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Talk:Post-WWII anti-fascism/UK draft

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United Kingdom: against the NF and BNP

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After World War II, Jewish war veterans in the 43 Group continued the tradition of militant confrontations with Oswald Mosley's Union Movement. In the 1960s, the 62 Group continued the struggle against neo-Nazis.[1]

In the 1970s, fascist and far-right parties such as the National Front (NF) and British Movement (BM) were making significant gains electorally, and were increasingly bold in their public appearances. This was challenged in 1977 with the Battle of Lewisham, when thousands of people disrupted an NF march in South London.[2]

Soon after, the Anti-Nazi League (ANL) was launched by the Socialist Workers Party (SWP). The ANL had a large-scale propaganda campaign and squads that attacked NF meetings and paper sales. The success of the ANL's campaigns contributed to the end of the NF's period of growth. During this period, there were also a number of black-led anti-fascist organisations, including the Campaign Against Racism and Fascism (CARF) and local groups like the Newham Monitoring Project.[3]

The SWP disbanded the ANL in 1981, but many squad members refused to stop their activities. They were expelled from the SWP in 1981, many going on to found Red Action. The SWP used the term squadism to dismiss these militant anti-fascists as thugs. In 1985, some members of Red Action and the anarcho-syndicalist Direct Action Movement launched Anti-Fascist Action (AFA). Their founding document said "we are not fighting Fascism to maintain the status quo but to defend the interests of the working class".[4][5]

Thousands of people took part in AFA mobilisations, such as Remembrance Day demonstrations in 1986 and 1987, the Unity Carnival, the Battle of Cable Street's 55th anniversary march in 1991, and the Battle of Waterloo against Blood and Honour in 1992.[6] After 1995, some AFA mobilisations still occurred, such as against the NF in Dover in 1997 and 1998. However, AFA wound down its national organisation and some of its branches and had ceased to exist nationally by 2001.[7]

There was a surge in fascist activity across Europe from 1989 to 1991 after the collapse of communism. In 1991, the Campaign Against Fascism in Europe (CAFE) coordinated a large militant protest against the visit to London by French right-wing leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen. This sparked a surge in anti-fascist organisations throughout Europe. In the UK alone, in 1992 a number of left-wing groups formed anti-fascist front organisations, such as a re-launched ANL in 1992, the Socialist Party's Youth against Racism in Europe YRE, and the Revolutionary Communist Party's Workers Against Racism. A number of black-led organisations, along with the Labour Party Black Sections and the National Black Caucus, formed the Anti-Racist Alliance in 1991, which eventually became the National Assembly Against Racism.[8]

References

  1. ^ Prowe, Diethelm (November 1994). "'Classic' Fascism and the New Radical Right in Western Europe: Comparisons and Contrasts". Contemporary European History. 3 (3): 289–313. JSTOR 20081528.
  2. ^ "The real losers in Saturday's battle of Lewisham | 1970–1979". century.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  3. ^ NMP’s History of Resisting Racism and Injustice; Alastair BonnettRadicalism, Anti-Racism and Representation, London: Routledge, 2013, p. 57; Nigel Copsey Anti-Fascism in Britain, Springer, 1999, pp. 125–83
  4. ^ "Anti-Fascist Action: Radical resistance or rent-a-mob?" (PDF). Soundings – issue 14 Spring 2000. Amielandmelburn.org.uk. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  5. ^ AFA (London) Constitution Part 1.4
  6. ^ "Diamond in the Dust – The Ian Stuart Biography". Skrewdriver.net. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  7. ^ Nigel Copsey Anti-Fascism in Britain London: Routledge, 2016
  8. ^ Peter Barberis, John McHugh, Mike Tyldesley (26 July 2005) Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations: Parties, Groups and Movements of the 20th Century. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-8264-5814-8; Stefano Fella, Carlo Ruzza (24 December 2012) Anti-Racist Movements in the EU: Between Europeanisation and National Trajectories. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-29090-7, pp. 67–68

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Text added here from above needs to be related to Anti-fascist action (or Antifa if any is). Sorry, I hadn't noticed that the hatnote doesn't match the lead. Clearly AFA is discussed above. Doug Weller talk 11:30, 26 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]

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