Vigil in Guildhall Square: Portsmouth says No to the EDL!

The EDL are landing in Portsmouth on the 16th.Now they have not been given permission to march to the War Memorial, the mask is beginning to slip.Now they are saying they will march whether given permission or not and people had better get out of their way.

On their facebook pages some of their leading members are referring to the police as c***s and saying they will no longer speak to the police and they're going to riot.We should not be alarmed, by thursday they will be speaking again.It's all very familiar EDL brinkmanship and bullying.


The EDL have distinguished themselves by an ability to be both vicious and boring.


We will be having our event in Guildhall Square,a very different event to theirs.


Ours has the backing of Portsmouth Trades Council and a panoply of political and religious groups.


Our event will not be just an anti-Edl event.Ours will be a celebration of multi culturalism and diversity.


Let's turn Guildhall Square into Tehir Square,obviously ours will be a model village version .We can however take some inspiration from its energy and diversity.


We want to have political groups faith groups and community and trade unionists.


We need people to bring musical instruments, poems and prayers and if they wish to, to try to create art and music on the spot.

We need to create a positive alternative to their hate based politics by promoting a vibrant alternative.

Everybody needs to make sure their own communities,faith groups and friends and families turn this into a major event.


http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=104117486347293&ref=ts

Love |Music Hate Racism gig at The Wedgewood Rooms

First things first.Massive thanks to Geoff Priestley and all at the Rooms for their generosity on putting this event on at such short notice.Thanks for him and the staff for their patience,forbearance and all round fabulousness.
Thanks to Ben French for being our events manager,and doing such a fine job and to all at BFEM Events Management Specialists.
Thanks to the talent for such outstanding performances.

We have put on many events before ,but in terms of music and diversity this was unquestionably our best yet : a brilliant fusion of soul, r'n b' Hip Hop and guitar based rock.

Thanks to Maddie the compere for her wonderfulness.Thanks to dj Brett Haley,Lady Emperes,Dreno, Urban Underground, Blessed,Parv,Zinwe and The Rapids.

It was a well needed shot in the arm for those who have been campaigning and was a boost for those building for the 16th.

If i've left peoople out please send an email and i will amend it,my brain is still slightly scrambled.

This I shamelessly blagged from Blessed Artists Facebook.




See you all Guildhall Square Midday 16th July.

For the attention of The English Defence League,and those who might be thinking of supporting their demonstration.

Letter from the Grandmother of a recently deceased Soldier.




"It has just come to my attention that Portsmouth City Council has recently granted permission for the English Defence League to parade through Guildhall Square on July 16th, in close proximity to the War Memorial.



I write to protest against this disgraceful decision which dishonours our service men and women who have given their lives in the fight against fascism and other extreme regimes, and those who are still putting their lives on the line, and to ask you to ensure that the Council changes its mind on the matter.



Many members of my family gave their lives or were gravely wounded in World Wars One and Two; last month my beloved grandson, Royal Marine Sam Alexander, MC was killed in Afghanistan,where he was fighting,as he firmly believed, to save the people there, especially the women, from the oppression of the Taliban. All of them would have been appalled by the Council's action.



Despite what they would have us believe, the EDL has at its centre a hard core of dedicated fascists. It is is simply inconceivable that such people should be allowed anywhere near the War Memorial.



My family have many connections with Portsmouth, I started my married life to a Naval Officer there, and Sam grew up in Hamble. I simply cannot believe that, in the county I love, the hard-core Nazis,the hooligans and the misguided of the EDL should be allowed to flaunt themselves anywhere near a War Memorial."



Angela Kirby (Dr)



Postscript:Permission has not been given,but the EDL are currently haggling for it.

Jewish woman leaves English Defence League over its Nazi members.

Even a complete whack-job like Roberta Moore can no longer stomach the EDL.

From the Jewish Chronicle
by Jennifer Lipman

The hardline activist at the forefront of the "Jewish Division" of the extreme right-wing English Defence League has announced that she does not wish to be a part of it any longer because of Nazi elements within it.

Roberta Moore, who has led the Jewish Division since it was launched more than a year ago, was accused earlier this month of being a divisive figure in the EDL.

