be processed exactly the same way as any other faith or secular  school..

They are now declaring that they think such a school would be divisive .

Fostering divisions is what the EDL are all about.




A short video of the EDL last week in Birmingham chanting " Allah, Allah, who the F**k is Allah?" and "Allah is a Paedo."

Not exactly the bastions of multicultural  integration are they?

There have already been threats to hurl a pigs head onto the proposed school site and the police have had to go down there to attend incidents. 

I haven't seen them campaigning against C of E schools, have you ?

The reality is that Portsmouth is not just a multicultural City, but a successful multicultural City. There are racism problems in Portsmouth but they are less worrying than in many other Cities of the same size.
Religious schools may be regarded as divisive, but so long as we have them, parents have the right to have them for their own faith needs and those of their children.If they are there for Christians they have to be there for Muslims.

Note to the EDL : referring to Islam as foreign and Christianity as British is a little stupid. Jesus Christ and his disciples did not emanate from the Home Counties.

After all they are both Middle Eastern Religions.

Sadly the campaign by the EDL is not just a petition campaign.

There have been demonstrations held bt the EDL in other towns frequently over planning issues.Usually over Mosque or school extensions. Although the permission for this school has practically nothing to do with PCC this will not stop them.

They have so far not informed the police or the council that they intend to hold a protest down here.
However,it has come to our attention that Sussex EDL have posted remarks that there is to be an EDL protest down here soon, over the proposed plan for a Muslim Girls school.Apparently there has also been a posting on a South London EDL post.Those are the ones we know about.

Having accepted they have virtually no support down here they are arranging to have support parachuted in.
There is therefore the prospect of unruly scenes occurring ,similar to the disgraceful scenes that occurred outside the Jami Mosque some time ago .

In the event of  a protest Portsmouth UAF will mobilise to oppose them.

This is possibly going to be in the next 3-4 weeks.
However,the last time was a flash mob protest and we had very little time to organise.

We may have to contact people at very short notice.

Please get this out there.

We therefore appeal to people to contact Portsmouth UAF if you wish to turn out to oppose the EDLs bigotry.

It is important that the EDLs hate is opposed by the local community.

Please contact us so we can contact you via:

Portsmouthuaf@gmail.com

07954218281


All that is necessary for evil to prevail is that good people do nothing.

EDL: Declaring war on Muslim children.

Stock Letter EDL are asking people to send into Schools,as part of the campaign to isolate Muslim children.

We have forwarded this to the local NASUWT rep who is circulating it about the relevant authorities.




"A Letter to the school to exclude your child from learning or visiting Mosques/islamic studies...............................................................
To the Headteacher of .........................................................................

We are sending this letter to you as we wish for our child, ........................... of Class ........................ to no longer be taught anything in relation to the Islam religion. We have many reasons for this, which we will list below including viable alternatives we are happy for them to be taught.

The main reason for our decision is we are a family of pragmatic agnostics, or the view that there is no proof of either the existence or nonexistence of any deity, but since any deity that may exist appears unconcerned for the universe or the welfare of its inhabitants, the question is largely pointless. The teaching of any religion is in direct conflict with our views, however as we live in a Christian country we do lean more towards theism than atheism and participate in religious events such as Christmas and Easter, and as Christianity is strongly linked to the culture of Britain we as proud nationals do not object to our child being taught the importance of these. It is for these same reasons we are not happy with our child being taught "one other world faith", however we have been happy to accept the benefits to our child in terms of developing understanding, tolerance and morality.

We are of the opinion that the Islam religion does not teach understanding, does not teach tolerance and does not teach morality and therefore is not something we want our child to be studying, in any capacity. Islam does not teach understanding when the Quran has at least 3 dozen verses telling Muslims to fight against non-Muslims and about 500 that speak of their place in Hell. An example of this would be Quran (22:19-21) - "But as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them; boiling fluid will be poured down on their heads; Whereby that which is in their bellies, and their skins too, will be melted; And for them are hooked rods of iron" or even Quran (4:56) - "Those who disbelieve Our revelations, We shall expose them to the Fire. As often as their skins are consumed We shall exchange them for fresh skins that they may taste the torment Lo! Allah is ever Mighty, Wise". This isnt teaching understanding. I could also quote passages from within the Quran that actually encourage spousal abuse, or to kill homosexuals, needless to say they are not very tolerant and in some cases highly offensive.

