Good turn out for Derbyshire anti-BNP rally, shame about the tactics

Around 600 people turned up to protest against the BNP's fascist festival in Denby, Derbyshire. It was a good turn out and there was plenty of anger, determination and good arguments but division and poor tactics meant that we didn't get to stop the BNP. There were trade union banners from Unison, RMT, Unite, NUT, NASUWT, GMB and other unions. The crowd assembled in Codnor from 9 a.m. but it wasn’t until about half past ten that the rally got started.

UAF join the main demo

There was confusion at first because the Unite Against Fascism (UAF) demonstration, which about a third of the crowd identified with, seemed to be assembling in a different point but after about half an hour of exhortations from various people and speakers at the rally organised by Notts Stop the BNP they came over to join the main rally.

First there was a rally with local people and trade unionists saying how much they hated the BNP and what we should do about it. Several trade unionists said that fascists should be expelled from the unions – which got loud cheers!

Speeches were all fine and good, making the valid points that the great majority of people, including local people who were well represented, oppose the racist hatred of the BNP but that we also need to organise an alternative to despair, so that people sick of poor services, jobs and lack of housing don’t turn to the fascists for solutions. This is crucial – only the organised working class through demonstrations, strike action and occupations can force real change that improves all our lives. However, I was getting increasingly frustrated and several people in the crowd were agreeing with me that the main event we’d come to disrupt – the BNP’s festival – was a couple of miles down the road.

Of course militant anti-fascism isn’t enough, but just talking about solutions isn’t either. If we could show that we, local people and trade unionists from up and down the country, can turf out the BNP to defend our communities against racist and homophobic attacks and assaults on trade unionists, then this is part of the solution too – showing that we don’t just talk about solutions but are prepared to implement them as well. And of course we can use this as a model to take direct action against the privateers, against the corporate giants and the government cutting wages, increasing energy prices, and spiraling mortgages and rents, thus combining militant action with wider political questions into a strategy for ordinary working class people to take power in their lives.

Weyman Bennett and the police

Eventually at about 11.45 we were allowed under fairly heavy police escort of some 200 or so officers to proceed towards Denby where the fascists were assembling. Even here the UAF main organiser, Weyman Bennett, insisted on stopping the march to have the UAF banner at the front and asked the police to remove protestors from Notts Stop the BNP from the front of the march! However,  this was merely a sign of things to come. Protestors chanted, "Whose streets? Our streets!" and "Black and white! Unite and fight! Smash the BNP!", and it was generally good natured and determined until we were stopped at the top of the hill a few hundred yards from the entrance to the farm where the fascists were starting to gather. Police sent for reinforcements and blocked the road with vans. Protestors linked arms and started to push forward.

Here though, a division emerged as, incredibly and with no word to the main crowd, the UAF organiser Weyman Bennett arranged with the police for a police corral and escort, pushing other protestors out of the way,  to take just 30 people selected by him as a delegation to the farm. A number of the UAF supporters even tried to discourage pushing and said we should sit down – about 30-40 people did sit down but after jeers and arguments got up again. Most people however carried on pushing, chanting, "Let’s all go!" and "We shall pass!" But after a few serious attempts it came to a tense standstill, and then later fizzled out as we waited for the “delegation” to come back. Weyman Bennett attempted to justify the decision for the delegation but was challenged vocally from the crowd who had not been consulted.

Bob Crow

Bob Crow, General Secretary of the RMT, gave a good fighting speech on why we should oppose the BNP, fight for an alternative to capitalism and not allow ourselves to be divided in any future demonstration. Reaction of passers-by was mixed, with some hooting their car horns in support or calling out approval but some others looking bemused or even annoyed at our presence. Generally, however, when we spoke to them they seemed to be on our side with only a few exceptions (even they blamed the BNP it’s just that a few blamed us as well!)

Lessons

Despite the valiant attempt by many, we did not break through the police line. However, there were several weak points where we could have done with some forward planning. For example, if we had had one group ready and organised to go down secretly to the farm first to divert police attention whilst others had looked for breaches in the defense and another group primed the crowd to run for it, we could have most likely broken out of the police lines. It is essential that we build a mass anti-fascist movement which is organised enough so that some people can be sent out as spotters, others as advanced squads, others to take part in the organisation of the crowd and all to be held accountable to the mass democracy of the movement. There was enough determination to push through but next time we need bigger numbers and much better organisation. These lessons need to be absorbed and built on in local organizations up and down the country in order to begin to rebuild a working class movement with anti-fascism at its core.

Police attack anti-fascists

It later emerged that a smaller group of around 70 anti-fascists had got to the site earlier that morning and put up a determined fight leading to 33 arrests, as police showed once again their complete determination to protect a field full of fascists by any means necessary. The BNP didn't even need to enter the fight! The bravery of these activists is to be applauded. However, in future it would be good to co-ordinate with the mass demonstration by making sure in advance that such links are organised. This is no criticism at all of those activists on the day who worked out easily enough that the main event was going to be penned in and prevented from taking direct action. It is, though, a lesson for future planning to make sure that direct action by advanced squads can take place at roughly the same time so as to maximise the chances of everyone who wanted to to invade the fascists’ camp and shut it down.

No repeat of UAF divide and rule

The UAF’s attempt to divide the movement against the grassroots campaigns of the local organisers from the Amber Valley and Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire must not be allowed to be repeated.

All in all, it was a good turn out and a valiant attempt. It did show that whenever and wherever the fascists congregate that people from near and far are determined to shut them down and that the fascist BNP can only operate their meetings to plan more racist murders and more attacks on working class communities by having hundreds of police to protect them. Anti-fascists everywhere should take heart from the depth of feeling against the fasicsts' message of race hatred. But we cannot be complacent. We need to build bigger, better and deeper and be more organised to make sure that next time deeds meet words and that we really do smash the BNP!

Sat 16, August 2008 @ 19:59