Ms Moore had attempted to co-ordinate her efforts with those of the far-right American Jewish Task Force, whose leader Victor Vancier has been imprisoned for terrorism offences. The move, in February, was heavily criticised by the EDL leadership.

In a statement which she posted on Facebook, the Brazilian-born Ms Moore said she had been offered work on "an international level" elsewhere and so had decided to step down from the Jewish Division.

Although she described the EDL as "doing a fantastic job" she said the party had been hijacked by elements who wanted to use it "for their own Nazi purposes".

Ms Moore said she still supported the EDL leaders and "all the genuine patriots out there who struggle to get their voices heard" but added that she no longer wished to be a part of it.

"I sincerely hope that the leaders will get the strength to squash the Nazis within," she said.

"They will destroy this movement if allowed to remain."

Mark Gardner, from the Community Security Trust, said: "This latest development shows, yet again, why Jews should not be involved in such circles."

Protest Against The English Defence League March July 16th.

A peaceful EDL demo.


Vigil against the EDL
Provisional details 12.00 noon. Guildhall Square.

The situation is still extremely confused,and we are still unsure what has been decided.From what we can gather the EDL are not to be allowed to have a wreath laying at the war memorial-but are to be allowed to march across the square.

After having been given assurances that the EDL would be denied use of council property, it now appears they have been given access to everything.


Below is a comment made by one of their demo organisers posted on our facebook page.

Jaco English

"By the way - The whole Demo has been 'sanctioned' :) We are working closely with the council, who have also given us Victoria Park to hold our Demo. They have also given us full use of coach parking in the city, free of charge. Your cries are falling on deaf ears, you deluded bunch - People agree with us, they relate to us. You are gaining no support - Time to call it a day :)"

Portsmouth Council take a bow.


We will be demanding use of Guildhall Square for an anti-racist vigil.
If we are denied this and forced to go elsewhere we want people to ask why they are being treated with such largesse.

However we assert our right to assemble in our own square.

Please write to the council and The Portsmouth News to ask what the hell is going on.

Love Music Hate Racism: Unity Event. 9th July .Wedgwood Rooms

An Event is being organised as we speak the week before the EDL descend upon Portsmouth.We will be celebrating multiculturalism and the fantastic music it produces.

A facebook event page will be launched shortly.

We will update this as soon as we know more.

No EDL at Portsmouth War Memorial .No EDL in Guildhall Square.

In the last couple of years the EDL have sieg heiled defecated and vomited their way accross the city centres of many towns.Now they want to pay us a visit.

The policy of UAF has remained the same,if they are given town squares we have national mobilisations against them.If it appears they are having their rally at the war memorial inevitably that is what will happen.

Their conduct is well known and it hardly needs to be discussed further.However,the tactics in dealing with their right to protest possibly do.

In recent months rather than allowing them to take over city centres and effectively close them for the local community ,they have been pushing their events into car parks and outskirts facilities.

This has had the effect of making their events less attractive and allowing everyone else to get on with their lives.

Last week in Dewsbury they did much the same and it minimised the impact of their presence considerably.The idea of them at The Guildhall War Memorial would be a huge step backwards.Apart from the fact that it would be unacceptable due to the large number of EDL who have fascist sympathies to use it as a platform,it would give a huge boost to them in giving them the focus they so desperately crave and would pull more of them into Portsmouth from far afield.

The other more salient point would be; What message does it send out? Some would see it as almost a reward for their conduct outside the Jami mosque before christmas,when fireworks, broken bottles bricks and roofslates were thrown at the people who turned out to defend the Mosque.

They haven't even waited for permission they are already publicising this event.This is also the same night as the graduation ball, and they are known for their hatred of students.Their wannabee Fuhrer Tommy Robinson,or whatever he's calling himself this week, seems to think they have a God given right to march anywhere,and that people should adapt to his plans.

At one point last year they were squealing that the incidents outside the Jami Mosque were nothing to do with them.Now it seems things have changed.




The promotional video for their demonstration,above,includes images of the disgraceful scenes outside the Jami Mosque last year.This begs certain questions.

Exactly what kind of people are they trying to attract?

Exactly what will be the nature of their event?

