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

Talman from TAL FANZINE writes:

"I've been looking for this C4 Documentary from 1990 for years. It was shortly after this that AFA and Red Action were founded in Scotland. After meeting them at the anti-internment march in Belfast in 1989 and at the Manchester Martyrs Commemorations (1988 and 1989) we made contact with Red Action members in London and Manchester, but it took another year before we properly set up a branch of RA in Glasgow. The demonstration featured was our f...irst direct confrontation with the BNP in December 1989 (the documentary was broadcast in early 1990) which took place at Haymarket Station in Edinburgh. There had been local skirmishes before that, but nothing on a large scale. It was frustration at being 'controlled' and held back by the conservative left (and Searchlight) that led us to AFA. The real war against the BNP in Scotland started in earnest after this documentary was broadcast and the AFA strategy was implemented by a handful of activists over the next few years. It was Tyndall's contention in this film that Scotland was 'the area of greatest membership growth' that spurred us on to redress the balance. It's hard to believe that mad auld Harry Mullin was ever given a leading role in the BNP, he is articulate but completely bonkers. Brand, Scott and McMillan got their bruises on the way to be filmed for the documentary - courtesy of our man Kidder being herded by the police into the station foyer with the BNP. The Searchlight M.O. is all over this film, with every nutty fash group in Scotland being over promoted, but a couple of Red Action (Scotland) members make fleeting appearances in it."

 
Red About Town said:
After this was posted on various FB pages today, the video has now been made private.
Click to expand...

I suspect that the YouTube account of 'Caledonian Wolf' is most likely to be the monicker of the now 'veteran' Scottish fascist, Steve Cartwright, who features in the video. Cartwright is a curious creature, at the centre of every Nazi manifestation in Scotland from the late 1980's to the late 1990's. He was not that confident on the street and often shunned confrontation despite many of those around him being 'up for it' with AFA. At one point we suspected that he might even be a Searchlight mole working inside the BNP in Scotland due to his apparent enthusiasm for tactical retreats in the face of the enemy. In the end we put it down to a simple case of cowardice. This might also explain why after publishing the video and the extra hits it's received from sharing it on TAL's and other anti-fascist facebook pages, he's become squeamish and precious about it and made it for 'private' viewing only.

The documentary was broadcast by C4 in early 1990 and the current affairs series was titled 'Scottish Eye' with this programme having the subtitle of 'The Right Connections'. If anyone here can locate another copy of this film it'd be greatly appreciated.
 
10th anniversary of a Red Action/AFA member.

KEVIN BURNS - 1968-2006 - RIP

26th Feb '06

It was with great sadness that I learned of the recent untimely death of my friend and comrade Kevin Burns at the age of 37. Kevin was a former member of Anti-Fascist Action and Red Action in Glasgow and a keen supporter of the republican cause and Celtic FC.

I first met Kevin after he was arrested during an AFA organised mobilisation against the BNP's Scottish Rally in December 1991. It was shortly after this event that Kevin decided to join AFA and subsequently Red Action. He was involved in all of the organisation's major actions against fascists like the BNP and NF, as well as being an enthusiastic contributor to everything that we organised; from organising meetings and stewarding gigs and marches to sticker runs and sales at Celtic Park of the TÁL, Red Action and Fighting Talk magazines.

Originally from the Hamilton area of Lanarkshire Kevin had moved to Glasgow after attending Stirling University. A working class lad, his instincts while at university and after leaving were always sceptical towards the middle-class left and it is testament to the working class composition and politics of Red Action that a young lad like Kevin decided to join us at the time he did. He was courted by many on the left but it was the uncompromising anti-fascist and pro-republican politics of Red Action that he most readily identified with

He was small and wirey in stature but was nonetheless 'game' for the physical struggle against the fascists giveng good accounts of himself in any encounters with the far-right. He also had a sharp political mind capable of quick analysis and tactical interpretation of events, This was accompanied by a dry sense of humour and a natural exuberance for life that was surprising considering the amount of time he spent listening to the songs of Nick Cave!