There are roughly 19 major world religions which are subdivided into a total of around 270 large religious groups and none of those concern us as parents more than Islam, especially when its verses are apparantly so open to interpretation that British Forces personnel get beheaded on the streets of Britain in the name of this religion. It is our opinion that our values, culture and heritage are being slowly eroded by needlessly going over the top to accomodate Islam for fear of being called racist should you dare question it, and we now intend to stop it at source at least where our family is concerned. Needless to say some uneducated people will view our opinions and beliefs as racist, maybe our children could be taught the difference between an ideology and a race, as speaking against it is not racist in the same way speaking against Scientology is not racist. In summary, we would rather our child be taught any of these other world religions over Islam, and these are our instructions to you.

The National Curriculum clearly states Religious Studies is not compulsory to be taken by a pupil, it is only compulsory for yourselves (as a school) to provide Religious Studies. The decision on whether a child participates in these lessons is down to the parents. This is because you cannot force someone to study a faith they do not believe in or that may contradict with their own faith, and as Islam does both of these we are no longer willing to accept it being taught to our child.

So to offer final clarity on this point we do not object, despite our views and beliefs as pragmatic agnostics, to our child being taught any religion except Islam, should Islam be the subject of the lesson we would like for them to be removed from the class and to take no part."

English Defence League Riot with Police in Birmingham.

Graphic taken from an EDL site.


This, broadly speaking is how the EDL  sees it's relationship with the Police, at least, when it doesn't get it's own way.The turnout on Saturday by the Racist EDL gives some cause for concern.The EDL in recent weeks has seen a renaissance in it's popularity since the brutal murder of Lee Rigby.
After the EDL was condemned by the Rigby Family, his Regiment  and Help for Heroes there has been a waning in their support.However, in Birmingham they managed to mobilise significant numbers and most put their figure at about 850, it was certainly in the high hundreds.

On Saturday there were isolated scuffles when Anti-Fascists tried to breach police lines,however the main trouble was when the EDL went on the rampage yet again.

They were ostensibly not  given permission for a march.However the police facilitating a pub for them to drink in and then escorting them to the assembly point appeared to be a march in all but name.The Bar Risa, like all the other drinking establishments in the city centre had originally refused to be the EDL's watering hole for the day , however they conceded to do it after the Police requested them to do so.

The proceeds are going to be given to charity.



EDL chanting obscenities.

The EDL were marched down to Centenary square .I t was here that the trouble started. They broke through police lines and smashed up a bus shelter. According to The Sun they pulled a skull cap off a Muslim mans head  urinated on it and then set fire to it.Passers by were abused and assaulted.When police contained the situation they reverted to assaulting the police.

Below scenes of a man getting involved in a confrontation with the police with his son in tow :



A picture below of his clearly distressed son.

What kind of an idiot behaves like that when in charge of a child?Who would take a young child on a demo that could be potentially violent?

Needless to say the EDL were not unopposed.The UAF managed to get around 500 on the streets,and had a vibrant demo Many attended the Unity event in Chamberlain Square.However, they were outnumbered.. There seems to be a pattern with the EDL almost reaching extinction and then bouncing back.They are nowhere close to mobilising people in their thousands like they did three years ago.
However, they have undeniably made a bit of a comeback.
They intend to protest in Tower Hamlets on September 7th.It will probably be a static protest as Teresa May, the Home Secretary will probably ban a march. This is irrelevant, they will be there ,or at least they will attempt to be there.
It is therefore essential we have the largest possible mobilisation to keep them out of Tower Hamlets.

EDL attack meetings in turn to NF style old school thuggery.