The Guildhall is about 10-15 minutes from the Jami Mosque,and on previous occasions they have broken through police barriers and rioted.To say this is cause for unease would be a masterpiece of understatement.

The presence of the EDL in the town centre is unacceptable.
UAF have protested about the nature of this event at the war memorial ,as has Portsmouth Trades council.
We urge everyone to write to their councillors, the Police, their local MPs and the media to voice their concerns and to demand this event is moved out of the town centre.

Ratko Mladic has some friends.

Most people were delighted at the news that Ratko Mladic had finally been arrested.Most,but not all.

For those who might have forgotten, he was charged with war crimes and genocide.When he was indicted at the Hague Judge Fouad Riad speaking of his crimes referred to them as "Truly scenes from hell.Written on the darkest pages of human history"

He is standing trial for the murder of over 8,000 Muslim men and boys.They were stripped before being murdered and thrown into mass graves.The whole thing redolent of the atrocities of the Nazi Holocaust.

The EDL's messageboards have gushed with comments like "A sad day for the anti Jihad movement".When someone pointed out he was a mass murderer who should be denounced for his war crimes he was promptly banned from the EDL's main site.

This is probably going to be the most sensational trial of a War criminal since the Eichmann trial in 1961.

For the EDL he is a hero.

They are not supporting him because they think him innocent of the charges.

They are supporting him because they believe him to be guilty.

If any more proof were needed that they are just a hate group this is it.

Election Results: BNP Meltdown

Sunday 8 May 2011
This report from UAF

Elections 2011 report: humiliating meltdown for the fascist BNP
The 2011 elections have been a humiliating disaster for the fascist British National Party.

The results are a victory for all the antfascist campaigners who have distributed hundreds of thousands of UAF leaflets and tabloids urging voters to Stop the BNP. And the election disaster will only add to the scale of the crisis in the BNP.

Stoke wipeout
Stoke-on-Trent council, where the BNP had five councillors before the elections, is now Nazi-free, with every BNP councillor kicked out in a complete wipeout.

This follows the BNP’s obliteration in Barking and Dagenham council last year, when it lost all 12 of its councillors.

>> Election 2011 coverage as it happened

Across England’s local authorties, the BNP clung on to just two of the 11 seats it was defending, in Bradford and in Charnwood, East Midlands, where the party’s Catherine Duffy scraped in by just five votes.

In Burnley, the BNP now has just one councillor left – in a seat that wasn’t contested – in the town where it had eight councillors and was the official opposition in 2003.

Two English Democrat candidates – one of them a former BNP councillor – were elected on low votes of just 195 and 231 votes in the Fenside ward of Boston, Lincolnshire. But there were no other gainst for the English Democrats, the whute supremacist England First Party or the old-time Nazis of the National Front.

Votes plummeted
The two seats it has retained are all the BNP has to show for more than 260 candidates across the country. And its votes have plummeted, even in areas it had seen as strongholds.

In Stoke – once dubbed the BNP’s “jewel in the crown” – candidates for the BNP and its mates in the England First Party, took an average of 11.2%, slumping from the 27.4% the BNP averaged in the wards it stood in 2007.

Barnsley, where the BNP has been strong in the past, saw the party stand 19 candidates this time, polling an average of 8.8%, almost half their 16% average across 18 seats in 2007.

Slumped
Around the country, BNP votes have slumped, with candidates often reaching only half or less of the percentages they took in 2007, the last time the same seats were contested. And in cities such as Liverpool and York, every single fascist candidate got less than 5%.

In Wales, where the party hoped to lift its vote to secure a Welsh Assembly seat through the regional lists, their vote slumped from 4.3% in 2007 to just 2.4% this time. In Scotland, the votes for the BNP and the National Front were derisory, averaging no more than 1% of the poll.

Campaigning by local UAF groups and antifascists has ensured an electoral disaster for the BNP.

The victory particularly sweet in Stoke, where local UAF activists and the North Staffs Campaign Against Racism and Fascism have campaigne over months and years to break down the BNP’s support. A huge Love Music Hate Racism carnival in 2009 helped show that the majority of people in Stoke are against racism and fascism.

