We have a hundred years of experience, so you don’t have to learn the hard way.
from thefreeonline on August 22nd 2024 by WessexSolidarity … … … ( thefree on Telegram: t.me/thefreeonline)
Fascism has been with us for just over a century now. We may never defeat fascism, but we have shown we can defeat fascists. On this island, every generation has had to confront the right, as it has dipped in and out of electoral politics and eventually been seen off the streets, not by police or government, but by the Working Class.
We have a hundred years of experience, so you don’t have to learn the hard way. Much has been written about what works and what doesn’t, how tactics on both sides are distorted by ideology, and the role of the state.
The following leaflet is a good starting point for a community under attack: Download as pdf, 2x A5 double sided For a simplex printer, flip end-to-end and reload to print the other side.
Community defence against right-wing racist aggression.
The enemy: Far-right fascist agitators who exist just to create division and conflict. They may claim to share the ‘concerns’ of one or another group but they only want power for themselves. They are few in number but they never go away, waiting to opportunistically exploit spectacular news events. They jumped on the apparent confusion surrounding the Southport attack.
In their wake are many disaffected youth. This society offers them nothing they want and most will never get what they need. Extremists regard such people as expendable ‘cannon-fodder’.
Migration is not an issue: It’s simply a natural consequence of factors beyond our control, such as climate change and the Western powers smashing the infrastructure of five countries. As more of the earth’s surface becomes uninhabitable, people will move, it’s what they do.
Borders only serve bosses, not workers; they exist to create differentials in prices and wages, which boost the mark-up on manufacturing.
There is no shortage of anything here. There are a million empty dwellings on this island and supermarkets throw away millions of tons of food every year. Corporations are cash-rich but will not invest in anything unless it gives them a greater return than simply holding currency.
It’s in governments’ interests to have you believe otherwise; the economy relies on artificial scarcity, to keep you working longer and harder for less reward. The UK establishment has spent decades enforcing this ‘austerity’ while stoking fear of other cultures, especially Islamic ones, despite these having been embedded in the West for generations. Police, politicians and the media all have their own agendas. We could argue about what these are, or why, but that won’t help us here.
Who are the “white working class”? There never was such a thing. You are Working Class if you have nothing to sell but your time. If you identify as white, it will be because no-one has ever asked you where you come from, or invited you to go back there – nothing to boast about.
There is no white working class because there is no ‘white race’. That was invented in the mid Seventeenth Century to justify the wars of Empire and stave off the movement for the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, that’s nothing to be proud of either.
There are experienced antifascists operating in your area. We have not the resources to protect everybody but we can offer tips and advice: e-mail defcom24@riseup.net.
What can you do? We recommend establishing autonomous neighbourhood defence committees. Start forming small affinity groups, by gathering a few trusted friends, relatives and neighbours, who live nearby, can work together, and who care about each other personally – this is vital.
Now federate these into a neighbourhood committee that can take care of a street, block or postcode. Encourage others to do the same. Are you a member of a residents or tenants association, trade union, sports club or religious congregation? In time, aim to federate neighbourhood committees into district or regional ones. Shelve your politics and prejudices; we have a common aim and no time to squabble amongst ourselves.
Physical superiority is central to fascist culture, so they are only ever satisfactorily defeated by physical resistance, this has happened many times since the 1920’s.
There are many reasons why a person may wish to avoid physical confrontation: health, ability, temperament, employment or citizenship status; but not everybody needs to be on the ‘front line’. Some folk should rest at home ready to provide late-night police station support in case of arrests. For large mobilisations we also need spotters, first-aiders, legal observers and a communications hub to relay information, this might be in another town.
We can all be involved in intelligence gathering, in advance of any threat. Mapping the territory and surrounding area thoroughly is the first step; how will the enemy arrive? Where will they assemble? Locate vulnerable people and reassure them they will not be abandoned to their fate – then don’t let them down! If you’re holding a public meeting or event, make sure it is adequately stewarded and have look-outs.
Police and courts are not supposed to take sides. Your own experience may or may not support this. You might call on them in an emergency but remember the criminal justice system exists to get people convicted and doing unpaid work in prison. They are paid by results, so information you give them will be used to this end.
So keep it off social media and avoid communications platforms that leave a trace. Don’t take your phone on actions, get a ‘burner’. You may not have done anything illegal but if there is an altercation leading to arrests, police will try and draw in as many people as possible into a conspiracy or ’joint enterprise’ charge.
A trivial scuffle can result in imprisonment, especially for global majority people. The stakes are high so imagine your rant of frustration being read out in front of a judge!
It’s a numbers game. If they cannot keep us apart the police will turn on whichever group is numerically smaller on the day, to save effort. We have seen fascists turned around at the railway station, or confined to the nearest Wetherspoons, “for their own safety”.
Other times we’ve been chased around the shopping centre and run out of town while they made their silly speeches. This is no help if your spaces are occupied or threatened.
‘Public facing’ counter-protests. “**** town unites / rejects racism”. These will be carefully choreographed between the organisers, police and local authority. They involve unions, councillors, businesses, churches, political parties, all with a stake in the status quo, with the idea of showing the fascists they have no local support – not that they care.
The main use of these events for militant antifascists is to provide a legitimate reason for coming to town, in case they get into trouble.
Mass direct action may emerge from the above, or be organised separately. You can call a static demonstration without informing the police. Get there early, in sufficient numbers to occupy the fascists’ meeting point, their rally point, or block them from marching between the two.
Squadism is effective but will bring you into conflict with the law. It requires rigid self-discipline and great personal integrity, it isn’t for everyone.
You do not have to give your name, address or answer questions under any police stop and search power – “no comment”. Don’t carry identification. Avoid casual chatter, especially with the ones in pale blue, they are senior intelligence officers, best not to speak at all in their hearing.
If you are stopped ask why, and which power they are relying on, get their station and collar number. This is one of the few occasions when it may be worth filming on actions.
Do not film or photograph for the sake of it! What would a court make of your exciting footage?
Green & Black Cross Protest Support Line: Write this number on your body, out of sight, with an indelible marker 07946 541 511
If arrested: Don’t panic! Relax, don’t talk, don’t use a duty solicitor, don’t give personal information. Call Protest Support Line or your chosen solicitor. Ask for a copy of the PACE code. If the police interview you it’s because they don’t have enough evidence to charge you or they would have charged you. Let’s keep it that way.
Stand up to racism (SUTR) is a front for the SWP, an authoritarian political party that has been known to tout its rivals to the police. They don’t let us in on their plans, and vice versa.
Useful links.
Green and Black Cross offer ‘Know your rights’ and Legal Observer training: https://greenandblackcross.org/events/
- Know your rights: https://greenandblackcross.org/action/know-your-rights/
- Find a solicitor: https://netpol.org/solicitors/
- Anti-Fascist Network: http://antifascistnetwork.wordpress.com
Related on Wessex Soli
Anti-fascist Network Supporters’ statement and flyers.
Physical Resistance: A Hundred Years of Anti-Fascism by Dave Hann February 18, 2013 In “Anarchist”
Oppose the March for England March 25, 2013 In “Anarchist”
A message from the Anti-Fascist Network: August 31, 2012 In “Antifa”
The Free 