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BNP fascists on the streets of Bristol

category bristol | community | news report author Tuesday October 21, 2008 14:29author by Unite Against Fascism Report this post to the editors

BNP hold public street stalls in Bristol

The fascist BNP have been on our streets with public stalls for the first time in years.

The local fascists have been publicising their recent local activity on the BNP website. They say they held public paper sales and leafleting in Keynsham on October 4th and in Kingswood on October 18th. They plan to hold further public activity next Saturday October 25th somewhere in Bristol.

Antifascists should be ready to protest on Saturday if we find out where they are organising.

Fascists on our streets
Fascists on our streets

This is the report from the BNP website:

Bristol, Bath and District Branch have taken to the streets of their region with a vengeance to promote a message of hope and empowerment to local people in the face of the destruction of their land by the old gang parties.
Saturday, the 4th of October, saw the BNP out on the streets of Keynsham, a self contained and affluent market town between Bristol and Bath. Keynsham has long been acting as an indigenous flight safety valve for the more affluent sections of the community.
This was followed on Saturday, the 18th of October by a visit to Kingswood which in contrast is a traditional stronghold of straight talking indigenous working folk.
In both cases, the BNP distributed a locally produced Patriot leaflet opposing the destruction of the shared green belt and outlining the real reasons behind it, combined with the excellent new nationally produced Enough is Enough leaflet and Freedom Newspapers.
Here a word of thanks to Martin Wingfield, editor of Freedom, and his team for providing a vast number of extra Freedoms to all the branches and groups across the country at no extra charge.
“These were used on both occasions to great effect where people showed any interest or support to the leaflets being handed out, and I have no doubt will have a significant impact on future support locally,” said organiser Mark Clutterbuck.
“We all hope this will be repeated as soon as possible and urge all to use them as part of street activism to draw in the many interested people initially receiving a leaflet, rather than just shoving them through letterboxes where the interest of the recipient is unknown.
“What was particularly interesting to all involved was that given the many differences in income, environment and experiences of the people of the two areas, the levels of support for our presence were equally high and enthusiastic in both.
“This puts a lie to the old parties’ ‘class’ politics, which has really always been just an attempt to divide and weaken our people by setting them against each other when we desperately need to be working together,” he said.
Thanks go to Andi, Brian, Clive (and his brothers), Colin, Chris, David, Dermot, Paul, Roj, John, Mark, Mike, Nathan, Oli & Big Steve for their efforts.
If you want to help next Saturday, 25th October, when we will be doing the same again in a more diverse area of Bristol, then contact Andi Lake, Deputy Organiser on 07595 623764 or Mark Clutterbuck, Organiser on 07810 306865.


Link - This links to a fascist website - http://www.bnp.org.uk/2008/10/bristol-and-bath-bnp-acti...ocals’-imagination/

Related Link: http://www.uaf.org.uk/
author by John Serpicopublication date Sat Oct 25, 2008 09:18Report this post to the editors

Im quite surprised that no-one has posted a comment about this article. Or am I missing something?

author by andpublication date Mon Oct 27, 2008 02:22Report this post to the editors

I agree- this needs to be frontpaged ASAP

author by moral minoritypublication date Tue Oct 28, 2008 17:41Report this post to the editors

Is that the "Easton" John Serpico posting or someone just borrowing his name?

To be honest, looking at the photo, without wanting to seem flippant it looks like most of them will be dead due to natural causes within the next 3 years anyway, are they a serious threat? I'll admit that anyone with those kinds of views are potentially dangerous, but if that's the best that the far right can come up with in this area, I'll sleep a little sounder in bed tonight.

author by John Serpicopublication date Wed Oct 29, 2008 09:28Report this post to the editors

Yes, it is I. Originally from Easton via Southmead and currently wallowing in a perfumed garden of hashish, Dada and all things anarchist in deepest Amsterdam at the moment. But as they say: its not where you're from its where you're at. Sorry…
But seriously. One of the main worries among clear-thinking people in Holland is the rise of those with Far Right politics and the respectability they are gaining. There are still street clashes here between Anti-Fascists (aided now and again by Ajax football fans) and Fascists but as is often the case nowadays it is more a battle for hearts and minds. In what has always been viewed as the most liberal of countries, blatantly racist views are being aired quite openly and squatting is soon be made illegal, punishable by a jail sentence. In the Netherlands of all places – a country known for its tolerance.
As you can see from the Bristol photo above, the BNP aren't your typical boneheads who can be kicked from off the street but more your average punter who can only really be countered through argument or alternative example. Personally, I can understand why people might be swayed by the BNP's politics because what exactly is the available alternative? Britain (from the outside looking in, at least) is a pressure cooker needing to explode. Hard times are looming and the field is wide open for all kinds of politics to flower - even anarchist ones. The Establishment are losing control of their world and resorting to ever more blatantly hardline methods of social control. The Left are a shambles and are viewed nowadays I suspect as dinosaurs. The problem is that the BNP have been stealthily building support and respectability and are no doubt pretty well organised. They may look pretty harmless (and pretty vacant) but their views certainly aren't.
I don’t think this subject is the be all and end all but it needs to be thought about or at the very least discussed. Which is why I was surprised that nobody had posted any comment to the article.

author by Dona Qixotapublication date Wed Nov 05, 2008 22:43Report this post to the editors

"Britain (from the outside looking in, at least) is a pressure cooker needing to explode. Hard times are looming and the field is wide open for all kinds of politics to flower - even anarchist ones. The Establishment are losing control of their world and resorting to ever more blatantly hardline methods of social control. The Left are a shambles and are viewed nowadays I suspect as dinosaurs."

All too true.

It feels like a pressure cooker on the inside too, John, believe me.

 
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