Countermobilisation stops fascism, not state bans

Following two city centre confrontations in Birmingham in recent weeks, voices have been raised for the police to impose a ban on the English Defence League and other right-wing groups from holding marches or rallies in Birmingham- citing the precedent of Luton where a three month ban is now in place.

This email has been circulated by West Midlands Unite Against Fascism, presumably with the approval of the local Socialist Workers Party:

Please forward to the following.
RH Alan Johnson Home Secretary - public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Chief Constable West Midlands Police - contactus@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk
Cabinet Member for Equalities of Birmingham City Council -Alan.Rudge@birmingham.gov.uk
The English Defence League has already come to Birmingham twice. Their conduct on both occasions, and the statements of their supporters on the Internet, clearly demonstrate their racist intent. Their presence threatens to produce conflict in our city, and they are now saying they will return in September.
While the right to assembly and free speech are important rights, they do not extend to inciting racial and religious hatred, especially where this has the potential to cause violence. If an explicitly racist organisation is allowed to rally in the centre of Birmingham, with its supporters hurling racist abuse, it is highly likely that disturbances will ensue.
The EDL has already been banned from Luton by the Chief Constable, supported by the Home Secretary, and we believe that Birmingham should follow this sensible example.

Speaking passionately at a UAF public meeting on 23rd August, and addressing her comments to the senior police officers in attendance, Salma rightly pointed out that the police, media and some figures in the local council had simply sought to portray recent confrontations between EDL and UAF as two gangs intent on nothing more than a punch-up. There is a reluctance from the establishment to recognise that the EDL and similar groups are racist and a tendency to accept their claims to be marching against ‘Islamic extremism’ or ‘Sharia law’. Salma quite legitimately asks that the police take seriously the threat posed to minority communities- principally Muslims- but then frames this as a demand for a ban on them holding marches or rallies in the city, which would send out the message that they are not a legitimate organisation.

Whilst we have no regard for abstract ‘democratic rights’ for the preachers of racial hatred and for those who use those rights to organise to deprive others of their rights- all too often such bans are used against the left and minority communities, against our legitimate right to protest and our right to self-defence.

Indeed, Alan Rudge- Cabinet Member for Equalities & Birmingham City Council's representative for “community cohesion” has already written to his colleagues:

“I deplore the demonstrations held by both the United Against Fascism (UAF) and the English and Welsh Defence League (EWDL).
Demonstrations of this nature merely seek to cause disunity and conflict between and across our communities often for political gain. I am determined that scenes of this nature will not be repeated on our streets and I have written to West Midlands police in order that we can work together to prevent any further scenes of this nature.”

There is every likelihood that a ban on demonstrations would be a blanket ban. This would affect not only UAF campaigning activity but may impact on the day of action for the Vestas workers on 17th September and the national Pensioners Convention rally on the 17th October. It would certainly restrict our ability to respond quickly to events.

Indeed, if we accept the precedent of allowing the state to ban demonstrations because there might be ‘trouble’ then it puts in jeopardy future anti-fascist events such as the recent successful mobilisation at Codnor as the police might be tempted to ban public demonstrations from an area whilst allowing the fascists to go ahead with a rally or festival which, since it is on private land, they have no current power to ban.

In this context, it is worth quoting from an excellent article which appeared in the Socialist Workers Party’s Socialist Review in 2001 by Chris Bambery and Lindsay German:

“We cannot rely on the ruling class, whatever liberal noises it makes, to stop the Nazis. This is especially true over the question of banning the Nazis. It seems an attractive option --after all, how better to get the Nazis off the streets--but the experience is that such bans have nearly always been used to stop the left mobilising. The 1936 Public Order Act was rushed through after 100,000 workers stopped the British Union of Fascists marching through the East End of London at Cable Street. The police had made a determined attempt to clear the way for the fascists but were defeated by mass mobilisation. A Tory government promised the new law would stop the fascists. In reality it has been used against trade unionists and the left.

Bans have been used to demobilise the anti-fascist movement. What is happening under New Labour is worse than that. The bans are primarily aimed at preventing anti-fascist and anti-racist activities. It reached a new low in Welshpool, where the BNP staged a 'Red, White and Blue Festival', when Anti Nazi League activists were individually banned from the town, an exclusion zone was created round the town, and police said nobody would be allowed through unless they produced a BNP membership card! Anti-fascists are then presented as the problem.

The only guarantee of stopping the Nazis is by mobilising wherever they try and organise.”

Have the SWP comrades now changed their tune?

Rob Marsden