Unite Against Fascism
Encyclopedia
Unite Against Fascism is an anti-fascist
pressure group in the United Kingdom
, with support from politicians of all mainstream UK political parties
. It describes itself as a national campaign with the aim of alerting British society to a perceived threat of fascism
and the far right
.
Its chairman is the former Labour Party
mayor of London
, Ken Livingstone
and its joint secretaries are Weyman Bennett of the Socialist Workers Party
and the Anti-Nazi League
, and Sabby Dhalu, formerly of the National Assembly Against Racism
(NAAR).
(BNP). It began as a coalition that included the Anti-Nazi League
, the National Assembly Against Racism
, the Trades Union Congress
(TUC) and leading British unions such as the Transport and General Workers' Union
(T&G) (now Unite) and UNISON
. According to Red Pepper
magazine, UAF was set up by the Socialist Workers Party
and the National Assembly Against Racism
. In 2005, the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight
disaffiliated from UAF after an argument over tactics to defeat the BNP.
At UAF's 2007 national conference, speakers ranged from cabinet minister Peter Hain
to Edie Friedman of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality and Dr. Muhammad Abdul Bari
of the Muslim Council of Britain
(MCB), as well as figures from the major UK trade unions. At UAF's 2009 national conference, Bari was again a guest speaker.
Concern has been raised that the far-left Marxist Socialist Workers Party is seeking to dominate the UAF and in reports of some counter-demonstrations the UAF has been referred to as left-wing. However, UAF has received support from politicians of all mainstream UK political parties
. It describes itself as a national campaign with the aim of alerting British society to a perceived threat of the far right
— in particular the British National Party
(BNP) — gaining a foothold at local, national and European elections, arguing that "there is a real danger that the BNP could get a significant platform in elected institutions."
In November 2007, UAF organised a rally of over 1,000 people when BNP leader Nick Griffin
and holocaust denier David Irving
spoke at the Oxford Union
.
On 9 June 2009, UAF demonstrated against a BNP press conference given by Griffin and Andrew Brons
outside the Palace of Westminster
following their election as MEPs. Demonstrators marched towards the group with placards, chanting anti-Nazi slogans, and threw eggs at Griffin, forcing the abandonment of the press conference. Members of the press were also hit. The protesters also kicked Griffin's car and beat it with placards as he was led away from the scene. Two members of the public were hospitalized as a result of the demonstration
. Griffin claimed that the attack was carried out with the backing of the Labour Party.
The following day, UAF demonstrated at the BNP's next attempt to hold a press conference at a pub in Miles Platting, North Manchester
. They chanted anti-fascist slogans and tried to drown out Griffin by playing Bob Marley
songs at high volume. One protester was arrested after spitting in the direction of a car belonging to a BNP member.
In January 2010, when the Pendle branch of the UAF removed a wreath
from the War Memorial in Nelson
that was laid down by a British National Party
member, Richard MacSween of the Pendle UAF said "The BNP have left a wreath and we have removed it because we don't approve of fascism.". In response, Councillor George Adam
, from the Nelson and District branch of the Royal British Legion, said: "I'm annoyed - they have no right to remove that wreath. The BNP is a legitimate political party and they have a right to lay down a wreath just as any other members of the public do. BNP Councillor Brian Parker added: "It's disgusting, and it's theft".
, Derbyshire
. Four people were charged; three with public order offences and one with unlawfully obstructing the highway.
On 22 October 2009, the UAF demonstration against Nick Griffin's appearance on the BBC's Question Time programme
resulted in injuries to three police officers. SWP National Secretary and UAF national officer Martin Smith
was found guilty of assaulting one of the police officers at South Western Magistrates' Court, London, on 7 September 2010. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order, with 80 hours' unpaid work, and was fined £450 pending an appeal.
On 20 March 2010 demonstrations from UAF and the English Defence League
(EDL) in Bolton
led to violent confrontations and the arrest of at least 55 UAF supporters, including the UAF protest organiser Weyman Bennett, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit violent disorder
. At least three EDL supporters were also arrested, and two UAF members were taken to hospital with a minor head and a minor ear injury. After Bennett was charged and released, he accused the police of being hostile to anti-racists and called for an inquiry into the police's actions that day. The police, while criticising the EDL for "vitriolic name-calling" blamed people predominantly associated with UAF for provoking violence and said that they "acted with, at times, extreme violence". All charges against Weyman Bennett were eventually dropped. In response to this news he was quoted as saying: "This is a victory for anti-fascists and for the right to protest. I’m proud to say that the threat of these charges has not deterred any of us from continuing to stand up against the EDL. I can now continue my work without this serious false allegation hanging over me. It is imperative we continue to protest to protect our multi-racial communities."
