Racist clash in central London

By New Worker correspondent

Fascists and racists were out on the streets of London last weekend demanding the release of the former leader of the English Defence League (EDL), who is currently in Belmarsh prison. Scuffles broke out with the police along the march as racist thugs attempted to break through police lines to attack the anti-racist demonstrators.

Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who goes by the name of Tommy Robinson, was jailed for contempt of court after live-streaming defendants outside Leeds Crown Court during a criminal trial on the sexual exploitation of girls in Huddersfield. The former EDL leader failed recently in the European elections to become an MEP in the North West, due to a large, broad-based campaign by anti-racists, of which Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) was central.

Although hundreds turned up to join the racist march, the degenerates were easily outnumbered by supporters of SUTR, the Anti-Fascist Network and the London Anti-Fascist Assembly who rallied in Regent Street to counter the “Free Tommy” rabble.

SUTR Co-Convenor, Sabby Dhalu, said: “Today showed that all the work done by anti-fascists to challenge and expose Tommy Robinson, from counter-demos to election campaigns has a major effect. As Boris Johnson positions himself at the head of a Trump-like movement in Britain, it’s vital we continue to unite against fascist groups and the bigotry that emboldens them.”

This was also stressed by Weyman Bennett of SUTR, who said: “Tommy Robinson has a history of promoting fascist organisations including the British National Party and English Defence League. Days like today show the true nature of his supporters – racist and Islamophobic to the core. Last year they mobilised around 15,000 on the streets of London, now they can only bring out tiny a fraction of that. We stopped Robinson when he was in the EDL. We stopped him becoming an MEP. We’ll stop him again from building the racist street movement he craves.”

Fascists attack union leader at London demo

By New Worker correspondent

Fascist thugs launched a surprise attack on a group of railway workers outside a pub following a racist demonstration in central London last weekend. Although they were mob-handed the attackers got back twice what they gave, despite the advantage of surprise and numbers. But Steve Hedley, the deputy leader of the RMT transport union, suffered a head injury when he was glassed during the fighting.

This unprovoked attack by supporters of jailed English Defence League (EDL) leader Tommy Robinson and US president Donald Trump came at the end of a day of violence which, amongst other things, saw the blockading of a London bus by EDL supporters because the driver was a Muslim woman wearing a headscarf.

The EDL had called a ‘Free Tommy’ rally in support of their jailed leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who calls himself Tommy Robinson. Robinson was sentenced last May to 13 months' imprisonment after pleading guilty to contempt of court. Their numbers were easily dwarfed by the size of the anti-Trump demo the previous day, which police put at 250,000 but was easily well over that number.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was greeted with cheers as he spoke at the huge anti-Trump rally in Trafalgar Square. He told protesters to “build bridges, not walls” and said that they were showing their “love for democracy, diversity unity and hope” by being there.

“We’re asserting our right to demonstrate, our right to free speech, and our right to want a world that is not divided by misogyny, racism and hate,” Corbyn declared.

Steve Hedley had earlier addressed a counter-protest to the EDL rally in support of Trump and Robinson, and this is probably why he was singled out when the racist thugs went on their rampage. The railway workers were attacked because they are trade unionists, anti-fascists and left wingers, and because the RMT had played a prominent role in the counter-demo against the far right. It was an organised and targeted attack that happened in an area which was full of police.

Speaking on social media with blood still visible on his head, Hedley said: "We got attacked by a load of thugs, completely unprovoked,” adding that: “If you oppose Tommy you get attacked by a glass and a chair – we have to stop this.”

What this goes to prove is that the EDL is a fascist organisation with a classic fascist agenda. The EDL like to portray themselves as working-class English patriots and fighters for “English values” against the alleged or perceived “Islamisation of Britain”. But by attacking a leader of one of the country’s most militant trade unions they showed that they are opposed to working peoples’ organisations and the right of workers to organise themselves. The EDL are little more than a gang of degenerate football hooligans who are being directed by the shadowy fascist forces that always come to the fore whenever there’s an upsurge of militancy amongst the organised working class.

The police said that a total of 12 people were arrested: eight men on suspicion of assault at Storey's Gate in Westminster, two men on suspicion of public order offences, one man on suspicion of violent disorder and another man on suspicion of fireworks offences.

Steve Hedley’s partner, Bridget, who was held for 10 hours by the cops, was badly bruised in the fighting and was taken back to hospital with breathing difficulties on Monday.

As Hedley put it: “We in the RMT who were attacked by fascist thugs yesterday were not victims. We defended ourselves very well, beating off a larger group. We are not afraid and will be out next time in greater numbers to oppose them. No Pasaran!”