There has been much talk of the various factions of the far right paying lip service to the National Front.The Casuals United  have recently endorsed them.However reports of recent incidents at Hope Not Hate and Unite Against Fascism meetings give grounds for concern, that the old school thuggery of the NF may be making a comeback.
There was an attempt to disrupt what the EDL thought was a HNH meeting in Portsmouth ,in fact it was a Socialist meeting.4 EDL turned up and they were kept out by over 20 Anti -Fascist activists. Similarly there was an attempt to disrupt another HNH meeting in Southampton which resulted in a member of EDL being dragged out by Police and spending the evening in the cells.Apparently the meeting was a big success with over 25 people attending.There was also a report of  around a dozen Fascists attempting to disrupt a UAF meeting in Thanet in Kent.They did not make it into the meeting.There have been other ,as yet uncorroborated reports.

Obviously there is a clear pattern emerging,and the idea that this is not due to some nationally agreed policy shift is palpably absurd. Tommy Robinson is reputed to have tweeted recently something along the lines of "The UAF need sorting out."It is pretty clear that they are now turning their attention towards their political opponents.

This is an old school classical Fascist response.In the 1980s there was a faction of the NF called The Instant Response Group. Their function was twofold,one to protect NF meetings and secondly to attack the meetings of their political opponents.

There has been much discussion within the British Nazi movement about events in Greece.
They look with awe at the rise of Golden Dawn. There are many who view Golden Dawns electoral success with envy and are wondering if a return to more street based politics might be the answer.
Factions within Britains Nazi movement perceive that a return to the overtly violent tactics of the late seventies and early eighties might be an effective way of building a mass movement.

The sense of outrage after the murder of Lee Rigby has not been quite the boost that the EDL had anticipated ,and as with all these things , with the passage of time comes the law of diminishing returns.The EDL are putting their hopes on their event on the 29th of June in the hope that Armed Forces Day can be owned by them and give them a political boost.This is why it requires the largest possible Anti-Fascist mobilisation to oppose it.

The fact that they are turning to old school style thuggery is something which cannot be ignored. Sometime ago they turned their anger on the Occupy movement and have attacked Trade Union events in the past.If they can achieve any success in targeting Anti Fascist events then soon they will be back to attacking Union and Labour Party functions.

All the reports so far have shown that they have not been able to attract sufficient numbers to intimidate people,and so far it seems nobody has been injured.

It is clear that we need to tighten up on security ,and that we need to take some precautions to ensure that we can maintain the safety of people who come to our events.
Fear can be a massive demotivator and we must make sure that we do not allow a sense of panic to do the EDL's job for them.UAF cannot function as a Praetorian Guard to the whole of progressive organisations who feel they are being threatened,however we can co-ordinate a response to perceived threats as and when they arise.

The fact that they are turning to these tactics might be a sign of political weakness , but that is little reassurance if you fear being the victim of violent assault.

It is a hackneyed observation ,but nonetheless true that we must avoid both alarmism and complacency.We need to continue our campaigns against the Nazis ,but also start taking coherent precautions to ensure the safety of all who attend our events.

They are thugs and bullies.They have proved this repeatedly .We however have to take responsibility for our own and our supporters safety .

EDL member jailed for Nazi salute.

After the disgraceful scenes of EDL supporters giving Nazi salutes, outside the Cenotaph in London,of all places,now comes this.
Kevin Reed has been sent down for two months for giving Nazi salutes at one of the EDLs so called tributes to Lee Rigby in Colchester. This is a Garrison Town and the offence to many must have been considerable.
The scene of the offence was the main War memorial in Colchester.
Reed has also been banned from all pubs and clubs in the area.


 A quick reminder of how the EDL behaved themselves at the Cenotaph in London, below..

EDL attempt to hijack Armed Forces day in Woolwich with American Islamophobes Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer .

The English Defence League have done their utmost to exploit the barbaric murder of Lee Rigby.  To a large extent this has now proved unfruitful. Lee Rigby’s family, his regiment and of course Help For Heroes have issued condemnations of The English Defence league’s attempts to foment hatred as a result of  this tragedy.

The EDL are now attempting to hijack Armed Forces Day for their political purposes. They have announced that they intend to march and Rally in Woolwich on the 29th of June,which is Armed Forces Day.




EDL members giving Nazi salutes at the Cenotaph ,demonstrating their contempt for those who laid down their lives in  the battle against Fascism.





Pamela Geller and Robert  Spencer , the two most notorious Islamophobes operating in North America have been  invited over to speak at the rally.

