The political pressure group Unite Against Fascism (UAF) was formed in 2003 primarily by the National Assembly Against Racism and the Socialist Workers Party of Britain to campaign against fascist organisations like the British National Party (BNP) which are fascist/racist in nature. The UAF was formed in the wake of growing political support for the BNP.
The chairman of the UAF is the ex Labour Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, there’s also high visibility people from all mainstream political parties involved with the UAF.
Unite Against Fascism organises demonstrations against the BNP and what the UAF believe are a part of the BNP (which the BNP deny) the English Defence League (EDL) a group that campaigns to halt the Islamification of the West. Both the British National Party and the English Defence League groups have used violence (incited racial hatred/violence) to reach their political goals!
The UAF’s main aims are to stop fascism in British politics and racially motivated hate crimes.
As a person who strongly believes in democracy and that we are all human no matter what the colour of our skin (we have much more in common than not in common) I, like the vast majority of the British people support Unite Against Fascism’s main goals (who wants fascist/racist people in power, certainly not I).
However, I don’t always agree with how the UAF go about campaigning/demonstrating against groups like the BNP/EDL. It’s in some respects a fight fire with fire campaign which is unfortunate because it detracts for their valid arguments against the BNP/EDL!
For example when the BNP won 2 MEP’s, the BNP leader, Nick Griffin called a press conference outside the Houses of Parliament. The UAF used violence and disrupted the press conference by throwing eggs which hit the BNP leader and members of the press. They also attacked Nick Griffin’s car and members of the public were hospitalised : A tourist was treated in an ambulance, after suffering an injured leg!
Unite Against Fascism Demonstration Against the BNP Video
This sort of violent activity makes the UAF appear as bad as the racist/violent organisations they campaign against and this is not the image a group trying to defend democracy should have.
There is something wrong when the BNP leader can rightly say:
“It’s a very, very sad day for British democracy,” and “People should be entitled to hear what we have to say and to hear journalists question us robustly.”
Don’t get me wrong, the UAF goals are admirable and I whole heartedly support them, it’s the UAF tactics I disagree with. The Unite Against Fascism demonstrations should be whiter than white (pun intended) and beyond repute.
Otherwise the BNP can argue they are a democratically elected party (almost 1 million people voted for the BNP in the 2009 European Election!) being stopped from exercising their democratic rights to speak to the press by a non elected group of left wing thugs!
You can not defend democracy from fascism by using fascist tactics against fascists! If you try to, does that not make you a fascist?
Demonstrate peacefully by all means, but do not act in a non democratic way, you are supposed to be defending British democracy not trampling on it because the ends justify the means!
David
Why do the UAF feel the need to protest every tim the BNP or EDL have a say in the media? Are they scared that the real truth will come out on just what is happening in this country. I am not a supporter of the UAF but when they hold a meeting I don’t go to it and protest. My grandfather and millions of men and women fought and died in world wars so that I could have freedom of speech in my country but it seems if its not what UAF want then they protest.
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Could it be the BNP and EDL are racists, fascists, Nazis who hate ethnic minorities, immigrants, Muslims and homosexuals and the UAF are concerned about the violence towards ethnic minorities, gays ect. whenever the BNP and EDL make headway in an area?
Just throwing this out as an idea.
True Brit, I am a fully paid up member of the BNP and very proud of the fact and I am even more proud of my country. I can honestly say that I do not hate anybody but how can you call the BNP racist when it has seikhs who are also fully paid up memebers? Over 70 UAF members were arrested at the recent marches in Bolton but the EDL are described as thugs by the media and press the truth is out there
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That last line about using fascist policies to fight fascism, making them a little bit fascist themselves, is a point I’ve made numerous times before. It’s nice to see someone else finding the same internal contradiction in the UAF’s tactics.
It’s also quite funny – you mention the BNP being able to claim their freedom of speech is being removed by left-wing thugs, and what’s “Robbo” doing?
Precisely that. Hit the nail on the head.
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We have heard from a good source that 70 Africans have been welcomed in to Rotherham, 10 of them have full blown AIDS and the rest have HIV. A well known HOMO SEXUAL SINGER has funded this, what a Rocket Man!!! There are at least 500 more that we know about who have been accepted within the Yorkshire area. How many more are there who have been accepted by other Boroughs??? It’s almost as if our Government diseases!!!! Well the next thing we will encounter is Pakistani’s coming here with Yellow Fever, Typhus, Plague, Cholera after the floods! Never mind their infestations of TB!!! I am sick of Charities and Do Gooders of this land Charity is killing us!!!!!! Can’t people see????? This is ethnic cleansing by germ warfare and the people in power are either stupid or too naive to realise what is going on right under our noses!!!!!! The 3rd world countries of Islam want us out of the way so that they can colonise this green and pleasant land The papers and the TV News Desks have been told not to release the news regarding this goings on and we have a right to know!! Why do they say nothing to us??????? Why do they silence us??? UAF and the Liberal thinking idiots have got us into a right mess and yes we do need the BNP and yes we do need the EDL and many more that see the truth and tell the truth too!!!! Let’s see how long this post stays on before it’s removed.
Regards
Jon
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Well said Jon.
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