The last fortnight has shown both the danger of the far right and the growing confidence of the anti-racist movement.
From Edinburgh to Birmingham, Tower Hamlets to Southampton, Manchester to Epsom, fascists and racists have tried to exploit knife attacks, Islamophobic panic and anti-migrant lies to build on the streets. Their aim is clear: to turn every tragedy into a racial flashpoint, every rumour into a mobilisation, and every local fear into fuel for a wider racist movement.
But the response has also been clear. Stand Up to Racism groups, Women Against the Far Right, trade unionists and local communities have mobilised quickly and repeatedly. In Edinburgh, 5,000 marched after racist knife attacks. In Birmingham, Britain First was humiliated. In Tower Hamlets, fascist activist “Posie Parker” was outnumbered and driven away from Whitechapel. In Manchester, Restore Britain provocateur “Young Bob” was met with organised opposition. In Epsom and Southampton, local anti-racists showed that the fascists will not be allowed to turn racist violence into momentum.
The far right is active, but it is also fragmented. Britain First is split and demoralised. Tommy Robinson’s networks are trying to recover from setbacks. Restore Britain is attempting to give the hardest racist layers a new political home. Local provocateurs are trying to keep the atmosphere of intimidation alive. Yet, wherever anti-racists organise seriously, they can blunt, expose and isolate these forces.
This bulletin brings together reports from the past fortnight.
Anti-racists mobilise in Edinburgh after racist knife attack
On Saturday 27 June, Edinburgh anti-racists organised a mass response to the racist knife attack in Leith a week beforehand, which left five injured and many local people feeling terrorised.
A 36-year-old was arrested after using a weapon to attack people around the Broomhouse Mosque, screaming Islamophobic abuse and claiming he was doing this “for our country”.
The Reclaim Our Streets demonstration brought 5,000 people out, with Stand Up to Racism activists, trade unionists and local community members at the heart of it. It was backed by famous faces such as comedian Frankie Boyle.
Lawyer Aamer Anwar addressed the rally, placing the blame for the attack on the racist rhetoric of Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson, with Edinburgh Stand Up to Racism arguing that Farage’s call for “pure, cold rage” had created the conditions for an intensification of racist violence.
Birmingham antifascists deliver blow to crumbling Britain First
On Saturday 20 June, antifascists humiliated Britain First in Brimingham, with an 800-strong Stand Up to Racism demonstration confronting just 200 fascists.
Antifascists had travelled from across the West Midlands, including contingents from Coventry, Warwick and Walsall.
Although the police allowed Britain First to march and prevented anti-racists from blocking their route, the fascists still look demoralised, deepening the problems faced by the small Nazi group, which is a successor organisation to the British National Party.
As Searchlight magazine has reported, Britain First führer Paul Golding has recently claimed that his party is in dire financial straits, saying, “Our party coffers are empty.” Of course, these statements were used to support the inevitable call for donations from supporters, so should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt, but Britain First is certainly facing serious problems.
The most significant of these is the split between Britain First and a new organisation, All for England, which has been set up by Ashlea Simon, Golding’s former romantic partner and deputy leader. This new Nazi fragment has drawn support away from Britain First’s activist base, including some well-known faces inside the party such as Alex Merola, who has defected to Simon’s outfit.
The split reflects the earlier fragmentation of Britain First when Golding’s previous partner and deputy leader, Jayda Fransen, left the party and set up a new organisation with neo-Nazi has-been Nick Griffin. Fransen said that she had been forced to leave Britain First because of Golding’s extreme domestic abuse of her, pointing to the hypocrisy of his claims to want to protect women and girls from abusive Muslim men.
Fransen also claimed that Golding watches Hitler speeches every morning while eating his breakfast cereal in his underpants. It is currently unknown whether Simon was forced out of Britain First by Golding’s abuse, his bizarre and vile personal habits, or his political failings. Whichever it is, it is clear that consistent antifascist pressure can smash apart this ailing neo-Nazi sect.
Taking on “Posie Parker” and Katie Hopkins
Stand Up to Racism has been mobilising against fascist activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also known by her “Posie Parker” pseudonym.
Keen became famous through her attacks on transgender people, but she has increasingly become openly identified with the fascist movement and Tommy Robinson. At Robinson’s 16 May demonstration in Central London, Keen said that the movement needs to work to “remove Islam” from Parliament. She also made a rambling and racist speech at the demonstration in Southampton on 2 June, which descended into rioting.
On Saturday 27 June, Keen and around 30 supporters attempted a rally in Whitechapel, but were instead faced with 150 counterdemonstrators from Women Against the Far Right and Tower Hamlets Stand Up to Racism. Despite her claims to be a protector of women’s rights, her supporters wore MAGA hats, indicating their support for Donald Trump, who has been found liable for rape, was the best friend of international paedophile ring kingpin Jeffrey Epstein, and is an enemy of abortion rights and women.
