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

The Manchester 0161 antifascist lot have always held themselves rather aloof



No doubt while cunting everyone else off as middle class lifestylist ninjas.
Can put up with aloofness and cunting everyone one else as middle class lifestylist ninjas if they actually engaged with any of the fash walking around Manchester.
 
I came across somebody on twitter a few years ago (duffy) who was part of this lot. Remember because the tweet I saw was about grassing somebody to their employer and had something snide and anti w/c in (teeth or clothes or something). They seemed very into the ninja stuff was my impression, presumably also linked to the 161 types in Europe (afa in numbers) which also strike me as very consciously antifa/ninja in style
 
There was me thinking 161 was a Manchester phone code reference :facepalm:
It is, well it's both. There are antifa groups who use 161 elsewhere in Europe (I assume because it's 1st letter 6th letter 1st letter) and there is this manc group which have picked up on it and it being the area code, hence 0161. I think anyway.

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I came across somebody on twitter a few years ago (duffy) who was part of this lot. Remember because the tweet I saw was about grassing somebody to their employer and had something snide and anti w/c in (teeth or clothes or something). They seemed very into the ninja stuff was my impression, presumably also linked to the 161 types in Europe (afa in numbers) which also strike me as very consciously antifa/ninja in style

Don't think she was anything to do with this lot. She was more of an Anontifa type.
 
Don't think she was anything to do with this lot. She was more of an Anontifa type.
Pretty certain she was, maybe not any more but she used to put up a lot of stuff for the 0161 festival when it first started a few years back

Edit - was always a weird mix of militant antifascist/antifa imagery, support for Irish republicanism, and liberal antifascist tactics eg phoning employers, taking the piss out of people for being unemployed blah
 
I came across somebody on twitter a few years ago (duffy) who was part of this lot. Remember because the tweet I saw was about grassing somebody to their employer and had something snide and anti w/c in (teeth or clothes or something). They seemed very into the ninja stuff was my impression, presumably also linked to the 161 types in Europe (afa in numbers) which also strike me as very consciously antifa/ninja in style
They were active on the physical side a couple of years ago maybe even last year. I can understand their thinking about them not being an emergency service for those who get harassed by the fash but won’t confront them.i can understand about them choosing where and when. However tactically in defeating the fash there have been opportunities and offers of joint work with experienced physical force anti fash for selective action which would at worst have punctured the fash’s confidence and made them wary and at best kept them out of the city centre .
 
From a bunker in Salford, the new pretenders to the 'Red Action/AFA tradition' write:



Manchester 0161 Antifascists

An important message, passed onto us today by friends in Manchester.

"Social Duty -

161 Crew MCR have repeatedly set out its position regarding how militant anti fascism responds to discharging a social duty.

Working Class Organising with Trade Unions -

That social duty has many facets, meaning working class communities must organise from its roots of working class resistance to rise a force that can meet and counter the rise of right wing hatred either on the streets or in their communities.

The communities must look to the Trade Union movement, Labour, and left wing grass roots groups such as Momentum to assist in putting a visible opposition on the streets to counter the right wing presence. This should be well defended but not lead inexperienced members of the public into unnecessary danger or arrest.

When the right wing attacked an RMT picket, at Manchester Victoria Station on the 5th January 2019. We saw working class community mobilisation involving Trade Unions and left wing groups the following week. This demonstrates that relationship already exists, and must be built upon.

State Controlled Theatre -

Groups who set up stalls and put on events should only do so if they are confident of defending themselves. Groups should cease expecting militant anti fascists to attend city centres and play superhero bodyguards.

Such a theatre is controlled by the police both overtly and covertly. It allows for the easy identification of activists by police and often leads to avoidable arrests which would jeopardise the ongoing vital working class community cohesion programmes that activists may be advancing.

Not an Emergency Service -

161 Crew MCR have repeatedly made clear, the theatre of engagement is chose by them, and them alone. Engaging with fascists should be done when discreet and opportune, in the tradition of Anti Fascist Action / Red Action. The situation is not critical enough to warrant another wave of unnecessary court cases and bail conditions.

