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Archives: United Against Prejudice2: Fighting the Nazis
Opposing the neo-Nazi march in Leicester
Nazi threats in Leicester
NF march opposed in Leicester. April 2001
A police state descended on the Leicestershire village of Narborough last Saturday. Roadblocks were set up, people coming into the village were stopped and searched under section 60 of the Criminal Justice Act. There was a massive police presence, with horses, dogs and a helicopter flying overhead. Locals were angry. One woman was furious at being stopped from going to the doctors. The reason? To allow 40 neo-Nazis to march a couple of hundred yards wearing comical plastic Union Jack bowler hats!
But it was no joke. The Home Secretary on the request of the Police had banned a National Front (NF) "St George's day march" for that day in the centre of Leicester. The Labour city council supported by a number of community organisations, Trades Union branches and the Indian Workers' Association had called for the ban because they didn't want the NF to march in Leicester. But they were conned. The police, in collusion with the fascists, merely moved the march just over the city boundary so they could claim a "victory".
The Leicester Mercury quoted an NF spokesperson giving the real reason: "The police feel they can police (sic) a march in Narborough and prevent opposition groups better than they would in a city centre location". In reality, rather than banning the NF, it was an attempt to ban effective protest at the Nazis. Narborough has a small village centre, with a limited number of ways in.
This did not completely succeed because at short notice (the new venue became public the afternoon before) hundreds of anti-fascists turned up in Narborough to protest. We showed that the Nazis could never march without overwhelming opposition to them. We successfully transported people from the original assembly point, despite vehicles (such as my own car) being stopped on their way out of Leicester.
However, it would have been a different ball game in the centre of Leicester. A big mood against the NF was building up, with many organisations committing themselves to campaign for a counter- demo and to attempt to block the march. There are memories of the 70's when the NF had a stronger base in Leicester. The counter demo (if it had been properly built for) could potentially have had thousands on it. But what better way to demobilise the movement than to announce a ban and then allow a march at the last minute?
Socialist Party members and some other anti-fascists have been warning all along against reliance on a state ban. We explained that the state would be more interested in using these kinds of powers against us. However despite these warnings, a number of organisations had illusions that the MacPherson report following the Stephen Lawrence enquiry would make the police more responsive to the wishes of local communities. In effect these organisations de-mobilised the movement. I hope that they will now draw the lessons from this that the only way to defeat the fascists is to rely on our own movement of working class people rather than the state.
STOP THE NAZIS MARCHING THROUGH LEICESTER! March 2001
The neo-Nazi National Front (NF) are planning a so called "St George's Day" march through Leicester on April 21. Large numbers of anti-fascists from various groups in this multi-cultural city will be turning up to oppose them.
This is the first time they have attempted to march openly in Leicester since 1979, in the days when they had their national headquarters in Leicester, and when they could muster thousands of votes in elections.
Following that period the NF were absolutely smashed and now can only muster a pathetic handful of thugs. However, we are not going to let these Nazis get even a minute toehold. Despite their small numbers they have been actively causing harm in Leicestershire. Last summer the planned Lesbian and Gay Mardi Gras festival was called off by the organisers because of threats from the far right. Socialist Party members played a key role in setting up "Unity Against Prejudice" (UAP) which brought together socialists, gay rights activists, Leicester Radical Alliance members, trades unionists and others in a campaign to fight back.
We organised a march and party to take place on the original date of the Mardi Gras, which was a huge success. Hundreds of people turned up to show their unity against prejudice, despite further threats from the NF to attack the event. We kept the event safe from the Nazi thugs (who did turn up with a national mobilisation in an attempt to block the march) by strong stewarding.
Socialist Party members and others have received threats, including death threats since we took up this issue. But their pathetic threats do not intimidate us.
Leicester City Council, backed up by the Bishop of Leicester has called for Home Secretary Jack Straw to ban the NF march. However we believe that police and Home Office bans are as likely to be used against socialists and anti-fascists as the far right. The NF say they will turn up anyway even if the march is banned.
The best way to stop them is to get a maximum possible mobilisation from trades unions, anti racists, and all the different communities to prevent them from being able to carry it through. This will send a message to NF members that they cannot openly organise without mass opposition from working class people.
This, combined with campaigning on a socialist alternative to their racist lies, as we are doing in Leicester during the election campaign, is the way to ensure they never gain support.
NAZI threats in Leicester
Threatening letter received by Leicester Socialist Party members:
Dear steve,
I bet you were surprised to see some of my NF boys in your area last
Saturday, lets just say it was a warning shot!
If any red marxist filth attempts to halt our progress in the leicestershire
region through acts of violence and intimidation, we will retaliate hard.
We are currently compiling a list of ten people in the region to whom we
will target, should any of our membership be threatened or attacked whilst
going about our legal and lawful activities, you'll be glad to know that you
have made the No1 slot.
I can assure you that this message is 100% genuine, and i would advise you
to be very cautious indeed in your approach to oppose us in the future, we
await your next move.
FROM; GARY STEVENS,
YNF DIVISION (LEICS).
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CORRESPOND WITH US PLEASE WRITE TO ME AT:
PO BOX 5475, HINCKLEY, LE10 2WD.
=====================================================
Socialist Party members and other anti-fascists will be
holding a protest and leafleting event in Hinckley Town Centre in
Leicestershire.
As has been reported in The Socialist, the fascist NF have made threats
against the Unity against Prejudice campaign and also Socialist Party
members Steve Score and Josie Nicholls.
Unity Against Prejudice (UAP) is a broad campaign set up after the Leicester
Mardi Gras Gay Pride festival was cancelled due to right wing threats of
violence. It is holding a march and festival against prejudice on July 29th
in Leicester.
The NF are threatening to organise a counter demo and say they "cannot
guarantee the safety" of UAP marchers/ festival go-ers!
One of the organisations supporting the event is Leicester City NUT branch
who acknowledge the role that Socialist Party members have played in their
recent newsletter to members: "A colleague, who was a leading campaigner
against the secondary review (school closures), a member of Wycliffe Action
Group and supported the NUT's campaign against the EAZ (Education Action
Zone) in Leicester, has been threatened by the NF. He has been told that he
is on a 'top ten' NF hit list"
UAP have also had donations and support from a number of organisations
including 2 UNISON branches, Leicester University Students Union and
Leicester College Students Union.
The Leics NF are getting far too confident. We are not prepared to allow
them to intimidate anyone The few members they have appear to be in
Hinckley, the PO Box they use is in Hinckley. For this reason we plan to
enlist the support of the people of Hinckley to isolate thes e Nazis.
LEICESTER ORGANISES AGAINST FACISTS & RACISTS
An anti-racist protest of around 100 or more mainly young people took place in Leicester's Town Hall Square on May Day. This was organised by regulars of a local pub in response to racist thugs marching through the city centre last Sunday. Anti racists were shocked by the march of 60+ held on St George's day supposedly to commemorate the "Englishmen who died in the war". A number of people in the city centre were abused and the local left bookshop was attacked.
Leicester has recently met with an increase in racist attacks and a small group of fascist peddling their lies on issues around asylum seekers, their threats also led organisers of the Leicester Mardi Gras to cancel this event. The Socialist Party are working with Unity Against Prejudice which is organising an alternative event on the 29th July, the date the Mardi Gras was to take place. We also had a great response to our anti fascist and racist stall last Saturday on Belgrave Rd, a mainly Asian area, selling 24 papers in an hour and a number of people expressing an interest in getting involved in the campaign and coming along to our Socialist Party public meeting
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