“We only take to the streets in a physical manner because they’re there. … No fascists on the streets, by definition, no Anti-Fascist Action.” The above clip is taken from a TV documentary (approx date 1993) about the various methods of anti-racism and anti-fascism. In this clip the role of AFA in the fight against…
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“Remember, fascism doesn’t start with concentration camps, that’s where it ends!” In the final part of the programme Mensi outlines why AFA seeks to keep the fascists off the streets. This policy is demonstrated with footage of AFA confronting fascist paper sellers in Bermondsey, south London. The programme ends with a call for working class…
“From Papish Conspiracy to Jewish Conspiracy…” Scottish AFA activists explain the links between fascism and loyalism, with particular reference to the fascist presence among the supporters of Glasgow Rangers, which goes back to the early 1970′s with paper sales by both the NF and the BNP establishing a firm foothold at Ibrox. Fascism as an…
“To use the old East End terminology, they weren’t very good on the pavement…” In the second part, East London Dockers Leader, Mickey Fenn (RIP) explains the situation in the 1970′s when the most militant elements of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and the Anti-Nazi League (ANL) formed fighting ‘squads’ to take the physical fight…
“They Shall Not Pass…. and they did not pass!” Anti-Fascist Action (AFA) activists from various parts of the country explain in words and deeds the concept behind their basic principles, which were “to confront fascism both physically and ideologically.” In this first part, Mensi, the lead singer of legendary punk band Angelic Upstarts, introduces AFA’s…
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Excerpts from a review by Malatesta – read the full review here The book is well written, at times funny, and although from a fairly singular point uses insider information from the folk who were actually there which makes it very readable. The case for physical opposition is made absolutely clear and uncompromisingly. Physical force…
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Excerpts from an article by Freedom Newspaper- read the full article here Fascism as an ideology expresses itself as the rear guard action of capitalism through the promotion of ultra-nationalism, a moral and racial superiority, a stark authoritarianism, and crucially a physical force violent presence on the streets. During the 1980s and 1990s it took…
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Excerpts from a review by the Weekly Worker – read the full review here [The Book] aims, from the outset, to provide a counterweight to the received wisdom that Britain’s political culture, with its traditions of pragmatism and tolerance, is immune to the explosion of far-right populism that blights those excitable continentals There are three…
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Excerpts from an article by The National Newspaper- read the full article here Beating the Fascists is far from an objective history. It does, however, provide something rare: a clear map of the tangled web of activist groups existing on both sides of the fence, from the late 1970s through to the 1990s. On one…
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Excerpts from a review by Look Left magazine – read the full review here For two decades British anti-fascists fought a cold blooded battle for control of the streets against burgeoning far-right movements, Brian Whelan meets the authors of a controversial new book by activists who were there on the frontlines. Beating the Fascists could…