The EDL are quite clearly trying to reconnect with the support they received from their periphery  who were outraged at the death of Lee Rigby , and who have largely become disillusioned with them as they realised the true nature of the EDL.Clearly this is an attempt to Hijack Armed Forces Day .
True to form the Nazis always hide behind the flag.
There is now a petition under way supported by Hope Not Hate to persuade The Home secretary, Teresa May to ban Geller and Spencer from the country.
There is a problem with this. Whilst it might be desirable for them to be banned ,this should not be the primary focus for Anti Fascists.She may well ban them,she may even ban their march.However, they will still have their Rally.It is not within her gift to ban  that.
It is the opposition to the EDL protest whether stationary or moving ,where peoples energies should be focused.
We need to have the largest possible mobilisation against the EDL in Woolwich to turn back the recent renaissance in their fortunes.

The EDL must not be permitted to use public outrage over the death of Lee Rigby to foster race hate and intolerance.

All those interested in attending the counter protest in Woolwich please contact: Portsmouthuaf@gmail.com

Portsmouth UAF and Portsmouth Trades Council prepare for rally against the fascists.

Portsmouth UAF and Portsmouth Trades Council prepare for rally against the  fascists.

Portsmouth Unite Against Fascism are preparing for a Rally probably in the second week in July .We are pleased to report that Portsmouth Trades Union Council has agreed to co-sponsor the Rally to the tune of £200 .
When we have further information we will update the various blogs and facebook pages. We have not had a major Rally since the one we held in the run-up to the Last General election. we are currently in the process of confirming speakers for the event, and when we have more of the details confirmed we will of course be  getting posters and leaflets out and have a designated Facebook event page.

Watch this space for further details.

EDL March in Portsmouth. UAF launch Unity statement in Portsmouth:Don't Let the Racists divide us.

After several days of maintaining that the proposed procession  in  Portsmouth was not EDL the mask is off.The background to the business can be found here.
We are urging everybody in Portsmouth to give this a wide berth.If you want to show your support for the military there are plenty of bona fide military charities to support.
        For those who like  Commemorative events, they  are best left to the Royal British Legion or respective regiments, who can do these things with a bit of decorum.Also people can lay flowers at any time at an appropriate memorial ,they do not need to go to an event organised by the EDL.

Lee Rigby's family have broken their silence today.

From the BBC:

Killed soldier Lee Rigby would not have wanted his death used to excuse reprisal attacks, his family have said.

Drummer Rigby's family called for calm as the Queen met army personnel during a visit to the barracks near where he died on 22 May.
In a statement his family said his friends' different cultures and religions "made no difference to Lee".

The family's plea came amid reports of a rise in anti-Muslim incidents since the soldier's murder last week.
An inquest into Drummer Rigby's death was adjourned earlier after hearing he was hit by a car and attacked with a knife and cleaver on his return to the barracks from work at the Tower of London.

   

In a statement they added: "We would like to emphasise that Lee would not want people to use his name as an excuse to carry out attacks against others.

Meanwhile, Drummer Rigby's regiment the Royal Fusiliers have issued a notice to veterans and serving soldiers warning them about being associated with far-right groups.

Brig Ian Liles, regimental secretary to the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, wrote: "It is wrong and disgraceful that the death of one of our own should be exploited in this manner and that dishonour, by wrongful association, is brought on to the regiment."
And in a separate notice Col James Stopford warned "extremist organisations (English Defence League in particular) will seize any opportunity to align veterans with their cause".

The sight of EDL members giving Nazi salutes refutes the idea that they have any respect for the British Armed Forces.
Tommy Robinson denies this to be the case and that it is just photos of people waving.He maintains that there is no moving footage.

Below is some moving footage taken this Bank Holiday Monday near The Cenotaph



Tommy you are Soooo busted!


We urge people in the strongest possible terms not to attend this march and if possible to dissuade others from attending also. This event is about exploiting Lee Rigby's memory ,not respecting it.


UAF will be out doing the Portsmouth Launch of the Unity petition.


From 12.00  noon  we wll be in  Commercial Road around the area of Burger King.
We are appealing for all anti-racists to come along and help,or just sign the statement .

We are also calling on all community groups, faith groups and Trade Unions to support a forthcoming Unity Rally we are planning for Portsmouth.

