BNP Elected But Still Hiding Their Fascism Behind Suits - from Antifa England

[K.Bullstreet]

As widely predicted, the BNP managed to score some successes in both the
local elections (with 3 new county councillors) and the Euro elections
(with 2 new MEPs). Leaving aside the fact that the BNP vote did not
increase as much as the scumbags hoped (one-eye only narrowly won in the
north-west), the election of fascists is always bad news - especially the
Euro vote. Having MEPs gives the BNP access to more funds, increases
opportunities to hobnob with fascists from other parts of Europe, and
allows the BNP to claim mainstream political credentials.

Meanwhile, other political parties are keen to be seen to condemn the
BNP's success, no doubt relishing the chance to make their own sorry
politics look more palatable by comparison (which isn't too hard when
you're talking about overt racists).

So, what next? The BNP will no doubt be building on their gains as a
platform for future expansion, still hiding their fascism behind suits and
spin - and so the work of militant anti-fascists continues. Rather than
waste energy agonising over the voting charade, we must concentrate on
stopping the BNP wherever they appear - it's clear to see that the
"democratic process" cannot arrest the creeping spread of fascism, of
which the BNP are the most obvious manifestation. It's up to ordinary
people to show robust opposition to the BNP both physically and
ideologically wherever they try to meet, speak or organise. This must go
hand-in-hand with resisting the repression that ruling parties (of
whatever stripe) will inevitably visit on us as the recession deepens and
the ruling classes try to protect their threatened privileges.

By direct action, we will show that the BNP are not to be tolerated,
whatever successes they may have wangled through the political system.
Fascism will never be acceptable, and militant anti-fascists must ensure
that its growth is stunted by any means necessary.

http://www.antifa.org.uk/nucleus3.32/nucleus332/index.php?itemid=164

Quite a nice take on it I think. Let's get organised and fight chaps and chapettes! :cool:

[Pogue]

I agree with this but I think more emphasis should be placed on the community and workplace organising that needs to go hand in hand with militant, class strugglist anti-fascism.

[K.Bullstreet]

I deffinately agree H-L-V-S. I think that should be the basis of all struggles we are involved in as anarchists or what not, especially when it comes to anti-fascism. We need to be the radical alternative people have to politician scum, and not the fucking BNP. Afterall, our community politics are sincere.

[Holden Caulfield]

I agree with this but I think more emphasis should be placed on the community and workplace organising that needs to go hand in hand with militant, class strugglist anti-fascism.

Trotsky said much the same thing (i bet you feel dirty haha) read some of his stuff in the antifascist texts sticky. No-platformism is nothing if the left do not actively organise and agitiate themselves. This is key to effective antifascism as part of the class stuggle.

[Pogue]

Trotsky said much the same thing (read some of his stuff in the antifascist texts sticky). No-platformism is nothing if the left do not actively organise and agitiate themselves. This is key to effective antifascism as part of the class stuggle.

Yeh definately, and one I think people forget when they criticise Antifa. They don't understand Antifa recognises its part as part of the wider struggle that needs to take place but unforuntately its isn't for various reasons (disorganisation of the left, lack of a period of heightened class struggle).

Haha, thanks for the reference mate, but I think alot of people have said it in a much more clear and relevant fashion to me today than Trotsky ever could :D

[Melbourne Lefty]

I deffinately agree H-L-V-S. I think that should be the basis of all struggles we are involved in as anarchists or what not, especially when it comes to anti-fascism. We need to be the radical alternative people have to politician scum, and not the fucking BNP. Afterall, our community politics are sincere.

what is this alternative and how is it to be grown and spread?

[Pogue]

what is this alternative and how is it to be grown and spread?

The alternative would be working class empowerment expressed through, in my opinion, radical workplace organising and community activism emphasising direct aciton and solidarity. I'll elaborate later.

[Forward Union]

I think using antifa style direct action against the bnp now is like trying to get the water out of a sinking ship with an eggcup.

