Take back our country

TOMMY ROBINSON suddenly woke from his sleep by the indoor pool of his Spanish villa and pricked up his ears.

He jumped off his lounge chair and ran inside to change out of his Stone Island swimwear and backpack. The dog whistle had sounded.

It was November 4, 2023, and — while it may not have happened exactly that way — Home Secretary Tommy Robinson had effectively served a summons (something only a court should do).

Suella Braverman called the Palestinian protesters scheduled to demonstrate again next Sunday (November 11, Armistice Day) “hate protesters” and “Islamists” and said they had “called for jihad”.

Anyone who vandalizes the monument, she added, “should be put in jail faster than their feet can touch the ground.”

No one intended to destroy the cenotaph. The Palestine march did not come near the cenotaph.

Braverman knew this: but she had a job to do (trying to oust Rishi Sunak).

Anti-fascists knew what was coming and began placing bets on what time the far right would start a) drinking and b) fighting with the police. The response in both cases was almost immediate.

The “jihadists” did not show up.

Instead, the far right broke through police lines, knocked down metal barricades, threw missiles and temporarily forced police back, chanting: “You are no longer English.”

As if to debunk this, the officers immediately turned on the kettle. The far-right people were locked up at the monument they were supposed to protect.

By the end of the demonstration, two hundred far-right demonstrators had been arrested, out of just 1,500.

Sabby Dhalu, joint secretary of both Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) and its twin group Unite Against Fascism (UAF), wasn’t alone in thinking that this was the real sacrilege of Armistice Day: “Allowing violent, fascist, racist thugs to demonstrate at the cenotaph is an insult to all those who lost their lives in the war. This goes against the true meaning of Armistice Day: peace.”

For Robinson, however, it was a good few hours of work. While some fans may have struggled with the complicated lyrics (Oh Tommy Tommy/ Tommy Tommy Tommy Tommy Robinson), people were still chanting his name.

He was back, baby! The cash registers were ringing at Robinson HQ.

Before the Braverman riots he was living a life of luxury (in every way) abroad, between Tenerife and mainland Spain. He had deliberately chosen to stay abroad for financial reasons.

He abandoned his years-long campaign against child molesters in Telford after sustained counter-demonstrations by SUTR/UAF and was virtually run out of town by angry locals who discovered his team having sex with the victims they were supposed to be helping.

To be clear, Robinson’s team was engaged in manipulating and sexually exploiting victims of manipulation and sexual exploitation.

As always, the far right was exposed as predators, not protectors.

Now that the grooming gangs have been forgotten, Robinson’s new thing has become “two-tier policing” (which essentially means he shouldn’t be arrested for any crime, while left-wing activists should be arrested for existing: I’ve previously discussed Robinson’s funding by pro-Israel groups at length).

On June 1st a small group of about 150 of us protested against Robinson outside parliament. There were 6,000 far-right people.

SUTR-UAF knew they had to work hard to prepare for Robinson’s next rally on July 27. Surprisingly, he had been given Trafalgar Square, the symbolic heart of the nation since the 19th century.

A handful of people worked very hard over the next few weeks to reach out to local activists, book coaches, and negotiate with the police, who were initially unenthusiastic about the counter-demonstration (two levels of policing!).

We did well that day: 5,000 anti-fascists, including Jeremy Corbyn, but there were an alarming 15,000 fascists.

Robinson, desperate to join Nigel Farage’s Reform UK (but aware that posh lads Farage and Richard Tice would rather have their maids sitting around for tea), asked the crowd how many had voted Reform. Witnesses said between 8,000 and 9,000 hands went up.

We also knew that fascist groups across the country were waiting for a Labour government to come into power — historically, they always have been. They were just waiting for a non-white person to commit a serious crime.

When Bebe King, Alice Aguiar and Elsie Stancombe, aged 6, 9 and 7, were murdered in such a gruesome manner in Southport on July 29, we immediately saw that false reports were circulating, all using the same false Arabic name for the attacker.

It turned out that the alleged killer had a Christian background, but that did not matter: the important thing was that his parents were Rwandan.

The far right took their people to hotbeds and targeted Muslims. There were horrific scenes as buildings were set on fire, people were attacked and stones were thrown at police (although we all enjoyed seeing Brian Spencer in Southport getting ‘friendly fire’ with a stone to the balls).

UAF and SUTR worked on building counter-protests and managed to organise more than 40 protests in two days, during the weekend of 3 and 4 August.

But dozens of fascist riots were extremely disturbing and, worse, absolutely terrifying for some Muslims, Black people and Asian people. Businesses were closed and people were staying home because they felt unsafe. Meanwhile, a list of multiple immigration centers around the country that would be targeted the following Wednesday was circulating on a far-right Telegram group. It was a horrific situation that had to be addressed, and fast.

Something even better was to come.

On Wednesday evening my friends from UAF and I arrived in Bedford to find the road blocked by police, but they let us through because we ‘didn’t look like troublemakers’ (a big blow to our street credibility).

As we walked towards the spot the far-right movement was believed to be planning to attack, we saw more and more locals standing in front of shops and houses.

Then suddenly we were among about 1,000 people.

Sikhs, Muslims, people of Jamaican descent and whites: the community had turned out en masse.

My small group was warmly welcomed and many people came to chat with us. The mood was surprisingly generous: I was repeatedly told not to worry, no one was blaming all the non-Muslims for this — they KNEW that most of us were shocked by what had happened.

Bedford’s message was, “Talk to us. Come to the mosque and we will welcome you and talk to you about any concerns you may have.”

Clearly this will not work for the hardcore fascists or those who exploit Islamophobia, such as Robinson and, to an equally dangerous extent, Reform UK.

We have to keep challenging them, on the streets and elsewhere. Wednesday night we showed that we can do that.

In Brighton, 15,000 anti-fascists serenaded five disaffected fascists hiding behind police, with a marching band complete with sousaphone.

In Liverpool, Derby and Lewisham there were a thousand anti-fascists present, but not a single fascist.

Brentford appears to have had the largest group of far-right criminals, yet only 15 far-right criminals, including several members of the notorious Chelsea Headhunters, were met by 400 anti-fascists.

In Finchley, four fascists shouted insults from behind police lines, while simultaneously looking like they were about to burst into tears as 3,000 anti-fascists chanted: “Nobody wants you! Nobody wants you!”

Hilariously and hypocritically, the Mail and the Telegraph have both hailed this as a victory for Britain: we are, it seems, no longer dangerously woke left-wing thugs.

But it’s not over yet: it’s just beginning. The far right is furious and plotting revenge.

We have had a chilling wake-up call. We need to unite and build a large anti-racist movement using the networks that SUTR-UAF already has.

We must indeed reclaim our country!

Become a member or donate to SUTR standuptoracism.org.uk.

Join the rally and build a mass movement with Jeremy Corbyn at tinyurl.com/StoptheFarRight.

Louise Raw

Anti-racism protesters demonstrate in Brentford, London. Photo date: Wednesday 7 August 2024