30th Anniversay of the Battle of Lewisham

August 13th marks the 30th anniversary of the Battle of Lewisham – which was a decisive turning point in the fight against Nazis in Britain at the time. Over 10,000 locals from all different backgrounds – black and white, young and old joined together to confront the National Front (NF) who had planned to march through the racially mixed and culturally diverse area of Lewisham, South East London.

Then popularity of the NF rose in the 1970’s when they began to obtain more support from British voters. This rising level of support meant that in the May 1977 Great London Council elections, the NF now posed as a threat to the Liberal party as the third main party in British politics.

Amongst the rising levels of actual and prospective electoral success across the country, the Nazis were given further confidence by a number of racially motivated incidents and campaigns often set up by politicians and the media mainly during 1976. This all led to least four Asians being murdered in east London by white gangs, other incidents included throwing deadly weed killer into a woman’s face as she attended a street meeting of the Lewisham 21 Defence Committee – which was set up after 21 black people were arrested in what the police called ‘Operation Police Nigger Hunt’.

In the weeks leading up to August 13th various anti-racist and anti-fascist groups became aware of the fact that the NF were planning to march through the streets. In response, the All Lewisham Campaign Against Racism and Fascism (ALCARAF) called a demonstration against the public NF march. The counter demonstration was in no way advocating violence against the NF – the assembly point for the ALCARAF – led demonstration was actually on the opposite side of Lewisham to where the NF planned to assemble (which was actually in New Cross).

Over 10,000 people joined in to oppose the NF and aver 4,000 police took to the streets of Lewisham to protect the NF. Police also tested new methods of controlling the crowds by physically attacking and breaking up lines of anti-Nazi protesters, and “for their own safety, obviously”, allowing NF members through police cordoned area.

However, protesters did not give up - the Nazi’s and all their possible routes were continually blocked, NF banners were burned, and Bob Marley was played. The counter demo became a great example of black and white unity.

Nazi organizations such as the NF, and nowadays the BNP also believe that they can build a mass movement based upon racial prejudices. On 13th August 1977 the National Front believed they could intimidate and frighten the local black, asian and non-British communities by marching thorough the streets proclaiming their racial hatred.

They were wrong, and they were defeated.

Ted Parker who took part in the battle and is principal of Barking College mentions, “Thereafter the NF never again posed a serious political threat. Lewisham led directly to the formation of the Anti Nazi League (ANL) which, together with Rock Against Racism (RAR), and nowadays Love Music Hate Racism mobilised hundreds of thousands in collective expressions of solidarity between those of differing cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Organised racism was marginalised for the next quarter of a century. It is therefore correct to call Lewisham a decisive battle – though in a war that remains far from won”.

LMHR