I remember one occasion when we had been out on a pub crawl around the bars in the Gallowgate with a visiting fan of St Pauli. On the way home we were discussing with our German friend what were the most appropriate forms of action to take against fascists. As me and the visitor continued to discuss the pros and cons, we passed a pub in the city centre where the local BNP were known to drink, Kevin just picked up a half-brick and launched it through the pub window... "That's the best way to deal with that scum and anywhere that they're made welcome," he said.

Whilst a member of Red Action, Kevin was also a frequent visitor to the north of Ireland and whilst there he took part in organised visits to republican prisoners-of-war in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh. He found inspiration in their struggle and identified especially with street-level politics of Sinn Féin in local communities like West Belfast.

In recent years Kevin had dropped out of political activity, but his instincts remained the same. he was always on the side of the working class and the oppressed.

I had lost contact with him since moving away from Scotland and it is with great regret that I did not see him or have the opportunity to at least talk to him or socialise with him once again before he so sadly passed away.

He was one of the good guys and he will be greatly missed by his family and his many friends.

He will remain forever in our thoughts.

Kevin Burns - 1968-2006 - RIP
 
LiamO said:
WAs that yer first time on the telly @ 12.50ish framed?

Can't imagine the 'Comrade' referring repeatedly to 'The North of Ireland' progressed very far through the ranks.
Click to expand...

Not my first time on the telly, but first TV appearance on anti-fascist activity. ;)

Aye, the auld fella was Harry Mullin, he'd gone through Communism, Trotskyism and Scottish Republicanism, before he found his way into the BNP... 'the north of Ireland' references were obviously a hangover from his days on the left.
 
Last edited:
framed said:
Not my first time on the telly, but first TV appearance on political activity. ;)

Aye, the auld fella was Harry Mullin, he'd gone through Communism, Trotskyism and Scottish Republicanism, before he found his way into the BNP... 'the north of Ireland' references were obviously a hangover from his days on the left.
Click to expand...

I was just trying to remember his name - used to write long, irrational letters to the BM Box.
 
Patteran said:
I was just trying to remember his name - used to write long, irrational letters to the BM Box.
Click to expand...

He used to write long irrational letters to the Glasgow box number as well, totally bats! He'd spend half the letter trying to recruit us 'good working class stock' to the BNP, then the other half threatening all sorts of revenge against us for various dirty deeds done in the dark of night. He even addressed one letter to me personally after that 'Charge of the New Red Brigades' article appeared in one of the broadsheets. :D
 
framed said:
He used to write long irrational letters to the Glasgow box number as well, totally bats! He'd spend half the letter trying to recruit us 'good working class stock' to the BNP, then the other half threatening all sorts of revenge against us for various dirty deeds done in the dark of night. He even addressed one letter to me personally after that 'Charge of the New Red Brigades' article appeared in one of the broadsheets. :D
Click to expand...

Yep, dark references to shadowy figures following him down Sauchiehall Street, & always efforts to both threaten & engage. Still, it was better than the usual deliveries from the far right - bonehead shit in a jiffy bag. Memoirs of a Revolutionary Postroom Boy.
 
Patteran said:
Yep, dark references to shadowy figures following him down Sauchiehall Street, & always efforts to both threaten & engage. Still, it was better than the usual deliveries from the far right - bonehead shit in a jiffy bag. Memoirs of a Revolutionary Postroom Boy.
Click to expand...
Were you ever able to hypothesise about a master race diet?
 
Fallon said:
Red Action get a name check in this.

Benjamin Zephaniah on fighting the far right: ‘If we did nothing we would be killed on the streets’
Click to expand...

"In London, we had a group called Red Action, a bunch of leftwingers who operated like an alternative police force. They would come to clubs and gatherings and make sure that the event was not invaded and that people got home safely. There were no mobile phones so they would communicate with each other using walkie-talkies, and they would react to our distress calls much quicker than Her Majesty’s police force..."

"...I have to agree with those who claim that the political elite has neglected the white working class. There are poor white people living in ghettoes all over Britain, they live in terrible housing conditions, their traditional industries have been destroyed, their schools are being run down, and governments of all colours have been ignoring their cries for help for decades. It’s true. What is also true is that there are poor black people living in ghettoes all over Britain. They also live in terrible housing conditions, their traditional industries have been destroyed, their schools are being run down, and governments have been ignoring their cries for help since the creation of the slave trade and the building of the British empire.

