On Saturday 19 March, over 30 members of the English Defence League (EDL) descended on Grey’s Monument, the main site for progressive stalls and demonstrations in Newcastle. Their first target was a Socialist Party (SP) anti-cuts stall. The EDL members surrounded the stall, tried to put their own anti-Muslim literature on the stall, and harassed the SP activists. As FRFI has consistently argued, the EDL is not only racist but is rapidly developing into a fascist organisation.
On the other side of the Monument were a group of stalls run by Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!, Tyneside Community Action Against Racism and the Anti-Cuts Network. When activists there learned of the EDL harassment, all three stalls immediately sent people to stand in solidarity with the Socialist Party comrades. Other members of the public also stopped to support those under attack and oppose the EDL. The police were present, but stood by and let the EDL continue.
The EDL continued its harassment of the SP for over an hour, jostling and threatening comrades with violence, shouting abuse, singing songs about shooting ‘Muslim bombers’ and calling for support for the British occupation of Afghanistan. It then turned its attention to the stalls of FRFI, TCAR and the Anti-Cuts Network and when a small group of Libyans arrived with the intention of holding a demonstration, the EDL surrounded them chanting ‘Allah is a paedo’.
Socialist Party comrades moved to stand alongside the stalls now under attack, and remained until after the EDL had left. This is the kind of solidarity the left needs.
Unfortunately, not all groups acted with the same principle. The Socialist Workers Party (SWP) also had a stall in Newcastle City Centre on the same day, located some 50 metres away. They were informed about the situation, but not a single SWP member came to stand in solidarity; they then packed away their stall and went home while the attacks continued. A leading Counterfire/CoR member appeared on the scene and was heard giving a report into his mobile, but he left minutes later, and no one else from Counterfire came out to show solidarity against the EDL.
Progressive activists were able to withstand the attempts by the EDL to drive us off the streets on Saturday because we stood together. The lack of solidarity shown by the SWP and Counterfire should be condemned by all socialists, anti-racists and anti-cuts activists.
Measures are now being taken to co-ordinate a more effective response to future EDL attacks in Newcastle. Contact us at [email protected] or 07858 346 276 to get involved.
For a more detailed analysis of what the EDL represents read: EDL attacks anti-cuts and anti-racist stalls: SWP walks away