BNP crisis
The BNP was already reeling from crisis to crisis ahead of the polls. In March, longstanding Nazi and BNP MEP Andrew Brons, warned the party faithful that bitter infighting could bring the BNP to “an ignomius end before the end of this year”, and the party has also been wracked with financial and legal problems.

The BNP stood more than 260 candidates across the country – far fewer than the 655 it put up when the same seats were contested in 2007. And it struggled in many areas to get its campaign off the ground, with activists divided and demoralised and leader Nick Griffin under fire from his troops.

The results will further intensify the crisis and weaken the BNP – its future looks bleak, with more strife to come.

EDL danger
But antifascists cannot be complacent. Alongside the visible crumbling of the BNP over the last couple of years, we have seen the dangerous growth of the English Defence League – the racist thugs with fascists in its midst.


It is clear that BNP members drifting out of the stricken party are increasingly moving into and around the English Defence League, the racist street thug movement whose leader “Tommy Robinson” is himself a former BNP member. The BNP’s election collapse is likely to add to the drain of former members into the EDL.

Bookshop targeted
Fascist elements in the EDL have already been increasing their influence inside the organisation, “hardening up” its members and directing them against other traditional fascist targets, such as trade unionists and socialists as well as ethnic minorities.

This weekend, EDL members invaded the News From Nowhere bookshop in Liverpool – the area’s main trade union and labour movement bookshop – to intimidate staff and customers.

Every antifascist will celebrate the BNP’s miserable election results. But the growth and direction of the EDL are cause for grave concern.

Step up
The election campaign against the BNP has been important not just in driving home the party’s weakness, but also in beginning to undercut the EDL, which is strongest in areas where the BNP has previously had more of a base.

Leaflets like those distributed in many thousands in Stoke have labelled the BNP as the Nazis they are. But they have also argued clearly against the anti-Muslim racism on which the EDL as well as the BNP seeks to build.

We should cheer our success against the BNP – but we must also step up campaigning against the racists and fascists of the EDL.

March and carnival against Racism,Fascism and Islamophobia.

London November 6th.

There will be a variety of Artists performing on the 6th Nov.
Some on the March and others at an event afterwards.

The line-up for the Carnival is begining to take shape,but their will probably be other acts involved.

Performing on floats on the march and at the Carnival so far will be Jerry Dammers,Mumsy ,Drew from Babyshambles and LMHR favourite radical rapper Lowkey.

Flowdem,from Must be the Music will be joining their rivals Missing Andy on the bill.

Also on the bill will be Kid British, Abbas Hasan,Tasha Tah and DJ Rugrat.


Coaches are leaving from:
The Hard 9.00 AM
Students Union Cambridge Road 9.15.
Frastton Bridge 9.30 .
Tickets £15 waged.
£10 unwaged.
To book tel:07528839223.

UAF protest against the English Defence League in Leicester.

Leicester antiracist demo says: ‘EDL not welcome here’

People from across Leicester’s diverse community staged a peaceful demonstration against the violent racists of the English Defence League today.

The EDL have tried to stir up hatred and division by demonstrating in the multiracial, multi-faith city, particularly targeting Muslims.

Their “protest” ended in violence and attacks on the police, journalists and local black and Asian people.

In contrast, over 800 people came to the antiracist protest called by UAF in the city centre today – they included black, white and Asian people, with Muslims joined by Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and people of no religion in an impressive display of unity.

The scale of the opposition to the EDL became clearer throughout the day, as it emerged that several hundred more antiracist demonstrators were prevented by police from reaching the city centre assembly point.

Large numbers
The EDL attempted to attack black and Asian people in other areas of the city, but were unable to as large numbers of local people came out to defend their local areas, including Highfields. Local people also gathered to protect their places of worship and community centres throughout the day.

The UAF event heard speakers from the local National Union of Teachers, Public and Commercial Services civil service union and NHS workers’ Unison branches.

They shared the platform with UAF’s Paul Sillett, Communications Workers Union national political officer Steve Bell, three local councillors, community activist Joe Allen and representatives from the Muslim community, the Indian Workers Association and local Kurdish people.

The Fosse Boys – a well known group of Leicester City Football club supporters – helped lead the chants against the racist EDL. Local bands and performers also entertained the crowd.

