The Labour government the Tory Kent County Council and the gutter press, have all helped whip up racism against the Roma asylum-seekers. and therefore bear some responsibility for the march.The Nazis were trying to exploit the climate of hatred which has been stoked up by people who ought to know better. The NF have no members in Dover (their marchers were bussed in from Berkshire).
The NF expected to be up against nothing more than a few terrified refugees but they got more than they bargained for.
In just a few days more than 50 organisations involved in the Anti-fascist movement mobilised hundreds of people and were able to send the fascists packing with their tails between their legs.
Anti-fascists half a mile away from the NF march were videod and threatened with arrest unless they submitted to a comprehensive body search and gave their name, address and personal details. One person had every scrap of paper in his wallet examined under the pretext of looking for a razor blade.
Six anti-fascists were arrested ( 2 released with out charge, 4 released on bail).
Many thanks to the following who supported the anti-fascist demonstration in Dover on 15 November:
Anti-Fascist Action, Anti-Nazi League, Banner Theatre, Birmingham ABC, Birmingham Assembly Against Racism, Birmingham Class War, Birmingham Trades Council. Close Down Campsfield Campaign. Close Down Harmondsworth, Colin Roach Centre, Dover Unemployed Action Group, European Roma Rights Center, Goldsmiths College Students Union, Hackney Refugee and Migrant Support Group, Indian Workers Association, Industrial Workers of the World (Britain), International Artists Against Racism, Irish in Britain Representation Group (Birmingham), Jeunes contre le racisme en Europe (France), Justice, Kent Anti-Fascist Committee, Kent Campaign for Asylum Seekers,Kent Law Clinic, Kent Socialist Alliance, Kurdistan Information Centre, Kurdistan Solidarity Committee, Labour Left Briefing, The Law, Yves Leresche (photographer, Switzerland), Dr Ken Lunn (University of Portsmouth), Lutte Ouvrire (France), Manchester Earth First!, Marxist Party, Medway Detainee Support Group, Monitor (Norway), National Assembly Against Racism, National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, Stan Newens MEP, Malcolm Pitt (former Kent Area President, National Union of Mineworkers), The Patrin, Reclaim the Streets (London), Searchlight,Sheffield Solidarity Federation, Slap, Socialist Outlook, Socialist Party, Socialist Workers Party, Solidarity Foundation, Southall Black Sisters, Sudan Human Rights Organisation, Tyne and Wear Anti-Fascist Association, United for Intercultural Action (Amsterdam), Waltham Forest Anti-Deportation Campaign, West Midlands Anti-Deportation Campaign, Youth Against Racism in Europe (Britain),Young Socialist Resistance
We indeed were the first and only ones to say that propably this fire was the work of the far-right itself. The police even came to us for information on the far-right in Gent and what we knew about the fire in the fascist pub. On the basis of this information the police could arrest the exploiter of the pub and this fascist by now has admitted he did it himself.
In this fire 5 people almost got killed and the Vlaams Blok headquarters, which were on the first floor, were completely ruined. Vlaams Blok president Frank Vanhecke had to admit that the Vlaams Blok made a mistake in accusing the left for this fire. He also said that the exploiter of the Vlaams Blok-pub wasn't a member of the Vlaams Blok, "although he can't neglect that he exploited a Vlaams Blok-pub". After the anti-fascist victory in Brugge where we stopped the fascist violence through a very good campaign against fascist violence (and the help of the fascist leader who bombed his own house) this again is an important victory.
Of course we directly have started a campaign against the Vlaams Blok. We've produced an extra issue of No Pasaran (our Blokbuster-paper) and some posters (Vlaams Blok= liars = firestarters ) which by now hang all over the city and especially in the ruins of the former fascist pub.
After the fascist bombing his own house and now the fascist burning down his own pub we launch the slogan "fascists of all countries burn down your own houses." We hope they all follow our advise...
It sounds like a bitter joke on the racist German juridical system, but it actually happened: Two taxi-drivers have been sentenced to 16 month (!) and 22 month (!!) of jail for transporting foreigners from a town near the Polish border to another one 25 miles west without informing the border patrol about their 'suspicious' passengers
As the liberal German daily Frankfurter Rundschau reported on August 15, 1997, the District Court in Zittau, a small town on the German-Polish border, found the two men guilty of "supporting illegal immigration". Both cab drivers appealed to the court. The judgement was already given last spring and is now made public by a "research society flight and migration" in Berlin.