Media -

Most propaganda from the right in the modern era takes place online. The streets is no longer the main concern for the right. They know they can reach far more via the web. We cannot no platform someone on YouTube or social media. The answer is to develop an alternative media operation and develop media personalities.

161 Squads are not a rent a mob or some kind of emergency service for the left, and never will be.

We stand with working class communities, to advance community cohesion.


P.R.O. 161 Crew MCR."
 
From a bunker in Salford, the new pretenders to the 'Red Action/AFA tradition' write:



Manchester 0161 Antifascists

An important message, passed onto us today by friends in Manchester.

"Social Duty -

161 Crew MCR have repeatedly set out its position regarding how militant anti fascism responds to discharging a social duty.

Working Class Organising with Trade Unions -

That social duty has many facets, meaning working class communities must organise from its roots of working class resistance to rise a force that can meet and counter the rise of right wing hatred either on the streets or in their communities.

The communities must look to the Trade Union movement, Labour, and left wing grass roots groups such as Momentum to assist in putting a visible opposition on the streets to counter the right wing presence. This should be well defended but not lead inexperienced members of the public into unnecessary danger or arrest.

When the right wing attacked an RMT picket, at Manchester Victoria Station on the 5th January 2019. We saw working class community mobilisation involving Trade Unions and left wing groups the following week. This demonstrates that relationship already exists, and must be built upon.

State Controlled Theatre -

Groups who set up stalls and put on events should only do so if they are confident of defending themselves. Groups should cease expecting militant anti fascists to attend city centres and play superhero bodyguards.

Such a theatre is controlled by the police both overtly and covertly. It allows for the easy identification of activists by police and often leads to avoidable arrests which would jeopardise the ongoing vital working class community cohesion programmes that activists may be advancing.

Not an Emergency Service -

161 Crew MCR have repeatedly made clear, the theatre of engagement is chose by them, and them alone. Engaging with fascists should be done when discreet and opportune, in the tradition of Anti Fascist Action


P.R.O. 161 Crew MCR."


Were they not sponsored by some of your crowd? Certainly the impression they gave.
 
From a bunker in Salford, the new pretenders to the 'Red Action/AFA tradition' write:




...That social duty has many facets, meaning working class communities must organise from its roots of working class resistance to rise a force that can meet and counter the rise of right wing hatred either on the streets or in their communities...


Any group who can draw up a public statement that reads like it has been inexpertly translated from German does not take itself too seriously and no one else should either. Illiterate in every sense of the word.
 
Can put up with aloofness and cunting everyone one else as middle class lifestylist ninjas if they actually engaged with any of the fash walking around Manchester.
So this is one of two posts (one on the Tommeh thread) you have made that tilt at advocating more physical confrontation with the far right. It's quite a move. Would you expand on why this/why now?
 
So this is one of two posts (one on the Tommeh thread) you have made that tilt at advocating more physical confrontation with the far right. It's quite a move. Would you expand on why this/why now?
Fair question Top Cat. I've never been against physical confrontation and like others on here I spent quite a fair few years involved in it . I've always argued a twin track approach of building resilience in working class communities and where required physical opposition. The balance of which depends on both tactical importance and opportunity. The tilt was around late summer last year after discussions with some ex posters on here , on social media and when I was back in the UK around the propensity and the potential for individuals and groups around that time to pysically attack and intimidate the 'left', crossing or blurring the line as it were between right wing and fascism.I still think there are distinctions to be drawn in respect of that. Hope thats helpful.
I was at the Algarve Stadium last night watching Benfica v Sporting so couldnt post much .
 
Fair question Top Cat. I've never been against physical confrontation and like others on here I spent quite a fair few years involved in it . I've always argued a twin track approach of building resilience in working class communities and where required physical opposition. The balance of which depends on both tactical importance and opportunity. The tilt was around late summer last year after discussions with some ex posters on here , on social media and when I was back in the UK around the propensity and the potential for individuals and groups around that time to pysically attack and intimidate the 'left', crossing or blurring the line as it were between right wing and fascism.I still think there are distinctions to be drawn in respect of that. Hope thats helpful.
I was at the Algarve Stadium last night watching Benfica v Sporting so couldnt post much .

Some of us recognised this threat ten years ago and were generally sneered at by the Old Guard. Hey ho
 
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