We will also be monitoring events on the day,and if possible keeping this page updated. .

 Hope to see you there.

portsmouthuaf@gmail.com

0795 421 8281

Portsmouth has an EDL revival ,of sorts.

The poster the EDL used for the Newcastle demo.
Can you conceive of anything more disrespectful to Lee Rigby's memory?

The EDL have been busy recently.The barbaric murder of Lee Rigby in Woolwich and ensuing public outrage has been something that the EDL has not been short in capitalising on.
There has been a wave of attacks upon Muslims and their places of worship and the EDL are hopeful that this will re-energise their moribund  movement.
On Saturday they had arranged to meet up at the Jean Jacques Pub on Fratton road.This is directly opposite the Portsmouth Central Mosque.It was obvious what the intent was.
A quick phone call to the pub put paid to that,and they were told to take their custom elsewhere.They ended up at the Connaught Arms, when they were through there they ended up marching up Fratton road where they were seen Sieg Heiling at the Mosque. They then tried to force their way over Fratton Bridge, and there is some confusion as to what happened next.It appears that the Police allowed 60 of  them to march to the town centre although as far as we know  no prior permission was given.During the course of this they stopped outside the Somers Town Adventure Playground and were witnessed chanting "Pakhis out." It appears that the Police did not take action and arrest anyone,but we are appealing for any witnesses to this to contact the Police.They proceeded through town chanting "Muslim bombers off our streets."
There was a small breakaway group of about 25 who stood outside the Mosque,we managed to get 40 odd people down there.The protest they held consisted of waving a flag in the road and was a fairly quiet desultory affair.
The Police maintained that the War Memorial area had been protected ,however we found out later that they had occupied it and they posted pictures on the net of them cavorting around it.

The Police conduct on the day left something to be desired.It is inescapable that either the Police were being less than honest or they were not in control of events.
The fact that they were allowed to hold a march with no permission is intriguing.
When Stop the War wanted to hold a march over the Israeli conflict in Gaza in 2009 they  were told that a weeks notice had to be given.So people held a Rally in Guildhall Square. After the rally when people walked down to Commercial Road using the streets and pedestrian crossings to do some leafleting, the Police announced that it was an illegal march. They promptly arrested John Molyneux and proceeded to prosecute him to the full extent of the law.
It seems that there is one law for peace activists and another for the drunken racists of the EDL.
I am not suggesting the Police have any sympathies with the EDL,many of the EDL are football hooligans and enjoy fighting with the Police
This is not just to score points at police tactics.
However, I think this was appeasement.
If you appease bullies like the EDL they come back for more.
On Saturday 1st June the BNP are holding a demonstration in Woolwich and the EDL in a spoiler tactic are trying to hold demos or remembrance marches on the same day to draw people away.
The EDL is organising a memorial march in Portsmouth with no Police or Council permission .
The impression is that if they get enough people there that it will be a Fait Accompli and the Police will reluctantly permit them to march.
It is therefore important that people get the word out that this is:
1 an EDL event.
2 is an unlawful protest and therefore dangerous and not child friendly
3 has nothing to do with honouring the memory of Lee Rigby.
4 Has been advertised on Casuals United ,the football hooligans site.
It is also important for people to contact their councillors  to demand that the Police hold the line and do not allow this illegal protest to take place.

The current mood will pass , however it is imperative that everyone makes sure that the Racists and Fascists do not use the perfectly understandable sense of public outrage over Lee Rigby's bestial Murder to get a foothold.


STOP PRESS UPDATE .

We have just been informed that in spite of clearly being too late to call a demo, that the law is to be put to one side to accommodate the political needs of the EDL.
The Police have announced that they are to have their march.
The reason that it is so important for it to be this Saturday rather than the next one or the one after is due to the internal politics of the far right .The relationship between EDL and  BNP is on a par with the Popular Front of Judea scene in Life of Brian.
The BNP are holding their first march for years in Woolwich this Saturday and the EDL are doing their utmost to wreck it.This is why they are holding a raft of events across the country to pull people away from it.
There are many people who will be duped into joining this march , which is why we must not dismiss them all as racist idiots
.
However this  is an EDL front and everyone should do there utmost to discourage people from supporting it.