In four cases the taxi-drivers had transported people, who apparently were non-Germans, from Zittau to a town about 25 miles further west. The foreigners were later arrested, as it turned out that they had no permit to stay in Germany. According to the judges' decision, the cab-drivers should have become suspicious about their passengers traveling without luggage. Moreover - so the court - in the district of Loebau-Zittau it was "highly unlikely" for anyone to meet non-Germans who could afford a taxi ride (the 1.000 foreigners living in the district are, as a witness of the prosecution pointed out, 600 asylum seekers and nearly 400 students). In the judges' opinion, therefore, it is most unusual for any foreigner to take a taxi instead of walking the 25 miles, "following the railtracks". The sentence was especially severe because the court suspects that the taxi-drivers are involved in organized crime - after all they had "realized that their passengers were foreigners", so the judges' odd explanation. In response to the taxi-drivers' defense that they had no right to control immigration papers, the court stated that they had "had the possibility of calling the Bundesgrenzschutz (German border patrol)".
The Zittau taxi companies protested against the judgement. Cab-drivers would now in general have to refuse the transport of any foreigner if they did not want to act unlawful. Accordingly, they applied to the district magistrate's office to legally do so or else to be given the authority to control people's identity papers. In reply the office stated it could not give any such permission but recommended to treat similar situations with "a certain caution". It furthermore promised "leniency" if any "legitimate passenger" reported to the police that his transport had been refused.
for further information contact the "research society flight and migration" (Forschungsgesellschaft Flucht und Migration, FFM e. V.): FFM@ipn-b.comlink.apc.org
Report From Nerdolution (http://www.oocities.org/Pentagon/4939)
The fascist organisation Vlaams Blok now is using Brugge as a test case.
There are still 3 years to go before there are new elections. During that time they allow their hard-line supporters to attack left-wing people. The fascists in Brugge have a big "tradition". In the sixties and seventies it was one of the places where the Flemish Militant Ordre (VMO) had some supporters. The VMO is forbidden in the eighties because it was a private militia. Some of the most famous leaders were active in Brugge. There they attacked left-wing people in pubs. In the eighties they even shot a gun in a left-wing pub when there were 15 people in the pub. Luckily none where wounded or killed. When the police investigated another case of fascist violence they found an arsenal of war-material. Some leaders of the fascists have been active in weapon-trade.
In the eighties the present leaders of the Vlaams Blok (Vanhecke, president and Dewinter, the VB-leader in Antwerp) were active in the Nationalist Young students organisation (NJSV) which worked close together with the VMO. They had their political training in the NJSV Now the NJSV is re-launched. Their activity is the same as in the eighties: intimidating and attacking left-wing people. They infiltrated in Blokbuster, they threw stones trough the windows of some leading comrades,... After a Blokbuster-demo against the NJSV in august, a group of fascist skinheads attacked a left-wing pub at night. They threw empty bottles to the owner of the pub, who is a sympathiser of Blokbuster.
In October they attacked an anti-Shell action. A commando of 25 well trained strong fascists attacked us. One Blokbuster-member had to go to a hospital because she was wounded. They also burned our material. We stood perplex and before realizing what was going on the fascists disappeared. The police only came 15 minutes later and did nothing.
After this we started asking other organisations to have a joint campaign against fascist violence. The problem was that no other organisation wanted this. The Social-democrats said we've provoked the fascists, the greens want to do something but have almost no active members, the Maoists are reduced to 3 people who say that Blokbuster is an anti-communist CIA-sponsored group, the trade union-leadership in Brugge stand under a big influence of the SP (Socialist Party, social-democrats) and doesn't want to do something.
After this reactions we realised we would have to react ourselves and not wait for anyone else. We launched a national campaign with Blokbuster and Militant Links. We've contacted national organisations and we'll have a demo on 29 March.
We have to do this because we want our members in Brugge to be safe on the streets; We don't want comrades to be murdered or attacked by fascists. We will show the Vlaams Blok that if they attack one member of us, or a left-wing individual, that they attack a whole organisation.
The re trial started on 14th November and continues on 28th November.
Please send mensages by fax to Dr Adriano Malalande 00+(Portuguese International Code)+01+4366483
The centre piece is to be a month long art exhibition opening on the 3rd October at the Centre for Modern Art (Address B. Yakimanka 6) organised by Moscow artist Anatolii Osmolovskii. The exhibition, entitled Anti-fascism and anti anti fascism; will be open from 12.00 to 20.00 Tuesday to Saturday until the beginning of November.
During the month, a programme of anti fascist video films and special discussions on various anti fascist themes is being organised. On Saturday the 5th a public meeting will be held entitled What is fascism and how to fight it; at the above venue. It is also intended to organise various anti racist, anti fascist activities, such as for example a picket of the Moscow government in protest at their campaign of harassment against caucasian and non Russian nationalities.
