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Beating the Fascists: The authorised history of Anti-Fascist Action

"I remember Red Action used to go around attacking, erm, fascist supporters. When if in fact you saw one side attacking the other you couldn't tell the difference. I'm not in favour of one group going around attacking another, as it reduces yourself to their level.

Red Action, I mean, I could see their value in terms of stewarding meetings and defensive action. But I think there were some people in Red Action who got quiet a bit over excited and enjoyed a bit of action. They didn't seem that concerned or strong about any of the issues.

I remember once chairing a meeting on Kurdistan or Iran and the fascists came to try and break up the meeting. At various points Red Action came in the meeting, well, I couldn't tell the difference.

'We're Red Action' <said in a tough, working class sounding/goblin voice>.
'Yep, okay. They went that way <points>'. Just please don't come in hear, stay out. They were all like this <hits fist into palm>.'

It was quiet funny really. 'They went that way'."
 
Red Storm said:
"I remember Red Action used to go around attacking, erm, fascist supporters. When if in fact you saw one side attacking the other you couldn't tell the difference. I'm not in favour of one group going around attacking another, as it reduces yourself to their level.

Red Action, I mean, I could see their value in terms of stewarding meetings and defensive action. But I think there were some people in Red Action who got quiet a bit over excited and enjoyed a bit of action. They didn't seem that concerned or strong about any of the issues.

I remember once chairing a meeting on Kurdistan or Iran and the fascists came to try and break up the meeting. At various points Red Action came in the meeting, well, I couldn't tell the difference.

'We're Red Action' <said in a tough, working class sounding/goblin voice>.
'Yep, okay. They went that way <points>'. Just please don't come in hear, stay out. They were all like this <hits fist into palm>.'

It was quiet funny really. 'They went that way'."
Click to expand...



He didn't come across quite so insouciant when an NF hit squad armed with hammers etc attacked a building in Archway in which he was holding his surgery - but then again, there was a moment when he actually thought it was him they were after.
 
Red Storm said:
"I remember Red Action used to go around attacking, erm, fascist supporters. When if in fact you saw one side attacking the other you couldn't tell the difference. I'm not in favour of one group going around attacking another, as it reduces yourself to their level.

Red Action, I mean, I could see their value in terms of stewarding meetings and defensive action. But I think there were some people in Red Action who got QUITE a bit over excited and enjoyed a bit of action. They didn't seem that concerned or strong about any of the issues.

I remember once chairing a meeting on Kurdistan or Iran and the fascists came to try and break up the meeting. At various points Red Action came in the meeting, well, I couldn't tell the difference.

'We're Red Action' <said in a tough, working class sounding/goblin voice>.
'Yep, okay. They went that way <points>'. Just please don't come in HERE, stay out. They were all like this <hits fist into palm>.'

It was QUITE funny really. 'They went that way'."
Click to expand...

Patronising c@nt. :mad:

Is there an online source for this story and is it available in a correctly spelled version?

Using 'quiet' (as in 'silence') for quite does my fcuking nut in...
 
That Corbyn thing is amazing, thanks for putting it up there.

They don't hate the fascists politics, they hate their manners. As Dr Eoin McLove (PHD) put it "The only thing that seperates us from the fascists is our manners"
 
malatesta32 said:
i'm just doing welling. anyone got info or good reports etc apart from BBC/ITN and those pesky 'left wing troublemakers'?
Click to expand...

There were Celtic casuals at Welling, a couple of them were tried for their part in the riot and one of them served 12 months from what I recall. He got involved in AFA when he got out of prison, eventually he emigrated to Canada.

The frontline of some of the big confrontations with the police at Welling was formed by Celtic Soccer Crew (CSC) and other football lads that they met on the day. They were taken to London free of charge on buses laid on by the SWP/ANL, who then tried to discourage them from taking part in any violence. A fat lot of good that did. :)

This was the CSC, pre-AFA and RA influence, with the SWP and Militant competing to recruit them. We just waited for the fall-out, cos there was never a chance in a million fucking years that any of those bhoys would join, or be controlled by either group.
 
How come it took until post-1993 before RA and AFA influenced CSC?

Did they not exist until the early 90s?

The question sounds a bit snotty but I mean it in a nice way :)
 
Red Storm said:
How come it took until post-1993 before RA and AFA influenced CSC?

Did they not exist until the early 90s?

The question sounds a bit snotty but I mean it in a nice way :)
Click to expand...

The CSC have existed since 1984. Some of them were known to us and us to them, but we were involved in serious actions against the fash (described in BTF as 'terrorism') between 1990-1993 that did not require a mass input, and which relied on tight security. The fash were being doorstepped and attacked in their own homes, we didn't need nor want the involvement of flakier elements that might compromise our security.

One of the 'top bhoys' of the CSC tagged along with us on the Scottish Anti-Racist March, late 1993 and witnessed us confronting the fash, he joined in enthusiastically. He saw the difference between AFA and the ANL at first-hand and went back raving about AFA to the other lads. That brought more of them around us, which was useful for big offs, but the main business against the fash in Glasgow had been done during the 'terror' campaign of the previous couple of years.

EDIT: Also related to this and coincidental was the recruitment to (London) Red Action of one of the original founders of the CSC. He had moved south for work reasons a couple of years earlier and he met up with the other CSC lads at Welling. It was in the immediate aftermath of Welling that I think he too joined Red Action and AFA, although Joe R would know the exact timing of his recruitment.
 
great stuff on CSC. and its nice to know im not the only one who uses the word 'soccer' when referring to that dreadful game. there was a section on politics and soccer in lowles' hooligans book which i thought wd be quite good but it wasnt much kop! in BTF there is pic of a fierce looking chap in what looks like a celtic top. this is an under-documented area re: hoolys and left wing politics.
 
malatesta32 said:
great stuff on CSC. and its nice to know im not the only one who uses the word 'soccer' when referring to that dreadful game. there was a section on politics and soccer in lowles' hooligans book which i thought wd be quite good but it wasnt much kop! in BTF there is pic of a fierce looking chap in what looks like a celtic top. this is an under-documented area re: hoolys and left wing politics.
Click to expand...

BTF talks a bit about the Kool Kats (MCFC) doesn't it?

Also I hope you're not going to use "soccer" in the book!

I was going to write about football and AFA in my dissertation but I ran out of words. I was going to write about music and football.
 
yes it mentions the kool kats etc. i think there is something much bigger in it. i got mickey francis' book which is pretty dull too. tho there is great bloke in it called 'daft donald!'
 
I wanted to buy a copy of this as an Xmas present to a friend.

It only seems available from Freedom Books directly. Is that correct?
 
malatesta32 said:
yes it mentions the kool kats etc. i think there is something much bigger in it. i got mickey francis' book which is pretty dull too. tho there is great bloke in it called 'daft donald!'
Click to expand...

Is Mick O'Farrell really writing a book?

THAT will be an interesting read with as much football and political violence as you are likely to encounter.

It's an awful shame a young Mickey did not write one 25 years ago. It would be interesting to contrast that with the (I assume) more reflective one he is now apparently writing.

I sincerely hope he tells his story warts and all; that his truth matches the recollections of other comrades - and does not indulge himself in too much score-settling/revisionism. He has much of importance to say. I hope he says it.
 
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