Cllr Ross Willmott, a former leader of Leicester City Council told the crowd:

I’m proud to be here and show our city belongs to us all. The streets must not be ceded to fascist thugs.

Cllr Patrick Kitterick also emphasised the importance of turning out on the day to show opposition to the EDL. He said:

When people said “Stay inside and leave the streets”, I said “I will not.” In our diversity, we are beautiful. The EDL say they want to stop the islamification of Leicester. We say we have nothing to fear from our Muslim brothers and sisters.

Andy Connelly, another councillor and joint branch secratary of Leicester CWU, added:

It’s important for us all that we don’t leave our city to the EDL. Our trade unions and everyone need to stand together against the EDL. That’s why this protest is so important.

Speaking after the demo, Unite Against Fascism joint secretary Weyman Bennett said:

Leicester people have made it clear the EDL is not welcome in their city. The EDL have been similarly unwelcome in every other town and city where they have turned up. No-one wants them.

We are organising a major demonstration on 6 November – backed by the TUC, the Muslim Council of Britain and a host of trade unions, MPs, artists, faith groups and campaigners – to say no to racism, fascism and Islamophobia. That will be an opportunity for people to come together from all over the country and show that the EDL, the BNP and their poisonous racist and fascist ideas are not welcome anywhere.

Above report Courtesy of UAF.



Kim Wright of Isle of Wight UAF attended the demonstration below are his impressions of the day.



On Saturday I went to Leicester for the Demo against the EDL.

On the whole it was a good day, however, I did feel the Venue put us in a vulnerable position.

The stewards did seem to have good communication with the Police this time, as all attempts made by EDL to get to us, Failed!

I heard some people saying that we had upwards of 700 demonstrators behind us although in reality I thinks it was more like 350-400. The music was OK but a noticeable lack of speakers.

Nearing the end of the day there did seem to be a few incidents of disruption from the EDL, but didn't really affect us.

Having made my own way to Leicester, upon my return to the train station the police were directing EDL along the same route which included innocent by standers of mixed race, this allowed them to abuse people in their racist thug way without any intervention from the Police. On the platforms there was a distinct lack of policing leaving these thugs to run riot. I had the indignity of having to make my way home on the train sharing it with them. They appeared to be acting in a jubilant manor as if they had won, 'saying they were able to march without any intervention by the Police, it was easy'.

This left me feeling that we were the ones penned in, in a vulnerable position and these thugs were still able to get their own way with the Policing. It would still appear that we are outnumbered by these animals by atleast 2-1. Clearly we still have a long way to go to get these EDL racist thugs off our streets.

Regards

Kim

Stop the Edl in Bradford.

Why it is right to peacefully oppose the EDL in Bradford
Statement from UAF
The prospect of the English Defence League coming to Bradford on Saturday 28 August demands a sober and effective response from the anti fascist movement as whole. We wish to explain why we believe it is vital that there is a peaceful multicultural celebration in Bradford city centre on the day of the EDL action.

This is in contrast to the view expressed in the August edition of Searchlight magazine and in the Morning Star newspaper, by Hope Not Hate organiser Nick Lowles, where he argues that banning the EDL march in Bradford “….is our only option and sole focus”.

UAF supports the call made by Bradford trade unions, local community and faith groups for a ban of the proposed EDL demonstration in Bradford on Saturday 28. But we do not agree that this is the “only option”, nor that if “thousands of EDL supporters manage to get into Bradford then we have already lost”, as Lowles’s argument continues. On the contrary, the experience of Stoke and Luton tells us that the EDL are more likely to go on the rampage when there is no public opposition to them on the day of their actions.

Take steps
Firstly, on the call for a ban. In the view of UAF and many others, section 12 and section 13 of the Public Order Act, allow the police to ban both marches and static demonstrations. However to date, apart from one in Luton, the authorities have refused to ban EDL demonstrations. Therefore, in our view, the response to the EDL planned mobilisation in Bradford has to be to campaign for a ban, and at the same time take the necessary steps to put in place a peaceful celebration of multicultural Bradford in the event that the EDL are allowed to assemble there.

