A Call to Arms

[ls]

We can't ignore the tumbleweed blowing through the Militant Anti-fascist left anymore and can't await an Anti-fascist messiah.

We cannot allow fascists to roam the streets unopposed, we cannot sit back and watch the BNP grow and we definitely cannot leave the job of stopping the scum to UAF.

Militant Antifascists have remained relatively silent when the EDL have clashed with locals defending their communities in Harrow, in Brum, in Luton and in Mancs. Our collective voice has remained silent and all we've done is complain about it and wait for Antifa to act.

But the problem is ours not theirs.

Militant Antifascists on the left have fallen under the spell of the myth of 'Antifa'. The belief that fascism will be opposed by Antifa, that we need do nothing as out of the mists will come a glittering army of militants to fight our battles for us. "The Trots & Tories have UAF, but it’s okay because we have Antifa". But this is a myth, we don't have Antifa, we are Antifa.

UAF: the public face of half-arsed Antifascism. UAF causes us a problem as it is more often than not where we should be, or at least a few miles and police cordons away from where we should be. UAF is the first point of contact for alot of young people who want to oppose fascism, and UAF is often the last point of contact before they are brainwashed or disillusioned by incessant empty chants. There are good people at UAF demos no doubt, but UAF is ruining Antifascism, claiming militancy while working with coppers and David-Fucking-Cameron.

But we can show them how to do it. UAF dominated Antifascism is our failure.

But it is a mistake we can easily make up for. We have a long tradition of fighting fascists from Cable Street, to Catalonia, a tradition we should pay proper homage to.

We can and will show them how Antifascism should be done.

* * * * * *
Antifa in this country has been seen as closed club, something shadowy and separate from the wider movement. But this doesn’t have to be the case. If our European comrades can turn out in their thousands to oppose fascists then so should we.

Antifa on the continent is composed of autonomous groups, city or regional based groups of Antifascists who act effectively on harassing and halting the progress of the fash. We necessary these groups can converge to turn out en masse.

Antifa in this country can learn alot of lessons from abroad. Most importantly that we should form autonomous groups to effectively combat fascism.

The BNP have given up street politics officially and have gone out of town centres and into local communities, it is the duty of all militant Antifascists to follow them in and make them known they are not welcome.

Anarchists! Stop waiting for Antifa to act, you are Antifa. Show UAF how it is done, show the fascists they cannot walk over the working class and get away with it. Stop talking and start acting.

Make your presence known.

[Spawn of Stalin]

Agreed, basically.

[Pogue]

whoever wrote this is clearly a genius :lol:

[Stand Your Ground]

I agree. People need to act. I would be more specific but this site is monitored.

[Holden Caulfield]

a whole thread, not one post really adressing the OP, when I got mod powers, I'll split this stuff off

[Steve_j]

Furthering on from the op, In the lead up the the bbc event, a mail round i recieved had this in it.

"Antifa is not a label that can be used publically and shouldn't be used by non members"

Why not? Im sure there is reasoning but im not sure what it is, (except for avoiding police harrasment). If Antifa is facing such levels of surveillance and harrasment making it difficult to operate surely "non members" operating publically behind the banner would work to their advantage? Especially if it develops into a sizeable block, wouldnt this take a little heat off the active millitant groups currently operating as antifa?

[Pogue]

We can't ignore the tumbleweed blowing through the Militant Anti-fascist left anymore and can't await an Anti-fascist messiah.

We cannot allow fascists to roam the streets unopposed, we cannot sit back and watch the BNP grow and we definitely cannot leave the job of stopping the scum to UAF.

Militant Antifascists have remained relatively silent when the EDL have clashed with locals defending their communities in Harrow, in Brum, in Luton and in Mancs. Our collective voice has remained silent and all we've done is complain about it and wait for Antifa to act.

But the problem is ours not theirs.

I think that this could also be a problem solely of organisation really. If I had access to a website that is read widely by anti-fascists I myself could have kept militant anti-fascism talking throughout the last few months.

But I see what the writer is saying.


Militant Antifascists on the left have fallen under the spell of the myth of 'Antifa'. The belief that fascism will be opposed by Antifa, that we need do nothing as out of the mists will come a glittering army of militants to fight our battles for us. "The Trots & Tories have UAF, but it’s okay because we have Antifa". But this is a myth, we don't have Antifa, we are Antifa.


This is true to an extent. Yes, we are all guilty of that 'we have antifa' thing, but the organisation is clearly seperate with its own structures and membership, to such an extent that you can't be a member by just saying 'i am a member' in some sort of collective conciousness sci-fi type thing. The fact is, if you're invovled in militant anti-fascism you want to know who you have on your side and you want to have something more solid than just a comitment to an idea.


UAF: the public face of half-arsed Antifascism. UAF causes us a problem as it is more often than not where we should be, or at least a few miles and police cordons away from where we should be. UAF is the first point of contact for alot of young people who want to oppose fascism, and UAF is often the last point of contact before they are brainwashed or disillusioned by incessant empty chants. There are good people at UAF demos no doubt, but UAF is ruining Antifascism, claiming militancy while working with coppers and David-Fucking-Cameron.


Also note the limitations built into UAF, i.e. through the fact its a front for the SWP and how it is limited by trying to look and act respectable.


But we can show them how to do it. UAF dominated Antifascism is our failure.

But it is a mistake we can easily make up for. We have a long tradition of fighting fascists from Cable Street, to Catalonia, a tradition we should pay proper homage to.

We can and will show them how Antifascism should be done.


I.e. we need organisation fit to purpose and alot of thinking in how we're going to do this.



Antifa in this country has been seen as closed club, something shadowy and separate from the wider movement. But this doesn’t have to be the case. If our European comrades can turn out in their thousands to oppose fascists then so should we.

Antifa on the continent is composed of autonomous groups, city or regional based groups of Antifascists who act effectively on harassing and halting the progress of the fash. We necessary these groups can converge to turn out en masse.

Antifa in this country can learn alot of lessons from abroad. Most importantly that we should form autonomous groups to effectively combat fascism.

The BNP have given up street politics officially and have gone out of town centres and into local communities, it is the duty of all militant Antifascists to follow them in and make them known they are not welcome.

Anarchists! Stop waiting for Antifa to act, you are Antifa. Show UAF how it is done, show the fascists they cannot walk over the working class and get away with it. Stop talking and start acting.

Make your presence known.


Well one thing with this is there will be problems with that big approach. Firstly there is the idea of tactics. Some members of the militant anti-fascist tradition may object to the idea of large groups for a number of reasons:

1) It is hard to get ideological consensus

2) It is harder to ensure everyone is the real deal, i.e. not a state grass or fascist spy, or simply just someone who doesn't really have the dedication to engage in militant anti-fascism.

3) Some people object to mass mobilisations as they attract attention to small far-right groups, giving them publicity, whereas small groups disrupting their organising through direct action doesn't draw attention.

In my opinion what we need is a class based organisation offering solid working class solutions through its propoganda (banners, leaflets, website, etc) which can create the mass mobilisations udner the banner of a revolutionary working class anti-fascist organisation. We need to make it clear that militant anti-fasicsm often means conflict and so if neccesary ask people how much they think they can handle certain roles and allocate appropriately. The AFA Stewards Group model is quite good for this, i.e. more physically confident comrades can function as stewards for the larger group.

Just some ideas.