Accusations against Movement for Justice - culty and abusive?

[Brainaddict]

So quite some claims coming out from ex-member(s) of Movement for Justice. The substance here: UnfollowMFJ - MFJ & RIL Truth Blog and they also managed to hijack MFJ's facebook page.

I had heard MFJ were a bit trotty but the claims suggest they are using outright cult control techniques. A search of 'MFJ' on twitter shows some people confirming the way they operate. I can't say that MFJ's blank refusal to engage with the accusations inspires much confidence either.

It's disappointing if true but on the plus side, it's been a good week for uncovering abuse on the left.

 

[Brainaddict]

Oh, and here is the twitter feed for UnfollowMFJ UnfollowMFJ (@UnfollowMFJ) on Twitter

 

[Pickman's model]

always thought the mfj were dodgy, right from when nick de marco set it up

 

[Rob Ray]

The Telegraph did a piece on the "76-year-old man" in June, seems to tie in.

 

[Brainaddict]

An interesting comment on twitter about abuse of identity politics. I've certainly seen people imply that protests were somehow more legitimate being called by MFJ as people of colour. Turns out they're controlled by a white man.
It's a bit of a horrible mess really. The Yarl's Wood protests have been a good thing I think, and some of their other actions I'm sure. Any good stuff they've been involved in is now bound to lose momentum.

 

[Red Sky]

An interesting comment on twitter about abuse of identity politics. I've certainly seen people imply that protests were somehow more legitimate being called by MFJ as people of colour. Turns out they're controlled by a white man.
It's a bit of a horrible mess really. The Yarl's Wood protests have been a good thing I think, and some of their other actions I'm sure. Any good stuff they've been involved in is now bound to lose momentum.

It is a mess. I'm at a bit of a loss as to how an organisation under such iron control managed to lose it's social media to a dissident faction.
New technology baffles pissed old Trot?

 

[J Ed]

Aren't these the ones going on the weird pro-EU rallies?

 

[Brainaddict]

It is a mess. I'm at a bit of a loss as to how an organisation under such iron control managed to lose it's social media to a dissident faction.
New technology baffles pissed old Trot?

Maybe their password was M4JBAMN. But I think one of these ex-members was put through leadership training, so maybe had some responsibility, knew some passwords, or knew which computer to access where it would be logged in.

Quite a long conversation on the next Yarl's Wood event (also taken over)


Don't know this guy but he left a long comment:

Josh Connor From a comrade:
Despite self-appointed leaders of the MfJ trying to paint these allegations as nothing more than a right wing attack, I've been told by trusted comrades that these allegations are from a very credible source. And my own engagement with them and certain individuals within the organisation leads me to believe these accusations.

Trawling through twitter a lot of people are feeling duped by MfJ, and rightly so. But also, I think the UK left has a lot to answer for in allowing them to go around like the bloody vanguard of the left and particularly on migrant rights struggles. There are far smaller, harder working, less funded and under-resourced organisations whose labour MfJ have exploited and ridden off the back of in order to recruit. Yes they are organisationally toxic, trotty, sectarian, and culty as fuck. And no, calling them out for that isn't "racist" as self-appointed leader Karen Doyle has suggested.

But this is what happens when they can appeal to the left's sensibilities around ID pol and position themselves as the go-to pro migrant organisation to rally around. We need to do better. We need to stop following every next group that uses identity politics without a materialist analysis of class to recruit and position themselves as the vanguard, and we need to vastly improve our organisational structures so that membership organisations' leaders are accountable, and are democratic.

I've seen people discussing boycotting them, and not going to Yarle's Wood. I think it would be a real shame if the protests outside Yarle's Wood, that have been big and disruptive and brought a sense of solidarity to the women in detention, are disbanded because MfJ's brand is now toxic. Other commendable organisations have put work into those demos, so I would suggest they call a big meeting excluding MfJ and out organise them, being bigger and better than ever. This is the problem in the left: that whenever (usually trot groups) are outted as covering up rape, abuse and harassment they are disbanded but nothing is put in their place so there's a chasm. We need to be filling those chasms with good, democratic, revolutionary organisations that are accountable, open, and have the ability to get rid of toxic elements and abuses of power without crumbling completely

 

[Red Sky]

Aren't these the ones going on the weird pro-EU rallies?

Their stance is that "Brexit is racist" but they're against the liberal proEU types as well.

 

[snadge]

LOL, sad cunts trying to be relevant.

Again.

People like this don't do causes, they want circle jerks.

 

[J Ed]

Their stance is that "Brexit is racist" but they're against the liberal proEU types as well.

Angels dancing on heads of a pin etc

 

[butchersapron]

Healy's children. Don't say you weren't warned.

 

[Brainaddict]

It's interesting, some people seemed to know there was something dodgy about MFJ but others didn't. Sisters Uncut and Plan C have both had links with them I think, and I think neither would have done so if they'd known it to be a trotskyist cult.

