The fake news spread after the horrifying Southport stabbings was not the cause but the trigger for this decentralised mobilisation
The far right stepped up its offensive street presence over the weekend. There were attacks on individuals and buildings (including homes, shops and at least one mosque), as well as confrontations with police, in Belfast, Bristol, Hull, Manchester, Nottingham, Southport, Sunderland, Blackpool, Liverpool, and Stoke-on-Trent, among others.
Saturday’s events came after a riot in Southport on Tuesday (July 30), following fake news spread by groups like Patriotic Alternative after the horrifying stabbings there. Yet this was just the trigger for this weekend’s events, which follow on from previous Saturday’s (July 27) “worryingly large” demonstration in London led by Tommy Robinson.
Similar to the emergence of the EDL and the riots following the Lee Rigby killing, Saturday’s events were a decentralised mobilisation, largely organised by autonomous local or regional groups connected on social media.
Counter-demos were organised at short notice, promoted by moderate organisations like Stand Up To Racism but also by more militant participants. In Bristol, about 300 fascists faced a counter demo of 1000 or more. Police lost control at times. Below, what appears to be far right supporters are seen clashing with local anti-fascists who are stopping them from attacking a refugee shelter.
A clash between the sides was also recorded in Blackpool.
Photographs from Sheffield show a man before and after apparent injury by antifascists
In contrast, from Leeds it was reported that — unlike media and NGO accounts — the fascists took control of the city centre for extended periods of time. Twice they managed to march despite the counter-protests and police. “It’s hard to lose a situation, but it makes it much harder to win the next if that losing is painted as a win”, said a local activist on her Facebook page. “But the word is the fash are back. In numbers. And the left is currently limp and totally on the back foot. I’m sure we have diverging opinions on why, but I’m also sure we agree there needs to be unity of opposition, boldness, courage, tolerance for different outlooks within the broad alliance necessary to stop scum like this owning our towns and cities”.
It remains to be seen whether the weekend’s racist riots are a post-election binge or new surge for the far right, and how far they will allow the Labour government to push restrictions on protest even further. In the meantime, the Anti-Fascist Network has a guide to effective mass mobilisation and many other resources on its website.
~ Scott Harris
