Beating the Fascists: The authorised history of Anti-Fascist Action
- Thread starter cogg
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Yep, sounds like a good proposal, for someone to co-ordinate . E books have to be the way to go to reach a wider audience. Only problem with anti fascist recollections though is that many of them involve recollections of "events" that would be of interest to the courts just as much as anti fascists - so much vagueness and massaged detail is always required - which often somewhat dilutes the understanding of the events themselves. Still, it's still a good idea - if only to give useful tips on what to do, and not to do, to a new generation of anti fascists.
fiannanahalba
Feel the Love
The young ones need to learn.
I didn't mean to be patronising - it is just the case that each generation of the Left seems doomed to repeat most of the mistakes of the previous generation
- certainly in terms of inter group sectarianism stopping the Left working together.
Other things though - like an awareness of systematic state infiltration of groups needs to be constantly remembered by activists. For example, the SWP had a state agent on their Central Committee, Roger Rosewall, for over 20 years - for all the years of the IS/SWP's maximum impact in the industrial struggle in the mid 70's , Rosewall was their National Industrial Organiser !
There are also all sorts of operational techniques, intelligence gathering and other methodologies that anti-fascist activists are more effective knowing about - rather than having to re-learn yet again through trial and error.
So so true. A few years ago I was a mature student doing a History degree. One week we looked at the racism and the far-right during a study of the 1970s. What became very apparent from my reading is that there is now an almost unchallenged view that the NF/far-right were opposed almost solely by the ANL/RAR activities and given a fatal blow with the election of Thatcher. When I challenged this view, my lecture asked that age old question 'who writes history'.
The BTF is a fascinating and fantastic recollection of events and hopefully will help change the orthodox view I mentioned but it cannot do it alone. More needs to be written and said about militant anti-facism and importantly providing a working-class alternative to the BNP as opposed to just smashing them.
For all you veterans, a massive thanks for your actions back then.
Anudder Oik
heinous pointless bellend/fucking gobshite muppet
That last paragraph is true but it is not information that needs to be publicised on the net for all to see. Needs to be kept in the family, so to speak...I think the best or most effective way of sharing this information would be by word of mouth, ie, veterans being invited to talk at meetings of any new groups that develop.
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
What new groups? Physical force anti fascism is hardly the tactic that is required currently is it?
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
Holborrow had a role in that as well and Pete Clark if I remember rightly. Zebrowski as the Full Timer in West London, Strouthous as the FT in Manchester ( and when he came back North West London)
Holborrow actually came to the Harlesden Branch commitee to grill us all on iviting one of the Hatfield comrades who had been expelled to give their side of the story at a branch meeting.
We are not talking about an 'Anarchist Cookbook' 'how to...' guide here, are we? To superimpose a 20 year out of date physical anti-fascist model onto the current political situation? That would be the antithesis of everything AFA worked for and believed in.
Despite the best efforts of many lefties to label and deride them, AFA always had an either/or/both methodology when weighing up whether a physical or ideological strategy suited a particular context.
So I don't see a book doing much harm by exposing strategies etc.
And the technology differences.... makes much of the methodology obsolete
and the passage of time... means the old bill would have minimal interest in pursuing any cases... which are all easily deniable.
tbh... All this cloak and dagger stuff is coming across a little bit indulgent, if not leaning towards "Walter Mitty"... IMO anything less than a free and frank passing on of all the knowledge and accumulated wisdom is a betrayal of the next generation... but what we will really be passing on is a mindset ( a way of being and thinking) not a blueprint, because our tactics were 'steam-age'.
Often we never even had mobile phones - as in not a single one! - nowadays digital technology and social media make a nonsense of 'no platform' and many traditional lefty responses.
fiannanahalba
Feel the Love
Thanks mate. It really would be good for the new militant anti fascist activists to get an education from the old school AFA/RA comrades. In my case Manchester/Liverpool/North West [MAFA] and a good set of activists in Glasgow/Scotland. Of course differences from then and now taken into account and work on the alternatives politically as well as the physical and the tactical.
Joe Reilly
Well-Known Member
The London-centric accussation, though oft repeated, is not actually supported by any evidence. For one, between 1980 and 1995 almost all the major iniatives by the far-right ( NF,B&H, BNP, and C18) tended to centre on the capital. As a consequence the major set pieces by militant anti-fascism happened there as well. When I say major, I mean both in terms of numbers mobilised and arguably national strategic importance - for both sides. Thinking here of the AFA wearing down of the 2000 strong NF marches on Rememberance Day (which until 1985 went entirely unopposed). The B&H Main Event in 1989. The BNP 'Rights for Whites' strategy in East London. Waterloo in 1992. The 4,000 AFA march through the BNP heartland. The Welling Riot 1993. The 400 right-wingers arrested at the Bloody Sunday demo and so on.The Bermondsey BNP riot, the election of Beackon on the Isle of Dogs and so forth...
Yes, there are probably hundreds of worthy anecdotes not included, indeed thinking about, there are probably that many from London alone. But at near 170,000 words, a certain discipline was required. And inevitably the desired 'in -depth description' always followed the narrative. They simply had to. If that is, the ambition was to try and offer a contextualised history, including providing the all-important flavour of events on the ground.
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
That's an interesting point to consider Liam
That's what I said, wasn't it.....
действительно ли Вы безумны?
к черту с этим, другом
Care to write in english. I don't know slavonic languages.
nor do I, Tovaritch, nor do I... (Google is your friend).
and the comments in Russian are as relevant to this discussion as the video you posted... ie not relevant at all.
*looks round for a shelf stacker in a telnyashka*
I was trying to make the point that physical confrontation was needed in countries such as Russia at the present time. Obviously things here are different. You ain't acting like a tovaritch.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
there never has been "the tactic" which has been required. you're obviously not someone who thinks "by any means necessary" or believes in a diversity of tactics. seems to me that for you it's black or white, this or that - not this and that.
past caring
The Cathars were right
Is that it (it seems like it finishes half-way through) or is it that you only get an abridged version unless you subscribe?
love detective
there's no love too small
that's it
think they (RP) are planning to do a more in depth feature on it in a later edition
think they (RP) are planning to do a more in depth feature on it in a later edition
Sorry. I think I might be coming across pissier than I intended.
Just pointing out that the two situations ( in GB and the Urals) are totally different and you can't necessarily transpose tactics and strategies from one to the other.
I agree.
Not trying to derail the thread but if you follow the link, its a polish version of Skrewdriver getting a hiding from some comrades in Poland.
http://rutube.ru/tracks/3713206.htm...d32c2c2480&v=5ecac2a6b5039d42d2eb70528ad35a14
love detective
there's no love too small
An outstanding contribution to the debate here in a 'review' of red pepper's review of BTF
http://theenglishdefenceleagueextra.blogspot.com/2011/03/working-class-just-doesnt-buy-swps-red.html
http://theenglishdefenceleagueextra.blogspot.com/2011/03/working-class-just-doesnt-buy-swps-red.html
This reviewer is clearly a Cavan farmer (out standing in his own field).
Never mind, I'm sure it all makes perfect sense in his own little pea-brain. Reminds me of a number of Urban posters.
bignose1
Searchlight Spoiler
Hey steady Liam Ive got some good mates who are farmers in Killashandra. Infact when we went fishing last year we ended up rescuing one of his cows from a ditch. Hes diversifying now with a paintball course and I think hes setting up a go cart track....all since them luvly EU subsidies dried up
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