 

[Red Sky]

It's interesting, some people seemed to know there was something dodgy about MFJ but others didn't. Sisters Uncut and Plan C have both had links with them I think, and I think neither would have done so if they'd known it to be a trotskyist cult.

There's always going to be people who claimed they were in the know after the fact.
The number of people who've told me that they "always knew there was something dodgy" about Mark Kennedy for example is astounding.

 

[HoratioCuthbert]

It's interesting, some people seemed to know there was something dodgy about MFJ but others didn't. Sisters Uncut and Plan C have both had links with them I think, and I think neither would have done so if they'd known it to be a trotskyist cult.

Yes, I notice quite a few mutual friends on fb liking the page who would definitely not normally be dirtying their hands with that stuff.

 

[Pickman's model]

always thought the mfj were dodgy, right from when nick de marco set it up

There's always going to be people who claimed they were in the know after the fact.
The number of people who've told me that they "always knew there was something dodgy" about Mark Kennedy for example is astounding.

i thought there was something dodgy going on back in the mid-90s when i was acquainted with nick de marco. i was never close to him, and after about the summer of '95 i never saw him again. and the mfj never seemed that important so i never looked into them too deeply, just thought that they were another trot or maoist group probably not destined for as long an existence as they've had. but what i had was a feeling, an inkling if you will, and nothing concrete.

 

[HoratioCuthbert]

i thought there was something dodgy going on back in the mid-90s when i was acquainted with nick de marco. i was never close to him, and after about the summer of '95 i never saw him again. and the mfj never seemed that important so i never looked into them too deeply, just thought that they were another trot or maoist group probably not destined for as long an existence as they've had. but what i had was a feeling, an inkling if you will, and nothing concrete.

Yer wank alarum went off, it happens

 

[Pickman's model]

Yer wank alarum went off, it happens

yeh. if i'd ever thought anyone would pay attention to what i believed to be a small, noisy but ineffective and likely ephemeral organisation based round nick de marco and his associates from kingsway college i might have spent more time investigating. they never interested me sufficiently at the time and i simply resolved to stay away.

 

[SpackleFrog]

Healy's children. Don't say you weren't warned.

Is RIL some sort of WRP offshoot then?

I had never heard of MFJ, didn't realise they were the organisers of Yarls Wood demonstrations.

Also it's hard being a trot sometimes

 

[SpackleFrog]

yeh. if i'd ever thought anyone would pay attention to what i believed to be a small, noisy but ineffective and likely ephemeral organisation based round nick de marco and his associates from kingsway college i might have spent more time investigating. they never interested me sufficiently at the time and i simply resolved to stay away.

A commendable resolution. While others vacillated, you stood firm.

 

[Pickman's model]

A commendable resolution. While others vacillated, you stood firm.

frankly i doubt any people i knew at the time would have heard of the movement for justice and fewer people would have cared

 

[Brainaddict]

yeh. if i'd ever thought anyone would pay attention to what i believed to be a small, noisy but ineffective and likely ephemeral organisation based round nick de marco and his associates from kingsway college i might have spent more time investigating. they never interested me sufficiently at the time and i simply resolved to stay away.

I guess they were small and ineffective for a long time, but in recent years they've been more successful. I've been on a demo they led (anti-fascist thing in Croydon, nothing I regret going on), and their Yarls Wood demos have been successful in getting numbers out to a very inaccessible place in the countryside. Sad thing is that I imagine some decent people are involved.

 

[butchersapron]

Is RIL some sort of WRP offshoot then?

I had never heard of MFJ, didn't realise they were the organisers of Yarls Wood demonstrations.

Also it's hard being a trot sometimes

I think, not for the first time, that i've confused them with Movement for Socialist future/ A World to Win - similar names and fish in the same pool.

 

[SpackleFrog]

I think, not for the first time, that i've confused them with Movement for Socialist future/ A World to Win - similar names and fish in the same pool.

An understandable error.

A quick google suggests they look/sound like the Fight Racism Fight Imperialism lot but who really knows?

 

[Pickman's model]

An understandable error.

A quick google suggests they look/sound like the Fight Racism Fight Imperialism lot but who really knows?

no, they're nothing to do with the rcg

 

[belboid]

No, they are ex WRP, via Thornett’s split and then another one after that.

 

[butchersapron]

Vindication!

 

[HoratioCuthbert]

 

[Red Sky]

View attachment 118410

Not sure that London Black Revs should be getting stoned in this particular grass house.

 

[Brainaddict]

London Black Revs split a few years back. I can't remember which part of the split holds the name

Anyway, I've been surprised how quiet social media has been on this, considering how prominent MFJ have been in London activism in the last few years. I hope groups that have worked with them are waiting to try and verify facts rather than just trying to ignore it.