Comments for Stop Racism and Fascism Network

Comment on Bradford Report – from AWL by What happened in Bradford? Why the Left needs to start telling the truth « The Great Unrest

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:47:07 +0000

[...] cordon, and were chased and challenged by the SRF protestors and many others. The AWL claim that ‘Attempts to attack a local mosque were also beaten back’, but no corroborating evidence is given, and the vague phrase ‘beaten back’ is [...]

Comment on After Bradford – The skids are probably under the EDL by What happened in Bradford? Why the Left needs to start telling the truth « The Great Unrest

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:47:04 +0000

[...] SRF Network also leave themselves open to criticism – they claim that protesters ‘prevented EDLers breaking out their cordon and rampaging through Asian areas of the town.’– clearly untrue if you watch the videos – many EDL did break out of the cordon, and were chased [...]

Comment on Contacts by tommy

tommy — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:35:40 +0000

Just to invite you to the above indymedia link. You can either go on
the march or help defend the cowley club which has also be threatened.
Other options maybe available too…? Accomadation can be provided if
needed contact the brighton antifascist email in the link for more info.

Please at least list this on the site!

Comment on Trade Unionists Must Mobilise Against The EDL! by Hope not Hate declares victory as history threatens to repeat itself in Bradford « Liverpool Antifascists

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:53:30 +0000

[...] as the Stop Racism and Fascism network have reiterated, the only real defence lies in direct confrontation; Leaving the EDL to march through Bradford [...]

Comment on Why anti-racists are right to counter-protest to the EDL by Bradford United Against Racism

Bradford United Against Racism — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 21:13:47 +0000

Trade Unioinsts Must Mobalise Against The EDL!

The racist English Defence League (EDL) plan to rally in Bradford city centre on Saturday the 28th of August. Their actions in Stoke, Luton and Dudley have shown that when allowed the chance they run rampage; attacking Muslim people, Muslim workplaces and places of worship. They single out Muslims for vilification and Asians in general for racist abuse but they are also enemies of the workers movement in general. They have disrupted anti-racist meetings and threatened trade unionists.

Some trade unionists are arguing against a counter demonstration and are trying to persuade trade unionists and others to stay at home on the 28th of August. Nick Lowles from Hope Not Hate has led these calls. He says:

“We believe that Bradford cannot afford further disorder and we fear that thousands of EDL protesters descending on the city, matched by thousands coming out to oppose them, could well provoke it. And this time the city might not recover.”.

These calls have been backed by Yorkshire and the Humber TUC and some other trade unionists. We believe this approach is not only fundamentally wrong but it is also potentially catastrophic.

Leaving the EDL to march through Bradford without mass opposition does not guarantee the safety of the local Asian population. On other EDL demonstration’s the police have at times been unwilling or unable to control these racist thugs. In Luton the EDL managed to smash up Asian owned shops and in Dudley last month they attacked a Hindu temple. In both of these cases the anti-racist counter demonstration was small or non existent. Only a large organised counter-demonstration that outnumbers the EDL several times over will be able to guarantee this kind of attack cannot happen.

Young Muslim people in Bradford have already made plain that they intend to oppose the EDL on the day. We cannot leave these young people to face the racists alone. The labour movement is built on the principles of freedom, equality and solidarity regardless or religious or ethnic background. If trade unionists do not take the lead in organising anti-racist struggles and uniting people around these principles we may see reactionary organizations exploiting the feeling of isolation in the Muslim population to their own ends.

Bradford United Against Racism and the Stop Racism and Fascism Network is organizing a counter demonstration. Unite Against Fascism is also calling for anti fascists to demonstrate against the EDL in Bradford city centre. We call on all trade unionists and anti-racists to support this demonstration and mobalise the biggest possible opposition to the vile racial and religious hatred of the English Defence League.