UAF has been engaged in serious discussion over many months, with the communities targeted by the EDL, other faith communities, local and national trade unions and many others, to consider the most effective way to respond to these EDL actions where they are allowed to go ahead. From these discussions, clear support has been expressed for ensuring that the EDL are not allowed to go unopposed, and that there should be events held that assert the positive local support for their multicultural, diverse and united communities.

Accordingly, Bradford Unite Against Fascism is organising with trade unionists, faith groups, community groups and others a “We are Bradford” peaceful, multicultural celebration of unity to show that the overwhelming majority of the people of the city reject the EDL’s poisonous message. The event being organised is not a “counter demonstration”.

Solidarity across communities
It will be held in the city centre, and there will be transparent arrangements made with the police, with whom the ‘We Are Bradford’ event is co-operating fully to ensure that there is no confrontation with the EDL. This will demonstrate that Bradford does not welcome the attempts by the EDL to whip up hostility between communities, strengthen the solidarity of all Bradford’s communities against racism, and will also provide the media with a focal point to profile the breadth of support for multicultural Bradford, rather than allowing the agenda to be dominated by the EDL.

In the framework of both mobilizing support for a ban and preparing for the eventuality that this call is ignored, Unite Against Fascism invites Hope not Hate to jointly organise with us a peaceful multicultural celebration on Saturday 28 August in the city centre.

Unite Against Fascism is acutely aware of the huge responsibilities facing the antifascist movement in Bradford given the experience of the 2001 riots and the electoral breakthrough by the BNP in 2004 in the wake of the racist myth about so-called “Asian grooming” of young white girls for sex.

Positive event
But we believe that a disorganised and chaotic response to the EDL coming to Bradford is more likely if the antifascist movement does not fulfill its duty on the 28 August to organise a safe place for all those people who will undoubtedly wish to make their voices heard against the threat of the EDL and in support of our multicultural society. The issue is whether the response to the EDL’s presence is properly stewarded and channeled to a peaceful, positive event – not whether there will be a response. Failure to organise such a response would also send a signal to the EDL that they are free to escalate their actions against the Muslim and other communities without any expression of the breadth of opposition to their message of hate.

We are also concerned at the possible implication of Nick Lowles’ comment that “The EDL is coming to Bradford to provoke another riot. Let’s not give them one.” [Searchlight August 2010] We must be very clear that experience tells us that the EDL does not need an excuse to start a racist riot.

In Dudley the EDL attacked a Mosque, and Hindu & Sikh temples. We also have to emphasise that the responsibility for violence in the town rests with the EDL and not the peaceful gathering organised by the local Interfaith Forum, Unite Against Fascism and others.

We should not give any ground to the myth that the EDL is a legitimate, peaceful movement which is ‘provoked’ into violence. Nor is it acceptable for anyone to imply that people supporting a peaceful celebration of our multicultural society on the same day as an EDL action are in any way responsible for provoking the EDL.

EDL and BNP
If the antifascist movement is to deal effectively with the threat posed by the EDL it is necessary for it to understand the causes of its growth and its relationship to the British National Party.

In the context of a rise of Islamophobia across society the EDL has been allowed to make gross attacks on the freedom of conscience, thought, religion and cultural expression of Muslims including actions outside mosques. If there were demonstrations against Christian churches or Jewish people and synagogues there would quite rightly be widespread outrage and condemnation.

Unite Against Fascism consistently argued, both before and after the 2009 European election, that the election of even one BNP MEP would represent an historic breakthrough for British fascism with serious negative consequences. We now see in Britain an embryonic pogrom movement in the form of the EDL which is a direct product of that BNP breakthrough. There is a de facto far right division of labour: the BNP does the electoral politics whilst the EDL intimidates on the streets.

The UAF has been clear that both these threats must be countered, and was central to the local campaigns against the BNP in Barking, Stoke-on-Trent and other areas of the country where the BNP were successfully driven back electorally.

Intimidating
But, in developing our strategy and tactics we must never forget that the fascists are not primarily a parliamentary party. They seek to impose their views by force – intimidating communities and if they ever come to power eradicating their opponents. Therefore, alongside the campaign of mass action to oppose them electorally, it is also vital to develop a movement that comes to the defence of communities under attack, demonstrating to the fascists that these communities are not isolated and will not be left to stand alone.

