Anti-fascists hold the line in Cricklewood

By New Worker correspondent

A GROUP of around 200 anti-fascists last Saturday succeeded in preventing a march by the fascist organisation, the “South East Alliance” (SEA), from marching through Cricklewood Broadway, north London.

The anti-fascists included members of Antifa, Brent Unite Against Fascism, trade unionists from the RMT and other unions, Brent Trades Council and the Labour Representation Committee.

They worked shoulder-to-shoulder, young and old together without any sectarianism to block the complete width of Cricklewood Broadway in ranks at least five deep.

And when the SEA – a splinter that broke from the English Defence League because they did not find it fascist and racist enough – arrived with a police escort from Kilburn station, they were unable to continue with their planned march. There were about 30 to 40 of them.

One of them, Colin McKey, brandished a homemade banner that combined Golden dawn and Blood and Honour symbols, while doing Nazi salutes and staring lovingly into a can of Carlsberg lager. He was asked to remove the banner by one of their stewards.

On arrival around 10 of them detached themselves from the main group and went off to make trouble elsewhere. It seems they seized the Brent UAF banner and filmed themselves burning it and posted the footage on U-Tube. Now they face possible charges of theft and criminal damage for this.

Notable absentees who have been regulars at SEA events included Tony Curtis, Paul Pitt’s son and Tony Crosland and the Yorkshire EDL.

Their leader Paul Pitt exploded with anger at the police failure to clear a way for them but although the police made great efforts first to persuade, then threaten and then push the anti-fascists out of the way, the anti-fascists linked arms and held their ground. There were not enough police to do any more.

Pitt challenged the police, shouting: “Arrest me! Arrest me! You’ve stitched us up again!” Police took him aside and ordered him to calm down.

After an hour of stalemate the police accompanied the SEA supporters back to Kilburn station. Around 20 of them then went on to try to picket the UAF conference at TUC headquarters in Great Russell Street.