Since the Police have given permission this has appeared.


UAF will be in town from 12.00 petitioning against the racist backlash caused by Lee Rigby's tragic death and will be responding to events as they happen.

Please contact us on portsmouthuaf@gmail.com

March for England to visit Portsmouth?

 Addendum.11th June.
 (Due to a complaint from the Sea Cadets association the picture has been removed.The picture shows the sea cadets and is emblazoned with March for England. They have written to me to voice their displeasure  that the image of the Sea Cadets being associated with the group .)

The picture above has been appearing all over Nazi pages on Facebook.It appears to be a bit of a teaser. It's worth bearing in mind March for England is both an organisation and an event.It doesn't say they will be marching in Portsmouth.If they do wish to come there are plenty of people who will be happy to heckle them .They are just recovering from their recent debacle in Brighton.About 150 Nazis being harangued by 2-3 thousand Anti Fascists.

Another factor is they seem to be falling out with everyone.They are no longer on good terms with either the Casuals or the EDL ,with recriminations about a perceived lack of support.It is also felt that their leader in Portsmouth has been attempting to play people off against each other. For two years running they have been embarrassed in Brighton and it's possible they are thinking of coming down here.However they also seem to be thinking of  a return to Brighton.
They appear to have discovered a new Saint,one a bit more English than St.George,who at best was Mediterranean, and possibly Palestinian.Something which doesn't go down too well in MFE circles.St. Edmund is the current favourite and the South East Alliance, who are largely the same people as MFE, are calling for an event in November.This was brought to my attention by Anti Fascist Network.

 

The violence of the intent and the  imagery are unavoidable, and are sure to attract the attention of the Police.There has been a tension within the Fascist movement in recent months between the people who want to project a more respectable image and those who look at the success of Golden Dawn in Greece and want  a return to more old fashioned street based violence.
There is concern about the nature of the event as reported in The Argus : A message on the South East Alliance Facebook page reads: “Our event in Brighton for St George’s Day was rudely interrupted by those of the UAF and ANTIFA.
“Now we plan to return to Brighton on St Edmund’s Day to celebrate our true nation’s saint.
“This time the Swampys of the left won’t be invited, but no doubt they'll gatecrash it. Will you return to Brighton to celebrate on November 20?”
There has been no announcement of a demo for Portsmouth nor has there been permission requested.However, this is almost half a year away,and only a few weeks are required for notice to be given.This appears to be kite flying at the moment,and we will have to see how this develops.
In the event of there being a march we will have to consider the appropriate response.
This could be a provocation ,and therefore we will have to see what happens.However the proposed event in Brighton with its violent overtones is the more worrying prospect as it seems that at the moment that is more likely to be actioned.It may be that it is Brighton that requires our support.
Considering the humiliation they recieved in Brighton this may be whistling in the dark.  

However experience has taught us there is no room for complacency.

We will keep you posted.

BNP Nazis get a pasting in Gosport and elsewhere.

The election results in Gosport have been a disaster for the BNP.

 In the district of Bridgemary where they have done so much work and had such high expectations they could not even garner 1% of the popular vote.they achieved a derisory 0.92% of the vote.In addition Labour managed to gain a new seat in  Bridgemary, which probably didn't cheer the BNP up much. In Leesland and Town they did slightly better.However even there they saw a sharp decline in support compared to the vote in the same area last year. Sunny Martin managed to get 3.9% last year however this was drastically cut back to 2.14% this year.Around a 40 % reduction in their vote.



 It might appear not much work was  being done in the town area in terms of building their vote, however they have been  trying to establish some kind of base around the Bridgemary area. This includes meetings in pubs etc. The BNP has long had a presence in Gosport including its local organisers residing there. However,  in the last five years their vote has progressively decreased.


The BNP also lost their only council seat in the country at Padiham and Burnley.

The Nazis have now seen their dreams of establishing a beach-head on the south coast unravel. The EDL in Portsmouth were forced to concede that the group down here had effectively collapsed.

Whilst the BNP and EDL may have seen their fortunes wither on the vine UKIP are cause for serious concern.

