The Ungovernable Farce
19th December 2009, 18:22
Got some interesting stuff on it (http://www.fashwatch.org/).
The New Fashwatch.
It is clear now at the end of 2009 that traditional forms of antifascism have failed. Tactics such as distributing propaganda and organising mass protests employed by the UAF have had no discernable effect on the trajectory of the BNP and while the militant form advocated by Antifa has achieved small victories in some areas this approach clearly has it’s limits and obvious drawbacks.
What is required is a new approach, or maybe an old approach depending on how you look at it. An article in Red Pepper recently titled Antifascism isn’t Working (http://www.redpepper.org.uk/Anti-fascism-isn-t-working) laid out a realistic assessment of the current situation and more importantly how best to proceed. In a nutshell the model of exposing the BNP and it’s leaders past should be replaced by exposing the ineffectiveness of their policies in tackling social problems and building alternatives. Paul Stott (http://paulstott.typepad.com/) in a speech Giving up No Platform (http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/11/441282.html) to the Anarchist Book Fair this year argued for the same approach.
It is as part of this current of thought that Fashwatch has been re-launched. Again we’re asking for details of fascist activity in your area but this time we don’t want names or phone numbers. We want details of their political activity, what they’re doing to win votes and the arguments they’re using.
In our section on antifascists we want to detail grass roots organisations that are working in their areas to improve conditions and that have an antifascist stance such as Haringey Solidarity (http://www.haringey.org.uk/) and the IWCA (http://www.iwca.info/)and less well known groups such as the Pits n Pots (http://www.pitsnpots.co.uk/) a radical news site in Stoke on Trent and the Hereford Heckler (http://herefordheckler.wordpress.com/).
The aim is to use Fashwatch as a resource for analysing the BNP and other far right groups and opposition to them. To look at the initiatives that have been employed by local groups who are opposed to the BNP. What has been successful and what has been less than successful.
The New Fashwatch.
It is clear now at the end of 2009 that traditional forms of antifascism have failed. Tactics such as distributing propaganda and organising mass protests employed by the UAF have had no discernable effect on the trajectory of the BNP and while the militant form advocated by Antifa has achieved small victories in some areas this approach clearly has it’s limits and obvious drawbacks.
What is required is a new approach, or maybe an old approach depending on how you look at it. An article in Red Pepper recently titled Antifascism isn’t Working (http://www.redpepper.org.uk/Anti-fascism-isn-t-working) laid out a realistic assessment of the current situation and more importantly how best to proceed. In a nutshell the model of exposing the BNP and it’s leaders past should be replaced by exposing the ineffectiveness of their policies in tackling social problems and building alternatives. Paul Stott (http://paulstott.typepad.com/) in a speech Giving up No Platform (http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/11/441282.html) to the Anarchist Book Fair this year argued for the same approach.
It is as part of this current of thought that Fashwatch has been re-launched. Again we’re asking for details of fascist activity in your area but this time we don’t want names or phone numbers. We want details of their political activity, what they’re doing to win votes and the arguments they’re using.
In our section on antifascists we want to detail grass roots organisations that are working in their areas to improve conditions and that have an antifascist stance such as Haringey Solidarity (http://www.haringey.org.uk/) and the IWCA (http://www.iwca.info/)and less well known groups such as the Pits n Pots (http://www.pitsnpots.co.uk/) a radical news site in Stoke on Trent and the Hereford Heckler (http://herefordheckler.wordpress.com/).
The aim is to use Fashwatch as a resource for analysing the BNP and other far right groups and opposition to them. To look at the initiatives that have been employed by local groups who are opposed to the BNP. What has been successful and what has been less than successful.