The National Front held its annual St George's Day rally in Newcastle on the 23rd of April. The English Defence League showed up to join their friends, but anti-cuts and anti-fascists did not let them take control of the City Centre.
23 April 2011, St George's Day, and Newcastle (upon Tyne) starts the day with the Lord Mayor raising the St George's Cross (England's flag) at the Civic Centre, followed by a parade through the City Centre by the 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, who also have Honorary Freedom of the City.
Unfortunately, I did not get to see the positive start to the day. As I arrived at around quarter to midday there was a sea of St George's Flag - it was the National Front holding their annual St George's Day rally in Newcastle. "Great," I thought "this isn't going to do St George's Day any PR favours." Why would the openly neo-Nazi National Front celebrate a Middle-Eastern man who is associated with England's good values?
Surely if St George was living in England today then the NF would be calling for his repatriation?
Imagine Monument as a square. On the North (facing Waterstones) and East is the National Front, on the South is a festival celebrating England to 'reclaim St George's Day' (progressive patriotism?) and on the West are the left-wing stalls, including Amnesty International and Coalition of Resistance, as well as Fight Racism, Fight Imperialism.
An interesting mix of groups likely to cause some shouting. The National Front kept trying to make their way towards the left-wing stalls, but a heavy police presence stopped them. Then, just as Coalition of Resistance were about to send people off for the planned UKuncut action, a group chanting "E-E-EDL" came from the South West of Monument (Also Known As Grainger Street).
What were the English Defence League, a group that claims not to be racist and doesn't like being likened to the BNP and NF, doing at a NF rally? Like they have done in previous weeks, the EDL targeted the anti-cuts stalls. It has been reported that under a month ago one EDL member commented that he didn't mind bankers getting large bonuses, as long as they were white.
The Police were swift to act, and quickly formed a line between the English Defence League, anti-cuts, lefties and in turn anti-fascists, and the National Front. A shouting match between the EDL and anti-fascists quickly kicked off, with support from their friends in the NF. The video footage, which you can watch at the bottom of this page, shows all of this. You can see that the EDL turned up angry and had just come out to cause trouble.
There was a much happier feeling on the anti-fascist side, as we chanted and even danced a little bit to the celebration of multiculturalism event starting off behind us, playing such songs as "Everybody Needs Somebody" and spreading messages of tolerance. The feeling on the EDL and NF sides seemed to be that of pure hate. They certainly weren't letting of a positive vibe.
After over an hour's stand off, the NF hurdled off together, leaving behind a few EDL members.
St George's Day should be a celebration of this great country of England and all of its good values, not the rotten racism which peaked during the 80s. The St George's Flag is ours. It's not copyrighted to the NF or EDL.
A FRFI activist started off on the megaphone, shouting about how nationalism breads intolerance and that St George's Day should not be celebrated. That sort of message turns people towards the EDL in fear of their losing their identity. Progressive Patriotism must be welcomed on the left so that particularly working class people do not feel like racism is a legitimate alternative.
On a happier note for anti-fascists, even those who do not celebrate St George's Day, the EDL's Facebook page was taken down today.
Northern Indymedia
A lot of hot air is expended about the supposed political differences between the EDL, NF and BNP. In terms of what they do the streets they may as well be regarded as a single entity.
ReplyDeletewas St.George the patron saint of all the English people or just the chavs alone...
ReplyDeleteI was in Birmingham for their St George, and thankfully I did not see any fascists, the odd drunken yobbos with St.George flags but many black and Asian people were enjoying the fun in Victoria Square
I wonder what Guramit's thoughts are on the EDL and the unashamedly anti-Sikh/Hindu/Jewish/Black/gay NF teaming up with his 'non-racist' 'civil rights' group???
ReplyDeleteThe EDL chiefs such as SYL have absolutely no control over their 'divisions', which as I see it will make it much easier for them to factionalise and ideologically split - as history has taught us - the far right do so and do so violently.
The EDL aren't afraid to hide their racism anymore, and at Blackburn, severla leading members openly made hitler saltues for the cameras.
ReplyDeleteThe fake Jewish division has been cast aside meaning they will now be anti-Semitic as well as Islamophobic.
This makes them all the more dangerous, as they will feel free to do as they fucking well please, consorting with who they wish.
Imagine how the agening NFers feel that their toxic hardcore neo-Nutzi message of a global Jewish conspiracy is being swallowed hook, line and sinker by the fascist football hooligans.
Anti-facsists beware!!!
Jon Snowy Shaw is successfully uniting the british far right and returning them to the grass roots straight anti-immigrant white anglo-saxon values 99% of its northern members support.
ReplyDeleteShaw calls the EDL's use of Jewish and LGBT smokescreens as being "politically correct nonsense", reflecting the mood among rank and file EDLers that they are brothers in arms with the NF/EDL.
He's successfully uniting large numbers of disillusioned british nationalists put off by Griffin's thieving and Robinson's cuddling up to the JDL.
Snowy appeals to far more EDLers than Robinson for being anti-Jewish, anti-gay and anti-black as well as hating Muslims, which he calls an obcession.
Snowy accused Robinson of creating the whole Muslamic Raygun thing himself to keep rank-and-file EDL members onside.
Following reports that the NF and EDL joined forces to harass Coalition of Resistance / anti-cuts protestors in Newcastle, a user called "Candidate" posted on Stormfront (the American KKK web forum) describing the NF / EDL incident as follows -
ReplyDelete"Over sixty members of the National Front backed up by around forty supporters from the EDL marched on Saturday morning through Newcastle centre to Grey's Monument, the traditional rallying point each year for the North-East Region's St. George's Say Assembly. NF members applauded a march past of the Royal Fusiliers and presented them with a St. George's day flag! About eighty Communist trouble causers turned up but scurried behind police lines when they saw the size of the Front turn out. After a short ceremony and speech by Simon Biggs, the Front and supporters marched back to their starting point. A fantastic result for Newcastle Front and good to see a section of the EDL who are supporting the true racial nationalism of the NF."
http://www.stormfront.org/forum/t796560/
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