The EDL publicly called for support for UKIP and the internet is awash with praise for their success from the right of sensible to far beyond.They are not a Fascist organisation , however their racist populism is hitting a chord with many people.

Whilst not Nazis the pronouncements of many of their candidates is appalling.
From the candidate last year calling for disabled foetuses to be compulsorily aborted to another muttering about Jewish conspiracies and referencing the notorious forgery The protocols of the elders of Zion , there are grounds to be fearful.
It is clear they have to be taken on.
There is no room for complacency, they are giving Islamophobia and racism a veneer of middle class respectability that can aid the fascists.

The decrease in the vote in Gosport didn't happen overnight it was due to consistent campaigning against the Nazis.
This culminated in a day of action in Gosport against the Fascists the Saturday before the elections when thousands of leaflets were stuffed through the letter boxes of Bridgemary and given out in the town centre,my heartfelt thanks to all those who made the time to help out.

You made a difference!

Keeping Gosport Nazi Free.

Portsmouth UAF have been out campaigning against the BNP in Gosport again. Last year we had the dubious pleasure of Sunny Martin, pictured above with Nick Griffin  standing for them , this year they are standing two candidates,although it is doubtful they will do much better.

On Saturday the 29th of April Portsmouth UAF  held a day of action in Gosport. Thousands of leaflets were posted through the letter boxes of the Bridgemary constituency. We also leafleted  Gosport high Street.There has been little appetite for their policies. From the truly ridiculous Barry Bennett at the General Election,who was famously quoted in  Stormfront :
 “I believe in National Socialism, WW2 style, it was best, no other power had anything like it,” ‘he wrote. “The ideology was fantastic. The culture, nothing like it. If it was here now, I’d defect to Germany.”
The current set of Gosport BNP seem to have been fairly preoccupied with supporting the writer of racist poison pen letters Margaret Walker.
 They also seem to be very big fans of the fake clergyman, Rev West. The Rev West is a founder of his own church, so naturally had no difficulty in becoming ordained. However, his particular brand of Christianity which concerns exclusively attacking Muslims, immigrants and gays has little support outside the narrow confines of the BNP.He seems to be invited to speak at BNP meetings in Gosport with monotonous regularity.

The "Rev" West getting truth slapped on the Nicky Campbell show.




The two candidates who are standing in Gosport are frankly a little bland. Christopher Caffin who is hoping to represent Bridgemary actually lives in Milford on Sea ,which is some way from Gosport. Gavin Miller who is hoping to represent Leesland and town appears to be both his own and mister Caffin's election agent.

Apart from being the Solent's BNP area organiser little is known about him except he has most of the predictable concerns over Muslims ,immigrants etc.

His one claim to fame appears to be an incident when he was stopped by the police wearing a stolen dress uniform belonging to a senior police officer.Apparently he found it on a window sill and promptly put it on.

I'd love to hear what a clinical psychologist would make of that.

The BNP are clearly having difficulties at the moment and are fielding a quarter of the candidates they were two years ago .The rise of the right populist UKIP could also create problems for them.However, the lack of any coherent vetting procedures within UKIP is causing problems over their choice of some candidates value systems,which frankly are more than just far right.

How this all pans out we will have to wait and see.

However,I predict another bad night for the BNP on May 2nd.



                         

Golden Dawn:Tensions rise over Golden Dawn blood donation in Tripoli.

 

Protesters gather outside a Tripoli hospital to demonstrate against another Golden Dawn blood donation for Greeks only. A local cameraman is reportedly attacked by party members asking him to delete video footage

 
(file photo) 
  Tensions rose on Saturday at the Panarkadiko Hospital of Tripoli, Peloponnese, when a local media cameraman was reportedly attacked by Golden Dawn members holding a voluntary blood donation at the hospital.

The extreme-right party members asked the cameraman to delete video footage recorded on his mobile phone, arguing that their faces should not be identifiable in the video.

Labour unionists of PAME – the trade union affiliated to the communist party KKE – had gathered outside the hospital protesting against Golden Dawn and holding banners that read “Golden Dawn is the bosses’ sidekick and the system protects them.”

Golden Dawn had announced on Friday that they would be donating blood to Greeks only, sparking strong reactions from medical practitioners, who are asking the health ministry to intervene.