On 30 August 2010, violence occurred in Brighton
, East Sussex
, during a UAF protest against a march organised by a group called the English Nationalist Alliance (ENA). A spokesman for the police, who were attempting to keep 250 protesters and marchers apart, said "Unfortunately a small group from the counter-demonstration [UAF] resisted this and threw missiles at the police." There were fourteen arrests during the violence.
Anti-fascism
Anti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals, such as that of the resistance movements during World War II. The related term antifa derives from Antifaschismus, which is German for anti-fascism; it refers to individuals and groups on the left of the political...
pressure group in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, with support from politicians of all mainstream UK political parties
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
. It describes itself as a national campaign with the aim of alerting British society to a perceived threat of fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
and the far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
.
Its chairman is the former Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
mayor of London
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
, Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
and its joint secretaries are Weyman Bennett of the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
and the Anti-Nazi League
Anti-Nazi League
The Anti-Nazi League was an organisation set up in 1977 on the initiative of the Socialist Workers Party with sponsorship from some trade unions and the endorsement of a list of prominent people to oppose the rise of far-right groups in the United Kingdom. It was wound down in 1981...
, and Sabby Dhalu, formerly of the National Assembly Against Racism
National Assembly Against Racism
The National Assembly Against Racism is or was a British anti-racist and anti-fascist group.-External links:...
(NAAR).
History
Unite Against Fascism (UAF) was formed in Great Britain in late 2003 in response to electoral successes by the British National PartyBritish National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
(BNP). It began as a coalition that included the Anti-Nazi League
Anti-Nazi League
The Anti-Nazi League was an organisation set up in 1977 on the initiative of the Socialist Workers Party with sponsorship from some trade unions and the endorsement of a list of prominent people to oppose the rise of far-right groups in the United Kingdom. It was wound down in 1981...
, the National Assembly Against Racism
National Assembly Against Racism
The National Assembly Against Racism is or was a British anti-racist and anti-fascist group.-External links:...
, the Trades Union Congress
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
(TUC) and leading British unions such as the Transport and General Workers' Union
Transport and General Workers' Union
The Transport and General Workers' Union, also known as the TGWU and the T&G, was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland - where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union - with 900,000 members...
(T&G) (now Unite) and UNISON
UNISON
UNISON is the largest trade union in the United Kingdom with over 1.3 million members.The union was formed in 1993 when three public sector trade unions, the National and Local Government Officers Association , the National Union of Public Employees and the Confederation of Health Service...
. According to Red Pepper
Red Pepper (magazine)
Red Pepper is an independent ‘red, green and radical’ magazine based in the UK. For most of its history it appeared monthly, but relaunched as a bi-monthly during 2007.- Origins :...
magazine, UAF was set up by the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
and the National Assembly Against Racism
National Assembly Against Racism
The National Assembly Against Racism is or was a British anti-racist and anti-fascist group.-External links:...
. In 2005, the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight
Searchlight (magazine)
Searchlight is a British anti-fascist magazine, founded in 1975 by Gerry Gable, which publishes exposés about racism, antisemitism, and fascism in the UK....
disaffiliated from UAF after an argument over tactics to defeat the BNP.
At UAF's 2007 national conference, speakers ranged from cabinet minister Peter Hain
Peter Hain
Peter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
to Edie Friedman of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality and Dr. Muhammad Abdul Bari
Muhammad Abdul Bari
Muhammad Abdul Bari, MBE FRSA , is the Chairman of the East London Mosque, and was the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain from 2006 until 2010.-Life and career:...
of the Muslim Council of Britain
Muslim Council of Britain
The Muslim Council of Britain is a self-appointed umbrella body for national, regional, local and specialist organisations and institutions from different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds within British Islamic society. It was established in 1997 to help Muslims, to increase education about the...
(MCB), as well as figures from the major UK trade unions. At UAF's 2009 national conference, Bari was again a guest speaker.
Concern has been raised that the far-left Marxist Socialist Workers Party is seeking to dominate the UAF and in reports of some counter-demonstrations the UAF has been referred to as left-wing. However, UAF has received support from politicians of all mainstream UK political parties
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
. It describes itself as a national campaign with the aim of alerting British society to a perceived threat of the far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
— in particular the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
(BNP) — gaining a foothold at local, national and European elections, arguing that "there is a real danger that the BNP could get a significant platform in elected institutions."
Protests against the British National Party
Unite Against Fascism states on its website that its existence is to deny the British National Party any chance of "gaining an electoral foothold" stating that "there is a real danger that the BNP could get a significant platform in elected institutions." It claims the support of organisations representing labour, teachers, and rights activists.In November 2007, UAF organised a rally of over 1,000 people when BNP leader Nick Griffin
Nick Griffin
Nicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
and holocaust denier David Irving
David Irving
David John Cawdell Irving is an English writer,best known for his denial of the Holocaust, who specialises in the military and political history of World War II, with a focus on Nazi Germany...
spoke at the Oxford Union
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
.
