On Saturday 4th February, numerous anti-fascists withstood freezing temperatures and a bitterly cold windchill to stand against the fascist EDL’s visit to Leicester.
Prior to this, Mayor Peter Soulsby, Leicester City Council, politicians, some ‘community leaders’ and the police had predictably told locals to stay at home and see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Shops were advised to close, pubs were shut, and, displaying a fine spirit of the blitz, Leicester market was closed as well.
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EDL burns flag of what they think is the Argentine Caliphate |
The EDL, meanwhile, threatened to bring ‘thousands’ of drunken fascist hooligans into Leicester. However, some of us knew better, fully aware that the splits and infighting among the EDL with its organisation literally falling apart at the seams would take its toll. The fact that it was generally a bit nippy and the pubs would be shut was also sure to damage the EDL Special Brew Division’s turn out as well. As it happens, the fash did manage to collect about 500 (the Leicester Mercury claims 700) dubious specimens of the ‘master race’ for their march, with the highpoint being the burning of an Argentine flag. Argentina, as everyone knows, is ‘the most muslim country in the world, probably…’ (but we reckon geography is not the EDL’s best subject).
So what of the anti-fascists on the day?
The day started with a number of independent anti-fascists in town, basically looking at the lay of the land. The situation was, the police had the Clock Tower pretty much locked down, with cops everywhere and a string of riot vans bumper-to-bumper at the Haymarket-Eastgates-Church Gate turning. The rest of the City Centre was also pretty heavily policed. This meant that, certainly at the Clock Tower, the scope for any serious anti-fascist activity would be severely hampered, if not impossible.
Unite Against Fascism, after several previous U-turns to do with cooperation and non-cooperation with the police (telling people to go on their march, telling them to go to the Clock Tower, then to their march, then to the Clock Tower again), finally managed to create a demonstration of somewhere between ‘dozens’, ‘50’ and ‘200’ people on Gallowtree Gate, a couple of hundred metres from the riot vans at the Clock Tower. They seemed pretty much kettled though, and apparently, they were pushed back by the police up to Belvoir Street. From there they went on to the A Block rally and then they had their march through the backstreets (chanting 'Whose backstreets? Our backstreets?' we wonder) which took them back to A Block again for some music.
To be fair on the UAF, however, they (and others) did an excellent job of getting the information about the EDL’s visit out onto the streets with lots of leafleting. Also, we should recognise that their organisers did put their money where their mouth is and, at some point before the EDL visit, refused to cooperate with the local plod's planned march, despite the threat of arrest. So fair play at least on this score, even if they did backtrack later.
As for the independent anti-fascists, they did two things. Some avoided being moved on or picked up by the dibble and managed to hover around town until the heavily policed EDL turned up. In spite of the heavy policing, about 200 independent anti-fascists (these included some Leicestershire Solidarity Group members) still managed to get to the Clock Tower and chant ‘Nazi scum, off our streets!’ which was vigorously taken up by groups of Asian youth in the area. Well done to all of them for getting in there. The second group of independents (which also included LSG people, as well as members of the Anarchist Federation and one or two socialists) headed off to help defend St Matthews from any potential fascist attack. Down by the Campanile, Belgrave flyover and the Belgrave Gate roundabout, they joined about, at times, 200-300 (at other times, fewer) mainly Asian, Somali and Kurdish anti-fascists in keeping a barrier between the local community and potential roving EDL bands.
We hear there were also mobilisations in Highfields, and a ‘moving kettle’ of around 60 Asian youth were driven out of the centre by the police and moved into Highfields. We also got word that some anti-fascists tried to head the EDL off at the pass, with some shenanigans going on in Abbey Park in the general direction of the EDL rallying point and near the canal. We are now hearing reports that the police used dogs on Asian youths. Also noted was the EDL coach that got lost and had to be escorted out of East Park Road (what did we say about their geography?), and the EDL van that parked up in Highfields (to ask for directions?) and was quickly shunted out of the area by the cops before any unfortunate mishaps could befall them.
The balance sheet
All in all, the EDL are in a rut and a turn out of 500 out of a threatened 1500 is rubbish. The infighting and division in their ‘movement’, the fact that they are routinely so heavily policed in towns without beer, and the fact that they are generally about as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit wherever they go, must also be thinning the ranks of this futile organisation. For the EDL, this march will be a massive fail which can only lead to even fewer numbers on wherever they next decide to head for.
For the anti-fascists, it’s a little more complex and there are positives and negatives. It needs to be said, that however good the intentions of many of their members, Unite Against Fascism is not an effective means to fight fascism. Firstly, UAF is a front organisation for the Socialist Workers Party. This means, its prime motive is the building of the SWP and any effective anti-fascism is purely incidental. Secondly, and more importantly, the UAF does not appear to believe in effectively confronting fascism as their main objective.
While Ross Willmott and some members of UAF may think that a state ban on the EDL is a way forward, we contrast this with militant anti-fascism, always. Besides, asking for a state ban on anything is never an option, asking the boss class for any kind of support is a bit like asking the baby batterer to mind the creche.
Instead, the UAF-SWP usually prefers to have marches or rallies (often with music) away from the fascists. This is not a bad aim in itself, and there is always scope for such activities, but it should not be the default tactic, as is the case with UAF-SWP, certainly not when the fascists are planning to march in our town. Finally, UAF-SWP’s cooperation with the police, Council, etc, is a serious check on any meaningful anti-fascist activity. True, they eventually decided not to cooperate with the police, but only when push came to shove. The fact that their starting point is normally ‘what deal can we make with the police and the Council’, who both have zero interest in defeating fascism and only seek containment, is a serious flaw in their strategy.
All that said, the fact that there are a number of people on what is often termed ‘the left’ who are prepared to do what they can to take on fascism (some UAF members included), and the fact that there are local people in certain communities who are also prepared to defend their areas is certainly a good start. However, such groups working together can often be a haphazard affair and there is occasional suspicion on the part of the different groups concerned. While this is sometimes understandable, it needs to be addressed.
Let’s not forget, fascism is not merely anti-muslim (or anti- whatever their most recent target is: anti-semitic, anti-black, anti-asian, anti-asylum seeker, anti-gay, anti-‘red’, etc). First and foremost, whoever their scapegoat happens to be, fascism is fundamentally anti-working class. And this is they key which must never be forgotten; building a genuine working class unity that is prepared to take on those who seek to divide us for the benefit of the boss class must be our priority.
And whilst the vast majority on the EDL march had been bussed in from outside the city, trying to pretend that racism is not an issue within Leicester flies in the face of the everyday experience of many of Leicester's residents.