We have to reply to the EDL by demonstrating that the labour movement, other faiths, those of goodwill, will celebrate our multicultural society in the face of the fascists’ attempts to whip up hatred, prejudice and fear. We only need to look at other European countries to see what happens when movements akin to the EDL are allowed to grow without this type of broad response. It leads to an increase in racist violence directed against whole communities, including arson and murder.

The EDL is a racist organisation that concentrates on anti-Muslim prejudice as a focal point for racism. It will seek to organise any anti-Muslim current but starts with those, such as football ‘casuals’ most prepared to ‘take to the streets’. Contrary to the media’s portrayal of the EDL as being opposed to ‘extreme Islam’, in reality it seeks to create a street force capable of intimidating and attacking the Muslim communities, and further down the line to pose a physical threat to other black and Asian communities and to the labour movement.

Over the last year the antifascist movement has learned many lessons about how we can successfully celebrate and defend our multicultural society against the attacks of the EDL. In Dudley, UAF worked closely with local communities to peacefully celebrate “one society, many cultures”. This was such a broad and united response that dismay at its success has been publicly voiced by leaders of the EDL. The effectiveness of this campaign, and the support it won locally, was also reflected in a dramatic decline in the BNP vote in the General election in the town and the warm support it received from the local media.

Duty to stand in unity
More recently, the march celebrating Tower Hamlets, on the day of the planned EDL demonstration, brought together the breadth of the antifascist movement, including local elected politicians, faith communities, trade unionists, lesbian and gay activists and all those who oppose fascism. It was the largest antifascist mobilisation for a decade. It was a peaceful, focused and vibrant expression of unity.

We believe that the antifascist movement has a duty to stand in unity with all those in Bradford and beyond who wish to publicly show their support for our multicultural society and their opposition to Islamophobia in the face of a national mobilisation of the EDL. The antifascist movement will not be forgiven if it abandons those people to their fate on 28 August.

The truth about Tommy Robinson

We are obliged to Searchlight for the following article exposing the Nazi reality behind the EDLs leadership.


The BNP past of the EDL leader
Nick Lowles and Simon Cressy expose Tommy Robinson

Searchlight can exclusively reveal that the leader of the English Defence League is a former British National Party member who has served 12 months’ imprisonment for assaulting an off-duty police officer.

Self-proclaimed EDL leader Tommy Robinson is really Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, from Bedford.

In 2004 he joined the BNP with a family membership. In the same year he assaulted an off-duty police officer who intervened to stop a domestic incident between Yaxley-Lennon and his partner Jenna Vowles. During the scuffle Yaxley-Lennon kicked the officer in the head.

He was convicted on 18 April 2005 for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, for which he was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, and assault with intent to resist arrest, for which he received a concurrent term of three months.

Vowles, also a BNP member, was cautioned for possession of cocaine. She told the court that the she found two empty bags in her house and was taking them out so that her parents did not find them.

Yaxley-Lennon attended Putteridge High School in Luton and moved to nearby Bedford more recently. Robinson also claims on his Facebook site that he attended Putteridge school.

The revelation that Robinson had been a member of the BNP explains why so many of the initial EDL activists also attended BNP meetings in the Luton/Bedford area.

More importantly, it dispels the myth that the roots of the EDL are not in hard-core racism.

It destroys the protestations by the EDL leadership that, “They aren’t the BNP and they aren’t Nazis,” made at their phoney press conference held last September in a disused Luton warehouse, where they unfurled a swastika flag and proceeded to try to set it alight for the cameras.

It also explains the real reason why Robinson felt the need to hide his face.

Apart from his BNP membership and his convictions for violence, Robinson told a BBC film crew that he lived in a part of Luton where Islamic fanatics lived and that he feared for his safety. The reality is somewhat different as he lives in Wilstead, a relatively leafy village on the outskirts of Bedford.

The exposure of his identity follows a split in the EDL that is mostly being fought over the internet.

