tedious trot bickering....bin
Why is UAF splitting the anti-fascist movement? For a united demonstration against the BNP on 16 August!
Thanks, George, Jess and others...
I find the attitude that this is just bickering between different left groups very depressing. Look at the facts, please! A local demo against the BNP is organised by local unions (and now regional and national unions too), local anti-fascist groups, different socialists, ANARCHISTS, student activists etc etc etc - and UAF first ignore it and then organise their own separate demo.
We need workers' and anti-fascist unity, a united front against the BNP.
Sacha wrote:
We need workers' and anti-fascist unity, a united front against the BNP.
Because that always ends so well for anarchists 
Don't get me wrong, I do see anti-fascist organising as an important part of what we do, but I'm somewhat less than interested in forming "united fronts" with people whose answer to racism and the oppression of immigrants is to vote Labour.
Sacha wrote:
We need workers' and anti-fascist unity, a united front against the BNP.
the BNP would like to be in a position to attack workers, but recently unison amongst others have been doing more of that (i.e. ignoring strike votes and witch-hunting militants during last year's pay dispute). we should join a united front with them against a bogeyman why?
georgestapleton wrote:
I think its actually not tedious trot bickering because antifa (the "leftist form of 'anti-fascism'" most anarchists do support) are to my knowledge very involved in organising the protest.
Where's the heavily involved antifa mentioned in the post, did sacha forget to mention them? Tedious trot bickering and revisionism???
If you don't believe me, have a look at the Antifa website.
Yes, the union bureaucracy sells out workers - funny, I do know that, have experienced it myself and have been involved in exposing and denouncing it. But arguing that we can't therefore work with the unions to fight the BNP is a bit like arguing that when workers do succeed in forcing them to organise strikes, we shouldn't strike.
Oh, hang on... some anarchists do argue that! But not the sensible ones...
sacha wrote:
Yes, the union bureaucracy sells out workers - funny, I do know that, have experienced it myself and have been involved in exposing and denouncing it. But arguing that we can't therefore work with the unions to fight the BNP is a bit like arguing that when workers do succeed in forcing them to organise strikes, we shouldn't strike.
but what threat are the BNP? like i say if you were to rank various groups by attacks on workers then the Labour Party and the unions would rank far higher, so by your logic surely we should be uniting with the BNP to fight Labour and the unions?
and fwiw i don't think unions 'sell out' workers - their very function is to mediate between labour and capital and to act as an outsourced (and more credible) HR department for the bosses, that's why they're legal. not to say people shouldn't be members or strike with them etc, but uncritical 'unity' is a non-starter from any kind of class struggle perspective.
Sacha wrote:
If you don't believe me, have a look at the Antifa website.
Hi Sacha. It looks as though you've got me wrong what i'm saying is in regards to your original post, if antifa are so heavily involved why don't they get even the smallest of mentions, hence my mention of revisionism (another trotskyist trait , along with bickering), cos i'm sure bob crows been putting in a lot of groundwork...
georgestapleton wrote:
I think its actually not tedious trot bickering because antifa (the "leftist form of 'anti-fascism'" most anarchists do support) are to my knowledge very involved in organising the protest.
Na the protest isn't trot bickering, but this original post starting this thread clearly is.
Quote:
After months of refusing to acknowledge the issue at all - ignoring repeated invitations to come and get involved in the organisation of the protest, and refusing to announce it from the platform at various national events .......
I mean come on don't be naive, this is the AWL we're talking about here, do you think they're more interested in ''anti-fascist unity'' or in recruiting yet more dissiliusioned ex-SWP members by screaching hysterically about how the UAF's behaviour is ''bizarre and outrageous''.
If i wanted to hear abut the nottingham protest i'd go read up on anti-fa or email some mates up there or whatever, i dont need to read a straight repost from their website by an AWL hack, especially not on libcom.
Please circulate and publish this text. It was not issued by Notts Stop the BNP or the other sponsors of the anti-BNP protest, but by a group of concerned activists who want to see a united demonstration on 16 August.
Between 15 and 17 August, the British National Party will be holding its annual Red, White and Blue "festival" at Codnor-Denby in Derbyshire on land owned by former BNP councillor Alan Warner. For months now, local anti-fascist groups and trade unions have been working to organise a protest on 16 August.
This protest was initiated by Nottinghamshire Stop the BNP, a campaign launched in January by a conference of one hundred labour movement, student and anti-fascist activists sponsored by local unions including FBU, UCU, Unison and the NUT. Notts Stop the BNP aims to build an anti-fascist movement on a working-class basis - mobilising mass action to physically confront the fascists and raising social demands around issues like jobs, homes and services to undercut their base.
The protest also involves Derby Unite Against Fascism, other local anti-fascist groups and a multitude of trade union organisations. East Midlands Unison, East Midlands TUC and the rail union RMT are sponsoring it, and RMT general secretary Bob Crow will be speaking.
Unfortunately, the national Unite Against Fascism organisation has been less keen to support the protest. After months of refusing to acknowledge the issue at all - ignoring repeated invitations to come and get involved in the organisation of the protest, and refusing to announce it from the platform at various national events - UAF has now called its own protest, taking place just down the road and at a different time from where and when the main protest is taking place!! (The UAF website implies that theirs is the only protest and supported by all the sponsors, but this is simply not true.)
UAF leader Weyman Bennett met representatives of the local campaign - including the chair of Derby UAF and a representative of East Midlands TUC - on Friday 25 July, but refused to agree to the amalgamation of the protests.
This is bizarre and outrageous behaviour.
UAF is dominated by the Socialist Workers Party (SWP); it may be that its leadership are reluctant to support a protest that they do not control, and one organised with the involvement of other socialist groups. If so, they should sober up! This protest is far too important to let sectarianism get in the way. We call on UAF to enter negotiations with the local campaign for the amalgamation of their protest into the main one, so that we can strike at the BNP and their racist "festival" with a single fist.
Meanwhile, we urge the labour movement and anti-fascists to mobilise for the protest.
For more details, including a contact email for transport, how to support the campaign and where to go on 16 August, see
http://nobnpfestival.wordpress.com
For the Facebook group for the protest, see
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=21619634904