Merseyside UAF Novmber newsletter

Merseyside Unite Against Fascism Newsletteruafliverpool@googlemail.com / 07908 202 006

1. Report - National Demo & Carnival 6 November London2. Merseyside UAF meeting, Tuesday 23rd November
3. Police drop Bolton conspiracy charges against UAF leaders

4. National Appeal for funds

 

1. Report - National Demo & Carnival 6 November London

Link to video of demo :

http://uaf.org.uk/2010/11/video-6-november-antiracist-march-and-carnival/

Full report : http://uaf.org.uk/2010/11/exuberant-demo-says-no-to-racism-fascism-islamophobia/

Text :

Saturday 6 November 2010

Exuberant demo says no to racism, fascism and Islamophobia

Around 5,000 black, white and Asian people marched through central London today in a lively and spirited demonstration against racism, fascism and Islamophobia.
The march, called by UAF and Love Music Hate Racism, was supported by the TUC and the Muslim Council of Britain. But it was the presence of large number of young people, school and university students that gave the demo its exuberant character.

Our streets

Marchers showed their opposition to the fascist British National Party and the racist thugs of the English Defence League – which particularly targets Muslims.
The demonstrators chanted: “Whose streets? Our streets” and “EDL, go to hell – take your Nazi mates as well” as the march wound out of the West End and down Whitehall to Westminster.
Along with the chanting, many danced along behind carnival floats, with music from artists supporting LMHR.

Stand together

At Westminster, the protesters heard from a range of speakers, including George Galloway, Hugh Lanning, deputy general secretary of the PCS civil service union and poet Zita Holbourne of Black Activists Rising Against Cuts.
UAF officer and LMHR national coordinator Martin Smith told the crowd that it was important for antiracists and antifascists to mobilise against the EDL. He said:
There’s a debate in the antifascist movement right now. And it’s one that says: ‘If the English Defence League comes to your town or city, stay at home, close your doors, ignore them and they’ll go away.’ I say that’s rubbish, that’s absolue rubbish. Because if you give an inch to a fascist, they’ll come back for more and more.
First it will be the veil, then it will be the mosques, then it will be your trade unions, the socialists, then LGBT people… so we do not give an inch. When they attack one community, we stand together, united.
He urged everyone to join a national mobilisation against the EDL in Luton in February.

Caught the mood

There was more music, featuring artists including radical rapper Lowkey and up-and-coming young band Flow Dem, who caught the mood with their song Racial Ting: “It’s not a racial ting, it’s a white black mixed race Asian ting!”
Speaking after the demo, UAF joint secretary Weyman Bennett said:
Thousands of people turned out on a very lively demo to show they reject racism, fascism and Islamophobia. Now we need to build on that success, building bigger local groups and setting up new ones around the country.
We will also be mobilising for a national counter-demonstration against the EDL in Luton on 5 February 2011.

2. Merseyside UAF Meeting - Wednesday 29 September 7pm, Tuesday 23rd November
Casa, Hope Street, Liverpool

This meeting is open to all Merseyside Unite Against Fascism supporters and members, so please come along.  This is your opportunity to get involved and have your say on how we should move our campaign forward at a local level.

3. Police drop Bolton conspiracy charges against UAF leaders

The police have dropped all charges against leading UAF members Weyman Bennett and Rhetta Moran arising from the demonstration against the racist English Defence League in March.

Unprecedented charges

Weyman, who is joint national secretary of UAF, and Rhetta, joint secretary of Greater Manchester UAF, were both arrested on the demo and faced potential charges of conspiracy to incite violent disorder – an offence that could carry a substantial jail term.
Antifascist campaigners argued that this unprecedented use of conspiracy laws was a threat not just to the right to protest against fascism, but could curtail the right to any public protest in a serious blow to civil liberties.
But all charges against the two have now been dropped.
Weyman said:
This is a victory for antifascists and for the right to protest. It is a disgrace that police were prepared to use such charges against antifascists and antiracists. I’m proud to say that the threat of these charges has not deterred any of us from continuing to stand up against the EDL – racist thugs with fascists in their midst.
>> For more, see justice4bolton

  

4. National Appeal for Funds - Help Us Raise £60,000
 UAF has been at the forefront of campaigning against the EDL - we have organised 30 mobilisations against them over the past year. We have also campaigned against the fascist BNP, printing and distributing millions of leaflets and getting out on the knocker to beat back the Nazis at the elections.

But all this costs money - we urgently need YOUR help to keep up the campaign against the racists and fascists!

Go to uaf.org.uk/join-donate and sign up as a solidarity member to make a regular contribution.
  

In solidarity

Michelle Smith

Merseyside Unite Against Fascismuafliverpool@googlemail.com / 07785265298