"It is precisely for these reasons that I have always thought that these poor white people and these poor black people should unite and confront the people who oversee all of our miseries. It is classic divide and rule. The biggest fear of all of the mainstream politicians is that we all reach a point where we understand how much we have in common and, instead of turning on ourselves, we turn on them..."
 
I can only assume that Benjamin Zephaniah was a witness to Red Action and/or AFA's effective stewarding of events he attended or performed at, which may have prompted the question...

 
Good piece on IWCA/anti fascism.

Is it time to re-visit the strategy of the Independent Working Class Association?
We’ve been following the series of anti-refugee protests in Dover called by the South East Alliance (SEA) and the response to them from the anti-fascist movement with a certain amount of interest without letting it divert us from our normal remit. To the casual observer, it could seem to them that anti-fascism only manifests itself on the streets in response to provocations from the SEA and a ragbag of other groups on the far right, followed by online point scoring between the two sides as to who actually ‘won’ on the day. Based on the reports we’ve seen about the latest protest in Dover on April 2nd, it would appear that the winners on the day were the cops who seemed to have everything pretty much nailed down.

For the record, we weren’t in Dover on April 2nd. There are a variety of reasons for this…let’s just say, engaging in in this kind of action isn’t really our style. From our days with the Independent Working Class Association (IWCA), we’ve always preferred the strategy of building on grassroots work in the community as an effective means of keeping the far right at bay. Now we’re not saying the IWCA was perfect, far from it. Mistakes were made at a tactical level, notably the focus on electoral politics which ended up taking up too much time and energy that could have been expended on community action. However, we don’t want to dwell on what went wrong but to focus on what worked and to see if there are ways of building on that…

What the IWCA did back in our day and what remains of their local network still does is listen to the concerns of working class people. Listening and acknowledging people’s concerns doesn’t mean agreeing with any reactionary conclusions they may reach. Although it has to be said that from our experience of canvassing when we were in the IWCA, as most people tend to be apolitical, it’s difficult to pin them down to any particular point on the political spectrum as they will be progressive on some issues and reactionary on others. The point is that once you start to listen and take people’s concerns seriously, you will gain their respect and even if you disagree, you have the basis for a constructive dialogue.

What will gain respect is taking action to address issues in the community. As an example, Blackbird Leys IWCA listened to people’s concerns about anti-social behaviour that was turning a local park into a no-go zone. They organised community patrols to deter the minority of anti-social youths causing the problem. At the same time, they challenged the policies of Oxford City Council who they saw as starving youth services in Blackbird Leys of the resources needed to provide an effective service that would enable anti-social youths to see the error of their ways and change their behaviour. Here’s another example – in response to concerns about drug dealing on the estate, Blackbird Leys IWCA organised visible, disciplined patrols of known trouble spots to deter the dealers. In addition, the IWCA has called for a review of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act, which introduced the prohibition on buying and selling drugs and the criminalisation of drug users.

What the IWCA did and still do is to take on issues that many sections of the left seem to be acutely uncomfortable with, namely concerns about crime and it’s impact on already impoverished working class areas. Where the IWCA did take on issues such as crime in places such as Blackbird Leys, with it’s analysis and solutions it denied the far right the ground they traditionally exploit and pretty much kept them off the estate. The opposite of this can be seen in Basildon where the long running controversy of the bail hostel situated in the middle of the Felmores estate has never been effectively addressed by the authorities, allowing the National Front in the area to make a concerted effort to own the issue.

Working on the estates, listening to people’s concerns, taking action to deal with them and in the process, building a progressive, pro-working class alternative is a slog. The point is that when it’s done effectively as it has been in Blackbird Leys, it has proved to be an effective way of keeping the far right at bay. Sure, it doesn’t have the excitement that a confrontation on the streets with the far right (and the cops) has but it’s about gaining the space to operate so progressive, pro-working class solutions can be developed and implemented. If we are serious about taking on the far right, we have to be serious about a grassroots presence in working class areas that offers solutions to people’s problems, empowers them to act and denies the far right the space they need to build support.

Is it time to re-visit the strategy of the Independent Working Class Association?
 
Red About Town said:
Good piece on IWCA/anti fascism.

