The incident in question was pretty interesting. It was one of the worst UAF demo's I've ever been too, even by their rapidly falling standards. At first I spent the afternoon in Dewsbury itself, just talking to people and so on, until the police worked out we were anti-fascists and told us that we either got into the UAF pen or we'd be arrested there and then. So, rather than go home before the EDL had even arrived, we sat in the UAF pen. About 50 people there altogether, with about 10 of them being SWP'ers from outside the area. Then, as the EDL arrived, a large group of about 100 or so asian youth from a nearby estate arrived, and made their way to the UAF pen. I have a lot of time for these kids and I was grateful for the opportunity to talk to a few of 'em about the EDL. They gave one of them the mic, under their little gazebo, and instantly rather than take the thing seriously just started taking the piss in a massive way, shouting and bawling, partly in English and partly in what I think was Urdu, which was pretty hilarious. After that incoherent shouting session, someone from the UAF then came on the mic and said "I think what you've heard there is an expression of the anger that is felt in the Asian community over the EDL" as if this kid was too stupid to express his anger normally, whereas in actual fact he was just taking the piss with his mates. Monumentally patronising. Everyone there who was wasn't in the SWP had their jaws wide open at this. Mr Bennett then spoke in person to some of the asian lads who turned up, and I listened in to what he was saying. Actually, this little pep talk started out quite well, as he told them about his upbringing and how he had been regularly threatened by an NF member who lived on his street as a kid, and how it took years to summon up the courage to challenge that. These kids were really interested in this part of the talk. However, eventually it started to descend into very typical SWP "trotsky for idiots" cliches shit, culminating in asking them all to join the UAF, and with another guy handing out direct debit forms for them to fill in (I shit you not) which of course totally lost their interest. They all left pretty much straight afterwards. Then, a white guy with a Pakistan cricket t-shirt on, starting talking to Weymann Bennett, taking him to task for trying to co-opt these kids into their movement, how their anger was legitimate and not something that should be controlled by a front group, all good points that I could agree with. However, this guy, right as he was started getting more and more worked up, and eventually squared up to Weymann shouting "you're a fucking anti-white racist" right in his face, which is a bit much if you ask me. For all his faults I really don't think that's fair all at all. Anyway, at this point Weymann gets angry, and tries charging into this guy, and me and a few others have to dive in and split them up. It's to this day the biggest fiasco I've ever seen at a UAF rally. There were gangs of fash videoing the whole thing from the other side of the road laughing at us the whole time. The only reason I was even there was on pain of arrest, but to be honest I think spending a few hours in the cells would be more constructive that that pile of shite.