Golden Dawn secretary in Tripoli Nikolaos Skantzos said that this was the second time they were donating blood, stressing that the hospital was not the appropriate place for political controversy.

The head of the PESY trade union in the Peloponnese said in a statement that, thanks to the protesters’ intervention, Golden Dawn members were forced to donate blood in the same way that any other citizen would and the blood collection bags would not be specially labeled to be given to Greeks only.
 

EnetEnglish

Brighton: English Defence League to march near citys gay bars.

  For most people this is way too close for comfort.

There will be a group going up from Portsmouth UAF to protest against the English Defence League/March for England Fascists.
Tel:07954218281.

Report from Scott Roberts in Pinknews

LGBT businesses in Brighton are concerned at the prospect of an English Defence League (EDL) march taking place on their doorstep this Sunday.

The far-right, anti-Islamic group has chosen Brighton for its ‘March for England’ event.
More than 1,000 protesters are expected to descend on the city.

The assembly point for the march, which is due to start around 12.30pm on Sunday 21 April, is opposite several gay bars and adjacent to Brighton Pier.

Some gay venues and non-LGBT businesses on Brighton seafront fear they may have to close in order to avoid potential disruption.

Opponents of the march will gather to the west of the pier.
Both groups will be separated at all times by barriers and police officers.
Previous EDL demonstrations in Brighton have ended in scuffles and arrests.
Sussex Police Superintendent Steve Whitton said: “As always, our priority is public safety. It is vitally important that those attending the event work with us and comply with directions or other restrictions which we will need to give to keep people safe. This will help to ensure officers can focus their attention on the minority of those who may be intent on causing trouble.”

He added: “We have a duty to balance the rights of people to carry out a peaceful protest, whether in support of the march or opposed to it, allowing those to go about their normal business in the city, whilst always prioritising public safety through preventing crime and disorder.”

Stop the Nazis in Brighton.

 

Oppose March for England and fascism : Racists Not Welcome in Brighton 21 April

 from 11am – Near Brighton Pier

Brighton is a vibrant city where people of different
cultures, backgrounds, abilities and faiths come together. It has a positive and unique character which its residents enjoy and embrace.

Brighton people live here in the knowledge that they will be valued and that the things which make each individual different are celebrated here – not despised. We take pleasure and pride in being surrounded by humanity in all its exciting diversity.
Because of this it is very saddening to discover that the far right group March for England, a division of the violent and racist organisation the English Defence League, is to march in Brighton (in April 2013).
When groups like this come to Brighton it is because our multicultural city in all its diversity proves that their own doctrine of hate is wrong, and they want to damage our unity.
That is why we stand together: black, white and Asian; people of all faiths and of no faith; trade unionists; University,
students, whatever our sexuality.
And when someone tries to threaten our community we stand together even more firmly.
Supported by:
Brighton Trades Council
Brighton and Hove Unite Against Fascism
UCU- Brighton University
Brighton and Hove Unison
Unison Sussex Partnership
Brighton and Hove NUT.
University of Sussex Students Union
University of Brighton Students Union
Sussex Labour Representation Committee.
Brighton and Hove City Council BME Workers Forum.
Brighton Love Music Hate Racism
Caroline Lucas, Green MP Brighton Pavillion
Itch – King Blues
James Ledward –editor Gscene.
Jason Kitkat, Green Party Councillor, Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council
Ollie Sykes Green Party Councillor, Brunswick and Adelaide Ward
Les Hamilton Labour & Co-operative Councillor, South Portslade
Liz Wakefield, Green Party Councillor, Hanover & Elm Grove
Pete West Green City Councillor for St Peter’s & North Laine Ward
Warren Morgan Labour & Co-operative Councillor for East Brighton
Phélim Mac Cafferty Green Party Councillor for Brunswick and Adelaide
Alexandra Phillips Green Councillor for Goldsmid ward, Hove
Rob Jarrett Green Party Councillor for Goldsmid ward
Ian Davey Green Party councillor for St Peter’s & North Laine ward
Simon Burgess, Labour, former leader, Brighton and Hove council.

For  info about Portsmouth UAF transport arrangements call:07954218281