from gary hodges,
As skins were led through the escape route, the police actually shouted for assistance to the skins, and both forces formed a barricade between the Asians and the tavern. It was the angry Asian mob that was fighting the police, and it was the skins that stood shoulder-to-shoulder trying to fend them off.
can agree with that. Chatted to an ex Tottenham football lad, fash, who was a roadie for the band at that gig. He said they had to join forces with the OB (SPG I think) to survive. Strange mindset he had though, saying to me 'it was just a gig' i.e. not meant to be like a B & H fundraiser /recruitment/ stir things up, event.
Yeah, I said...in Southall?!!?
Residence wise, I 'graduated' to nearby Hayes from Acton, and went to school with a lot of asians who joined Holy Smokes, one of two local asian gangs (I think they took their name from the embers of the pub, can't swear to it). The fash roadie said that he was loading the minibus with amps etc, was shouted to watch out and run for it, just as he did so, the van went up in flames.
He looks back now and isn't proud of the fact that they let the asian shops have it on their way back to the station.
Despite the earlier race alliance between the OB and the skins, he says the OB gave it to the skins good and proper when they got to Paddington.
(as an aside, Martin Lux's book, 'Anti fascist' has a good description of a battle at a gig in Southall when BM got turned over. He was an anarchist with a distaste for some of his fellow travellers, similar to that found in BtF; says that on the night, it was a hardened , experienced group of mad cockney red lefties who arrived to turn over the BM.) edit, meaning cockney reds, as in football, complete with bar scarfs...cud've been MoF then!