Paul Ray, self-styled spiritual guru of the EDL, has posted a series of messages on his Lionheart blog, in which he and his friend Nick Greger announce their intention to take control of the EDL. Ray was the original mover in creating the EDL, although he quickly fell out with the other leaders and moved abroad to Malta. Ray has focused his efforts on making Crusader-themed anti-Muslim promotional videos, and he and Greger have just issued a notice of “expulsion” of the EDL’s leaders, together with a demand for control of the EDL’s websites.

In one of their videos Greger goes on to say “another well-known man will soon appear within the new leadership, a man from Ulster, who is also currently in exile”.

This is almost certainly a reference to Greger’s friend Johnny Adair, a prominent loyalist terrorist who now lives in Scotland following an intra-loyalist feud. Adair’s friendship with Greger was the subject of a television documentary in 2006, when Adair met Greger while in prison for plotting acts of terror and was then the head of a nazi group in Dresden, Germany.

It is thought that Ray and Greger were responsible for the appearance of a video on YouTube that unveiled Robinson as Stephen Yaxley along with a series of photographs, following outlandish claims by Ray that the EDL led by Robinson threatened to kidnap and harm members of Ray’s family.

Robinson later confirmed on his Facebook page that the photographs were indeed of him, saying, “Hey at least people can see my hansome [sic] face now”.

Disastrous Night for the Nazis in Council and Parliamentary Elections.

The hard work that has been done consistently by Unite Against Fascism over the last few years is beginning to reap dividends.At the council and Parliamentary elections the BNP were not just stopped in their tracks they were pushed back massively.
In Barking the BNP had high hopes of consolidating a base they had been building for some time, with 12 councillors it had long been regarded as the jewel in the crown for the BNP in the south.
Huge amounts of financial and human resources were targeted on Barking with the hope of making Griffin the BNPs first MP.
There were widespread fears that he was in with a genuine chance of winning it.Political commentators observed that they could take control of the council and would have large amounts of public money at their disposal.
UAF has organised mass mobilisations of leafleters and canvassers to prevent this.

Nick Griffin eventually was pushed into third place.The councillors they had installed over years of work were thrown out on their ear.The Nazis were not just pushed back in Barking.

They were smashed.

Margaret Hodge the Labour Culture Minisster was returned with an emphatic 16,000 majority above the conservative candidate,with Griffin limping in in third place.In her victory speech Hodge was forthright.

“This is a great moment in history – a never to be forgotten moment for both the good people of Barking and Dagenham and for all of us in Britain. Our voters have been faced with a stark choice. They have overwhelmingly chosen to support democratic politics, built on tolerance, fairness and decency – not fascist politics built on division, prejudice and hatred. This vote is an important and clear victory for our values our respect for and solidarity with all, whatever their race, religion or background, our determination to always work in the interests of the many not the few, and our strong commitment to social mobility and equality. On behalf of all the people in Britain, we in Barking have not just beaten, but we have smashed the attempt by extremist outsiders to exploit people’s fears and concerns to foster evil national political ends. The message from Barking to the Nazi party is clear: Get out and stay out. You are not wanted here and your vile politics have no place in British democracy.”


Worse was to follow.When the count for the council seats was completed the day after the ballot they had not just failed to gain any new seats but lost every one of the 12 seats they gained in 2006.

On the Tuesday before the Election, the head of the party’s online operation resigned and took the website down with him. Simon Bennett, 41, directed BNP traffic to his personal site, which contained a lengthy diatribe against Mr Griffin and other senior figures.

Nationally the elections have been a disaster for the BNP.



The party's two remaining councillors in Sandwell were removed, as were its sole representatives in Solihull and Leeds.They have lost people in Burnley and elsewhere.
There are reports they have suffered heavy losses on Stoke Council,long regarded as a power base for the BNP.

In the past, when the Nazis have had similar disasters they have promptly indulged in internecine warfare.The sight of the Nazis tearing each other to pieces like ferrets in a sack has been one of the British lefts favourite spectator sports.


UAF has succeeded in taking the Anti-Fascist campaign into the BNPs heartlands.This is a huge advance,
It is right that we should celebrate what we have achieved.
However nationally over half a million people voted for the Nazis.

It is therefore imperative we do not ease up the pressure now.They are down but they are not out.We must not rely on a civil war within the Fascist movement to do the job for us.

Now more than ever we must build UAF and LMHR.