Schools and colleges are being approached to arrange for their students to visit the exhibition. We will then arrange for a short video film (based on a ten minute programme about the YRE in Russia recently produced by the St Peterburg 5th Channel) and for a discussion on racism and fascism.
At the end of the month, a founding conference of a CIS section of Youth against Racism is to be held. Interest in participating has already been expressed by youth groups from Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, Summi, Rovno, Lipetsk, Volgograd, Samara, Minsk, Vologda, Voronejh, Chelyabinsk, Kazakhstan, Lithuania and others.
Such events have huge significance where up to know, fascist groups have been practically unhindered in their activities and where almost all politicians, including to their eternal shame, leaders of the so called communist party base their electoral appeals on Russian patriotism;. In the recent election campaign, for example, Zyuganov spoke of +satanic plots; and a cosmopolitan conspiracy against Russia, his side kick Victor Anpilov complained that there were too many Jews on Russian television. The government parties are no better. Within minutes of the bomb attacks on the Moscow trolleybuses, Moscow Mayor Luzkhov stepped up the repression against Caucasians in the city even though many people think the bombs were more likely to have been connected to a dispute within Moscow's ruling elite after Lebed's appointment. When the YRE visited schools at the start of this year, school students expressed great resentment against the discrimination they face.
SPECIAL APPEAL:
Such an event is understandably not cheap. If you or your organisation is able to provide financial assistance, please send donations to Youth against Racism at the address - 125167 Moscow a/ya 37 preferably informing us by
E-mailFor further information about the activities of YRE in the CIS or if you wish to participate in the above activities, please contact us at the above addresses.
Yours in comradeship, Robert Jones.
"In Ireland where racism is not the main issue facing young people, because there are not big minority communities or organized fascist groups like in other European countrie, we felt there was not the basis to maintain the YRE as an exclusively anti racist organizations.
Youth Left Resistance (YLR) was launched with a gig and rally in 1995. Our main base then was among school studetns. Now we are involved in a campaign of 'outing' low-pay employers - exposing their wealth and contrasting it to the pay and conditions their young workers receive.
Recently we had a successful occupation of the Irish Business Employer's Confederation - occupying the lobby for half an hour, then continuing the protest outside. We got some coverage in the papers, and onto a radio show with a listenership of over 50,000 to discuss our campaign. We took part in the international day of protest against the deportation of African immigrants from France, organizing a protest outside the French Embassy.
YLR will continue to tackle the problem of discrimination in Ireland, and also the broader social issues affecting young people.
Contact YLR 353 - 1 - 677 2592 PO Box 3434, Dublin 1, Ireland.
Susan Fitzgerald.
French riot police attacked the 300 African immigrants occupying Saint Bernard Church in Paris's Goutte d'Or district at 7.30am on 23 August.
The CRS riot police and Gardes Mobiles cordoned off the area and broke into the church with axes and tear gassed those inside including terrified women and children.
Clickhere to read more.
Contact the French YRE : Fax number 00 331 48 57 68 62.
BNP 'book shop' closed for business
Youth against Racism in Europe, along with others, have conducted a six year long campaign to shut down the building in Bexley that the Nazi British National Party have been using as their national headquarters. This culminated in a local planning enquiry to investigate whether the building was being used as a book shop, as the BNP had claimed. As a result they were ordered by the council to remove all fortifications from the building within six months.
On 23rd August, Richard Edmunds, the BNP's National Organiser, was back in court for failure to restore a glazed shop front and roller shutter to their 'book shop' within the specified time limit. He pleaded guilty to this and was fined £800, plus costs of £200.
Since this successful court action Edmunds has announced that the BNP 'book shop' is now closed. The BNP are obviously saying this to circumvent any new court action relating to the planning enquiry. They understand that the next step for Bexley council would have been to monitor the premises to see if the roller shutter, now fitted, actually came up during the day exposing the glazed front and presumably a shop window displaying Nazi literature. If not, they would be liable for further prosecution and more hefty fines.
This announcement amounts to a huge defeate for the fascists. It would be impossible for them to open a book shop full of Nazi propaganda given the anger felt in the local community about their presence.
The mass demonstrations to close theie HQ made the campaign a national issue and forced the determination of thousands who wanted to halt the rise of racism and fascism in Britain. It is clear that because of the campaigns success they have virtually stopped any form of activity organised from the premises.
All of this is good news for those who have struggled since 1989 to close the HQ but we cannot be complacent. The BNP still own the building and Edmunds lives upstaires. The campaign to force them to pack up and go completely must continue.
