Solidarity – Direct Action – Mutual Support and anarchism in NorthantsNorthants Direct Action is happy to update and report that following
its launch last November 2015, and constituting ourselves this March
2016; NDA has continued to hold monthly organising meetings and more
importantly to express resistance in Northampton itself and enable
members to support activities beyond.
We have an active core of around 10 – 15 people, another 20 or so who
come to events and a regular periphery of 50 interested friends
comprising a reasonable mix of ages and genders.
NDA is anarchist in the broad sense; we have people interested in
libertarian communisim, antifascism, anarcho-syndicalism and animal liberation. We have members who are ‘anarcho-curious’ as well as
regular left wingers who want to be involved in direct action organised on
Our monthly Organising Meetings function well enough to take care of
the purposely minimal NDA administration; and continue to focus on
organising actions. We occasionally hold adhoc planning meetings if
required. Activities
Over the last several months NDA been involved in:
– Facing down fascism in our local area, surrounding area and beyond with
over 10 events since formation such as opposing the EDL in Coventry
Dover and Notts Casual Infidels.
– NDA made national evening news when, with black flags flying,
we prevented Nigel Farage coming to Northampton Town centre in his open
topped UKIP bus on the 31st May of this year.
– Picketing the local conservative club next to the general hospital
during the junior doctors strike.
– Handing out flowers to migrants in Northampton to show they are welcome.
– NDA members are doing a talk at the Earth First Gathering in Northampton and a stall the same weekend at the Umbrella Fair Festival on 20th/21st of this month.
We want to start deepening NDA with more social type events and will
be holding an anarchist picnic soon.
About Northamptonshire
Despite having a diverse community and a strong economy,
Northamptonshire now has a very apathetic and conservative outlook on
things. It’s a town which previously had a very long history of
radicalism, trade unionism and left wing activism up until the closure
of the towns shoe factories. The town now has a ‘reformed economy’
based on a mix of call centres, administration centres, retail and
finance.
As a result trade union activity is all but extinct and there are no
political leaders wanting to promote a social justice agenda. The
impact of this has resulted in an area that used to be referred to as
a solid “Labour Heartland” turning in to a Tory central. All of
Northamptonshire’s 7 MPs are Conservatives and all solid Brexiters
(including Peter Bone and Angela Leadsom) and all but 1 of our 6
councils are Tory run. The leaders of these councils openly make
claims such as “homelessness is a lifestyle choice” and that
“refugees are not welcome here!”. Shamefully last year the Borough
Council voted against housing 50 Syrian refugee families anywhere in
Northamptonshire over the next 5 years! Not one single family!
Due to this and given the lack of leadership from the established left
wing political parties; we formed a group of activists who are
experienced in organising and promoting demonstrations. The group is
willing to get involved in civil disobedience and protests to
highlight social injustice, counter racism and promote an anarchist
communist world view.
Northamptonshire Direct Action have the following aims:
1) Resist those that oppress us
2) Oppose all forms of bigotry
3) Build Solidarity in Northants
4) Support Direct Action
5) Increase Social Ownership
6) All members are equal
We believe that people with lived experience of the issues you focus
on should lead the work. We operate
on a committee basis with revolving chair and notetaker meeting
monthly where all members have an equal voice.