Is it time to re-visit the strategy of the Independent Working Class Association?
We’ve been following the series of anti-refugee protests in Dover called by the South East Alliance (SEA) and the response to them from the anti-fascist movement with a certain amount of interest without letting it divert us from our normal remit. To the casual observer, it could seem to them that anti-fascism only manifests itself on the streets in response to provocations from the SEA and a ragbag of other groups on the far right, followed by online point scoring between the two sides as to who actually ‘won’ on the day. Based on the reports we’ve seen about the latest protest in Dover on April 2nd, it would appear that the winners on the day were the cops who seemed to have everything pretty much nailed down.

For the record, we weren’t in Dover on April 2nd. There are a variety of reasons for this…let’s just say, engaging in in this kind of action isn’t really our style. From our days with the Independent Working Class Association (IWCA), we’ve always preferred the strategy of building on grassroots work in the community as an effective means of keeping the far right at bay. Now we’re not saying the IWCA was perfect, far from it. Mistakes were made at a tactical level, notably the focus on electoral politics which ended up taking up too much time and energy that could have been expended on community action. However, we don’t want to dwell on what went wrong but to focus on what worked and to see if there are ways of building on that…

What the IWCA did back in our day and what remains of their local network still does is listen to the concerns of working class people. Listening and acknowledging people’s concerns doesn’t mean agreeing with any reactionary conclusions they may reach. Although it has to be said that from our experience of canvassing when we were in the IWCA, as most people tend to be apolitical, it’s difficult to pin them down to any particular point on the political spectrum as they will be progressive on some issues and reactionary on others. The point is that once you start to listen and take people’s concerns seriously, you will gain their respect and even if you disagree, you have the basis for a constructive dialogue.

What will gain respect is taking action to address issues in the community. As an example, Blackbird Leys IWCA listened to people’s concerns about anti-social behaviour that was turning a local park into a no-go zone. They organised community patrols to deter the minority of anti-social youths causing the problem. At the same time, they challenged the policies of Oxford City Council who they saw as starving youth services in Blackbird Leys of the resources needed to provide an effective service that would enable anti-social youths to see the error of their ways and change their behaviour. Here’s another example – in response to concerns about drug dealing on the estate, Blackbird Leys IWCA organised visible, disciplined patrols of known trouble spots to deter the dealers. In addition, the IWCA has called for a review of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act, which introduced the prohibition on buying and selling drugs and the criminalisation of drug users.

What the IWCA did and still do is to take on issues that many sections of the left seem to be acutely uncomfortable with, namely concerns about crime and it’s impact on already impoverished working class areas. Where the IWCA did take on issues such as crime in places such as Blackbird Leys, with it’s analysis and solutions it denied the far right the ground they traditionally exploit and pretty much kept them off the estate. The opposite of this can be seen in Basildon where the long running controversy of the bail hostel situated in the middle of the Felmores estate has never been effectively addressed by the authorities, allowing the National Front in the area to make a concerted effort to own the issue.

Working on the estates, listening to people’s concerns, taking action to deal with them and in the process, building a progressive, pro-working class alternative is a slog. The point is that when it’s done effectively as it has been in Blackbird Leys, it has proved to be an effective way of keeping the far right at bay. Sure, it doesn’t have the excitement that a confrontation on the streets with the far right (and the cops) has but it’s about gaining the space to operate so progressive, pro-working class solutions can be developed and implemented. If we are serious about taking on the far right, we have to be serious about a grassroots presence in working class areas that offers solutions to people’s problems, empowers them to act and denies the far right the space they need to build support.

Is it time to re-visit the strategy of the Independent Working Class Association?
Click to expand...

Nobody involved in anti-fascism is stopping anything like this from happening. For a struggle with as broad a remit as you're suggesting though it seems a shame to hang it off the rather limiting peg of 'anti-fascism'.
 
Red Sky said:
Nobody involved in anti-fascism is stopping anything like this from happening. For a struggle with as broad a remit as you're suggesting though it seems a shame to hang it off the rather limiting peg of 'anti-fascism'.
Click to expand...
Stopping? Why aren't you doing it?

Your distance from such concerns is noted. The gap you have between anti-fascism and other stuff. Get a tattoo.
 
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