YRE will be keeping an eye to the future. Cutbacks in benefits, high unemployment and poverty could lead to discontent under a Labour government, possibly resulting in renewed growth for the BNP.
Under these conditions they may feel confident to use the premises again as a HQ. The YRE will remain Vigilant and committed to countering the BNP where ever and whenever they try to organise.
Article by Lois Austin
THE THIRD conference of Youth Against Racism in Europe (YRE) opened with the launch of the YRE's national school pack.
Carlene Edwards, from Hackney YRE, outlined the work that they had done in schools, including speaking at assemblies and carrying out a survey of racism amongst school students.
Bobby from Hackney said that while there wasn't much racism at his school - because it gets stamped on - students don't get taught about black history or about racism. Teachers have to stick to certain subjects because of the national curriculum and that's why the school pack is useful.
The Justice rally was one of the highlights of the conference with speakers who had all suffered in different ways at the hands of the British Justice system.
Paddy Hill of the Birmingham Six, who spent 16 years in prison branded a terrorists for a crime he didn't commit, described how if your black, Asian or Irish the whole system discriminates against you.
In prison he met many others who had been on the receiving end of British injustice and vowed that when he was freed he would campaign on their behalf. As he said: "I've spent most of my time campaigning since I've got out. After 16 years in prison it's the only thing I'm qualified for."
Piara, from the Newham Monitoring Project, spoke on behalf of the Ibrahim Sey Memorial Campaign. Ibrahim, a fit and healthy 28-year-old who had been a professional footballer, was dead within hours of being taken into police custody and 'restrained' by the use of CS gas.
The brother and friend of Amer Rafiq, who lost his eye as a result of being attacked by the police in Manchester, described how Amer was assaulted by the police in a completely unprovoked attack.
None of the officers involved in either of these incidents have been suspended and the families of the victims are still waiting for explainations as to why innocent people have been killed and maimed by the police.
One of the most moving speakers was Margaret llin. Her husband, Mircea, fled Romania after years of beatings and torture. Mircea's claim for asylum has been turned down because Romania is on the government's White List of 'safe countries' and he is now under imminent threat of deportation.
The Home Office told Margaret that she must have known what Mircea's immigration status was when she married him. But as Margaret said: "You don't ask what someone's immigration status is before you fall in love."
The resistance rally included speakers from the Newbury by-pass road protest , the Mclibel campaign and Peter Tatchell from Outrage, the lesbian and gay rights organisation.
This broad platform of protesters reflected the wide-range of struggles that are currently taking place. Despite the diversity of these campaigns each speaker outlined how they have come up against a common enemy, the government and the system.
Jude Ritchie, from the YRE national committee, outlined the proposal for the YRE to continue campaigning against racism whilst at the same time launching a broader organisation to unite young people who want to struggle against the system.
This proposal was enthusiastically received by the conference and unanimously agreed. The debate on the name for the new organisation sparked one of the most controversial discussions with suggestions ranging from Young Socialists Action to Red Generation.
It was evetually agreed that the next national committee should look at the suggestions and decide on a name.
Jude summed up the session by saying that the Tories may try to convince us that this is a "Do It Yourself" society but we can change things by making sure we "Do It Together"!
Shiuli Begum, Manchester
I CAME to the conference because of racism. We've only lived in our new house for nine months and because we are the only Asian family in the street, we started getting a lot of hassle.
My mum started suffering stress and we had to walk my younger brother to school and bring him home again so he wouldn't get battered.
A lot of people see Asian people as a soft target because they don't want trouble. But we can't let them do that anymore.
At school, I got picked on once when I changed schools but the rest of the class was Asian and they all thought: "Well if she gets picked on, then the rests of us are going to get picked on, so we might as well stick up for her" and I didn't even know anyone in the class.
Young people do have a different attitude. If you teach them that it's wrong to be racist and it's wrong to have prejudice against other people that you don't know, then they will learn. The younger they teach people that then the less racism there will be.
Ajaz and Kasogi, Oldham
THE MAIN reason I'm at this conference is because I was on Wilmslow Road on the day that Amer Rafiq got attacked. It was our Eid celebrations and I felt really bitter, and it scared me. It chilled my heart because it could have been me. It could have been anyone.
I went to the march and I've got involved in the campaign and it's led to here. The stories that I've heard here, they're horrific. How could this be happening?
When people think of England, they think of human rights but where are they? These people are being treated like dirt.
The police are constantly harassing Asian youth. If there was a racist attack, who should I go to? The police? If I go to them, I'm going to the thugs.
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