On 9 June 2009, UAF demonstrated against a BNP press conference given by Griffin and Andrew Brons
Andrew Brons
Andrew Henry William Brons is a British politician. Long active in far right politics in Britain, he was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber for the British National Party at the 2009 European Parliament election...
outside the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
following their election as MEPs. Demonstrators marched towards the group with placards, chanting anti-Nazi slogans, and threw eggs at Griffin, forcing the abandonment of the press conference. Members of the press were also hit. The protesters also kicked Griffin's car and beat it with placards as he was led away from the scene. Two members of the public were hospitalized as a result of the demonstration
Demonstration
Demonstration may refer to:* Demonstration , a political rally or protest* Demonstration , a conclusive mathematical proof* Demonstration , a method of teaching by example rather than simple explanation...
. Griffin claimed that the attack was carried out with the backing of the Labour Party.
The following day, UAF demonstrated at the BNP's next attempt to hold a press conference at a pub in Miles Platting, North Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. They chanted anti-fascist slogans and tried to drown out Griffin by playing Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
songs at high volume. One protester was arrested after spitting in the direction of a car belonging to a BNP member.
In January 2010, when the Pendle branch of the UAF removed a wreath
Wreath
A wreath is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs and/or various materials that is constructed to resemble a ring. They are used typically as Christmas decorations to symbolize the coming of Christ, also known as the Advent season in Christianity. They are also used as festive headdresses...
from the War Memorial in Nelson
Nelson, Lancashire
Nelson is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 28,998 in 2001. It lies 4 miles north of Burnley on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal....
that was laid down by a British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
member, Richard MacSween of the Pendle UAF said "The BNP have left a wreath and we have removed it because we don't approve of fascism.". In response, Councillor George Adam
George Adam
George Adam is a Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament, representing the Paisley constituency.-External links:...
, from the Nelson and District branch of the Royal British Legion, said: "I'm annoyed - they have no right to remove that wreath. The BNP is a legitimate political party and they have a right to lay down a wreath just as any other members of the public do. BNP Councillor Brian Parker added: "It's disgusting, and it's theft".
Arrests and controversy
On 19 August 2009, police arrested 19 protesters during a demonstration by UAF against the BNP's Red, White and Blue festival in CodnorCodnor
Codnor is a Derbyshire village in the Amber Valley district, and a former mining community, with a population of nearly 5,000. It is approximately 12 miles from the city of Derby and 14 miles from Nottingham by road.-History:...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. Four people were charged; three with public order offences and one with unlawfully obstructing the highway.
On 22 October 2009, the UAF demonstration against Nick Griffin's appearance on the BBC's Question Time programme
Question Time British National Party controversy
The Question Time British National Party controversy in early September 2009 followed an invitation by the British Broadcasting Corporation to Nick Griffin, leader of the far-right British National Party , to be a panellist on Question Time, one of its flagship television programmes on current...
resulted in injuries to three police officers. SWP National Secretary and UAF national officer Martin Smith
Martin Smith
Martin Smith may refer to:*Martin Smith , British professor of robotics at the Open University*Martin Smith , British actor, singer and composer*Martin Smith , Irish boxer...
was found guilty of assaulting one of the police officers at South Western Magistrates' Court, London, on 7 September 2010. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order, with 80 hours' unpaid work, and was fined £450 pending an appeal.
On 20 March 2010 demonstrations from UAF and the English Defence League
English Defence League
The English Defence League is a far-right street protest movement which opposes what it considers to be a spread of Islamism, Sharia law and Islamic extremism in the UK. The EDL uses street marches to protest against Islamic extremism...
(EDL) in Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
led to violent confrontations and the arrest of at least 55 UAF supporters, including the UAF protest organiser Weyman Bennett, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit violent disorder
Violent Disorder
Violent disorder is a statutory offence in England and Wales. It is created by of the Public Order Act 1986. Sections 2 to of that Act provide:...
. At least three EDL supporters were also arrested, and two UAF members were taken to hospital with a minor head and a minor ear injury. After Bennett was charged and released, he accused the police of being hostile to anti-racists and called for an inquiry into the police's actions that day. The police, while criticising the EDL for "vitriolic name-calling" blamed people predominantly associated with UAF for provoking violence and said that they "acted with, at times, extreme violence". All charges against Weyman Bennett were eventually dropped. In response to this news he was quoted as saying: "This is a victory for anti-fascists and for the right to protest. I’m proud to say that the threat of these charges has not deterred any of us from continuing to stand up against the EDL. I can now continue my work without this serious false allegation hanging over me. It is imperative we continue to protest to protect our multi-racial communities."
On 30 August 2010, violence occurred in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, during a UAF protest against a march organised by a group called the English Nationalist Alliance (ENA). A spokesman for the police, who were attempting to keep 250 protesters and marchers apart, said "Unfortunately a small group from the counter-demonstration [UAF] resisted this and threw missiles at the police." There were fourteen arrests during the violence.