The opposition to her demonstration left the racist rally stranded under a tree in Victoria Park, with Keen bitterly complaining to her supporters that the counter-demonstration was part of “the regime”.
Elsewhere, 80 counter-demonstrators from Leicester Stand Up to Racism picketed the Athena Hotel on Thursday 25 June, which was hosting a “comedy” show by the deeply unfunny Katie Hopkins, another ally of Robinson.
Hopkins, who also shared the stage with Robinson and Keen on 16 May in London, has called migrants “cockroaches”—a chilling echo of the Nazis’ description of Jews as “vermin” during the Third Reich—and called for small boats to be attacked by gunboats in the English Channel.
Restore Britain provocateur “Young Bob” given short shrift in Manchester
The teenage fascist provocateur “Young Bob”, whose real name is Thomas Moffitt, returned to Manchester on Saturday 27 June after being driven off the streets a week beforehand by local young people.
Moffitt was a member of Nick Tenconi’s tiny UKIP cult, but he is now a supporter of Restore Britain and campaigned for the party during the Makerfield by-election. His efforts included driving a “Muslims for Reform”-branded van through the constituency in an attempt to convince voters that Reform UK is insufficiently racist and somehow pro-Muslim.
Moffitt returned to Manchester alongside his fascist bodyguard, Fred Willis, a public school-educated thug and former musician who was kicked out of the metal scene for being far right. In his usual attempt to provoke a reaction from normal people and then claim victimhood when he faces the consequences, Moffitt set up a stall on Market Street and began arguing with shoppers about racist politics.
Stand Up to Racism set up a stall in opposition, which was flooded with people aggravated by Moffitt and eager to join the opposition to his far-right project.
Anti-racists bring unity to Surrey after fascist pogrom
Epsom and Ewell Stand Up to Racism brought 100 anti-racists together for a day of unity on Saturday 27 June, responding to the attempts of fascists to organise in their local area.
Back in April, hundreds of fascists descended on the town of Epsom, on the border between London and Surrey, after reports of a horrific sexual assault.
Despite no evidence that any migrants or refugees were involved, fascist agitator and Tommy Robinson wannabe Daniel Thomas, who calls himself Danny Tommo, spread rumours about the case and led a demonstration in Epsom town centre. A later demonstration saw fascists storm a hotel, demanding to know if there were “foreigners” there, before smashing the windows of a nearby house because they believed the residents were not white.
Despite his claims to want to protect women from the crimes of migrants, he is in fact a convicted violent criminal who was sent to prison for his part in an attempt to kidnap a man using a knife.
Thomas was also central to the riots in Southampton in early June, and he is trying to build a network of fascists across South East England, including among former BNP members and Nazi sympathisers in the London boroughs of Merton and Sutton.
The unity event in Epsom was a great success, with the crowd hearing from Stand Up to Racism activists as well as workers involved in the strike at Institute for Cancer Research in Sutton.
Additional reporting – Unity Event report from 27th June
Around 100 people joined Epsom & Ewell SUTRs first ever event.
Held in Rosebery Park, it brought together community orgs, faith groups, political reps and local residents.
The event was organised in response to recent attempts by far-right activists to exploit events in Epsom and spread division and misinformation in our community. Earlier this year, far-right groups mobilised in the town following allegations of a serious assault, targeting migrants and falsely claiming that asylum seekers were responsible despite police confirming there was no evidence to support these claims. Anti-racists in Epsom responded by organising and building unity across the community.
Speakers included Ammo and Naim from Epsom & Ewell Stand Up To Racism. With statements read on behalf of the local Sikh and Muslim communites. Other speakers included Epsom & Ewell MP Helen Maguire (Lib Dem), Reverend Hutton from Epsom Methodist Church, Michaela from South London SUTR, Tommy from Sutton SUTR and reps from Labour and Green parties.
Stall holders included Epsom & Ewell Climate Action Network, Sutton Friends of Palestine, the Green Party, the Labour Party, and Climate Dice!
The event featured live music from local band Canada Hill and DJ sets from Jonathan, local Green Party representative.
A highlight of the day was the fantastic community support. AJ and family from Metropolis in Epsom held a food stall, while members of the local Sikh community supplied free ice lollies and soft drinks for all attendees.
The success of this first event has given Epsom & Ewell SUTR a strong foundation to continue building. 💚
Southampton anti-racists keep fascists cornered
On Saturday 20 June, fascists attempted to mobilise again in Southampton, just weeks after Tommy Robinson led a demonstration in the city that ended in a racist mob rioting.
Only around 40 fascists turned out, and they were confronted by a much larger crowd of 175 anti-racists from Southampton Stand Up to Racism.
The fascists are praying for a rerun of the riots in August 2024, when asylum seeker accommodation was attacked across the country, but consistent opposition from antifascists is blocking their path.