Racist Rage in Whitehall

by New Worker correspondent

 Police arrested five fascists in central London on Saturday after violence broke out during a protest against the jailing of former  English Defence League (EDL ) leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon who calls himself 'Tommy Robinson’ in public. Robinson was jailed last month after he used social media to broadcast details of a trial that was subject to blanket reporting restrictions. Reporting restrictions are imposed on all court proceedings in Britain and are intended to avoid media reports that could influence the jury.

Thousands of racists and neo-nazis turned up for the rally and march that soon turned to violence when Chelsea and Millwall football gangs tried to attack Stand Up To Racism and Unite Against Fascism supporters mobilised to counter the fascist demonstration. They charged at officers in Whitehall before staging running battles with the police.

Bottles, sticks and cones were hurled at police officers and vehicles were attacked. At one point the police were outnumbered and forced to flee the scene in a hail of flying projectiles, pursued by the racist mob. Another bunch of fascists tried to force their way into Downing Street but were held at bay by the police.

At least two journalists were attacked by Robinson supporters. One was viciously kicked to the ground by a group of fascists. Police made a number of arrests including one person for possession of an offensive weapon and two for assault on a police officer.  The Metropolitan Police are now looking at CCTV footage of the Robinson demo.

One of those who spoke at the demonstration calling for the release of ‘Robinson’ was Dutch far-right leader, the Islamophobic Geert Wilders. Another was Filip Dewinter, a leading member of the Vlaams Belang party in Belgium. He is seen by many as an apologist for Belgium’s nazi collaborators during the Second World War.

Dewinter screamed “we are all Tommy Robinson” and claimed that the former EDL leader’s arrest was an attack on “everyone who is fighting mass immigration and Islamisation”. He claimed that the elite in Europe is already “submitting to Islam and imposing sharia law”.

They were joined by a number of notable far-right activists including the Holocaust denier Nicholas Kollerstrom and Luke Nash-Jones from Make Britain Great Again. 

The fascist degenerates blocked off a major road near Trafalgar Square in central London, chanting "Free Tommy Robinson" and hurling smoke bombs at police. They also for a time manage to hijack an open-topped tourist sight-seeing bus, holding up Union Jacks and placards

"During the protest there were scenes of violence which saw bottles, metal barriers and other objects thrown at officers," police said. "Five officers have reported injuries, which are not serious."

Two arrests were for assaulting a police officer, one for possessing an offensive weapon, one for possession of a flare and the other for criminal damage to a bus.

Robinson was already subject to a suspended sentence for a contempt charge related to a separate case when he was arrested last month, and had been warned by a judge he would face prison if he committed further offences.

Appearing in court under his real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, he pleaded guilty and was given 10 months in jail for contempt of court, and another three months for breaching his previous sentence.

Met foil fascist terror

MARK Rowley, a retiring assistant commissioner for the Metropolitan Police, last week announced that London police had foiled four extreme right-wing terror plots last year.

Rowley, who was the head of counter-terrorism policing in Britain, used his retirement speech to warn against the rise of the far-right and to draw parallels between far-right groups and figures and the Islamist extremists they claim to despise, in the annual Colin Cramphorn memorial lecture in central London.

In a conference with journalists before the speech, Rowley said the far-right terror threat was “significant and concerning,” and the public should be “gravely concerned” by the existence of National Action, the white supremacist, neo-Nazi group banned under terror legislation.

“The right-wing threat was not previously organised,” he said. “Every now and then there’s been an individual motivated by that rhetoric who has committed a terrorist act but we’ve not had an organised right-wing threat like we do now.”

He said a third of referrals to the Government’s Prevent strategy, reducing radicalisation in communities, are now individuals engaged with far-right terrorism.

In his speech, Rowley draws many comparisons between Islamist and far-right groups and figures, such as ISIS and Anjem Choudary in the former, and National Action and former English Defence League (EDL) leader Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley Lennon) in the latter.

“Ironically, while Islamist and extreme right-wing ideologies may appear to be at opposing ends of the argument it is evident that they both have a great deal in common,” he said.

Tommy Robinson reacted angrily to Rowley’s speech and has threatened to “find” Britain’s most senior counter terrorism officer, after he warned of the growing threat of far-right terrorism.

The EDL figurehead on Monday re-posted a tweet by a supporter who said the police were “so so wrong” to equate Mr Robinson with ISIS-supporting hate preacher Anjem Choudary. “I’m gonna find Mark Rowley,” said Robinson. He did not immediately elaborate about what he meant.