While I fully respect the efforts of our antifa comrades, and totally accept the need for violence to respond to fascism, I don't feel this is a productive strategy for beating the BNP.

I think the entire mentality is wrong. I was speaking to a long-term memebr of Antifa a few days ago, and he was telling me how he's worried about the far right makin gains from the recession. And was thinking about the need to stop them.

This is totally wrong. The BNP look at the crisis and look for ways to propote themselves. They're not ashamed to push their politics. They certainly don't think about "how to stop the left making gains"

We need to strengthen and democratise the unions, build residents associations to combat the housing issue, and proclaim our solutions to the housing crisis, immigration and government corruption. We have the best answers, we need to push them. If all the unions were as militant as the RMT we wouldn't even know who the BNP were. Join your union, build your branch.

[The Ungovernable Farce]

I also think we need to be doing more to publicise how much of an epic bastard Andrew Brons is: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/08/european-elections-bnp
I'm actually amazed the BNP picked him - surely they could've found someone with a less dodgy past to run?

[Pogue]

I think using antifa style direct action against the bnp now is like trying to get the water out of a sinking ship with an eggcup.

While I fully respect the efforts of our antifa comrades, and totally accept the need for violence to respond to fascism, I don't feel this is a productive strategy for beating the BNP.

I think the entire mentality is wrong. I was speaking to a long-term memebr of Antifa a few days ago, and he was telling me how he's worried about the far right makin gains from the recession. And was thinking about the need to stop them.

This is totally wrong. The BNP look at the crisis and look for ways to propote themselves. They're not ashamed to push their politics. They certainly don't think about "how to stop the left making gains"

We need to strengthen and democratise the unions, build residents associations to combat the housing issue, and proclaim our solutions to the housing crisis, immigration and government corruption. We have the best answers, we need to push them. If all the unions were as militant as the RMT we wouldn't even know who the BNP were. Join your union, build your branch.

Whilst this is definately true I think there are obvious benefits to disrupting their events and generally making life hard for them.

[Pogue]

I think building upon what Forward Union said, militant anti-fascism needs to re-assess how its going to work. I think the idea of 'physically kicking them into oblivion' or whatever is definately not going to work, but as Forward Union said, physical force is always going to be neccesary at some point, for most people.

Militant anti-fascism should be something people are prepared for, say when for example they encounter BNP types on the street if they are doing political work, from either side. For example, when there were scuffles between No2EU activists in Carlisle and the BNP, clearly here you need to be ready to defend yourself.

Likewise if they were doing their own paper sale or march, physical opposition from people who know what they are doing is vital - this can mean simply blocking them from doing their stuff, making it hard for them. This can be done quickly and easily, and so doesn't have to be a sole focus.

Because it shouldn't be. Militant anti-fascism is a tactic and not a movement, and one which should be used as part of wider campaigns of organisation in the workplace and in communities. Essentially, you should not let yourself be intimidated or be threatened, and you also should not let them think they are ever safe, ever unopposed. So this would mean, within unions, within community groups, you should have an attitude of being ready to oppose them, of no tolerance. The community group will face as one if its obstacles the threat of fascist presence in regions, and should deal with it the way it deals with any threat - direct action. The same way a abusive landlord needs to be shown his actions will not be tolerated, the fascists need to be shown their actions will not be tolerated, *just* the same way the bosses need to be shown their actions will not ever be tolerated.

So militant anti-fascism is a must be it has to be included in the only sort of organising which can actually defeat the BNP and the rest of social and political establishment - community organising.

As such, say for example you found out the BNP were doing a paper sale in your area - get friends, people from the community, to prevent it. This is a community issue, because the BNP are poison. But the militant anti-fascism has to be an extension of the community organising, or it is nothing at all.

I think all militat anti-fascists recognise this - AFA recognised it, and Antifa do recognise it, contrary to what some might say. The issue is that although with 100 people you can quite easily physically oppose the fascists, 100 people cannot politically organise against them. As such, the focus of Antifa activity may seem to be solely physical but I think this demonstrates the weakness of our movement in general as opposed to the weakness of Antifa and the attitudes of militant anti-fascists. If we had a big working class movement, alot of strikes, demonstrations, solid community groups and things going on, the BNP would be pulverised by this, and militant anti-fascism would have its place in the conflict that would emerge from this, because inevitably such a period of struggle would lead to reaction and social conflict. So militant anti-fascism has its place, but it has to be completely linked to workplace and community organising, which it will be as our movement grows.

[Melbourne Lefty]

I also think we need to be doing more to publicise how much of an epic bastard Andrew Brons is: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/08/european-elections-bnp
I'm actually amazed the BNP picked him - surely they could've found someone with a less dodgy past to run?

I dont think they thought he would win.

Plus it might have been payment for coming back to the party, after so many decades in the far right he probably knows quite a few money men and activists that he could have brought back to the fold when he rejoined politics 4 years ago.

Remember the BNP was more or less broke after the last euro elections.

[Melbourne Lefty]

I think all militat anti-fascists recognise this - AFA recognised it, and Antifa do recognise it, contrary to what some might say. The issue is that although with 100 people you can quite easily physically oppose the fascists, 100 people cannot politically organise against them. As such, the focus of Antifa activity may seem to be solely physical but I think this demonstrates the weakness of our movement in general as opposed to the weakness of Antifa and the attitudes of militant anti-fascists. If we had a big working class movement, alot of strikes, demonstrations, solid community groups and things going on, the BNP would be pulverised by this, and militant anti-fascism would have its place in the conflict that would emerge from this, because inevitably such a period of struggle would lead to reaction and social conflict. So militant anti-fascism has its place, but it has to be completely linked to workplace and community organising, which it will be as our movement grows


Probably one of the best statements I have read here.

[Holden Caulfield]

I can't post alot, but I wanna say (as a member of the socialist party and a supporter of antifa) that i love it when you talk about building real left wing alternatives, Carlisle Against Racism, the role of militant unions such as the RMT, and physically opposing fascism.

You guys might as well just drop your stuff and assume my politics :)

[Killfacer]

I think using antifa style direct action against the bnp now is like trying to get the water out of a sinking ship with an eggcup.

While I fully respect the efforts of our antifa comrades, and totally accept the need for violence to respond to fascism, I don't feel this is a productive strategy for beating the BNP.

I think the entire mentality is wrong. I was speaking to a long-term memebr of Antifa a few days ago, and he was telling me how he's worried about the far right makin gains from the recession. And was thinking about the need to stop them.

This is totally wrong. The BNP look at the crisis and look for ways to propote themselves. They're not ashamed to push their politics. They certainly don't think about "how to stop the left making gains"

We need to strengthen and democratise the unions, build residents associations to combat the housing issue, and proclaim our solutions to the housing crisis, immigration and government corruption. We have the best answers, we need to push them. If all the unions were as militant as the RMT we wouldn't even know who the BNP were. Join your union, build your branch.

This is kind of what i was trying to say in that other thread. However, forward union is far more articulate than me.

[Pogue]

I can't post alot, but I wanna say (as a member of the socialist party and a supporter of antifa) that i love it when you talk about building real left wing alternatives, Carlisle Against Racism, the role of militant unions such as the RMT, and physically opposing fascism.

You guys might as well just drop your stuff and assume my politics :)

Alot of us don't believe in starting up a new 'Workers Party', a quick look at what happened last time workers in this country did that tells us what a dead end path that is. I think maybe you should take our politics.

[Pogue]

This is kind of what i was trying to say in that other thread. However, forward union is far more articulate than me.

Well essentially what it ironically boils down to is that to beat them we simply need to have a movement of our own. Militant anti-fascism will find its place in that movement for sure.

[thundertail19921]

D:< BNP are bad and we need to get rid of them!