EDINBURGH The slogan "No Platform for Fascists!" was given a very practical application in Edinburgh last Monday, when an attempt to hold a debate involving Martin Webster of the Nadonal Front ended in a complete rout for the racists and the University right-wing.
About 400 left-wing student militants and trade unionists occupied the debating hall, after a charge which broke through the Police and Securicor cordon. A further 300 supporters massed outside the hall chanting.
As soot as the occupation took place, the University Debates Committee called off the meeting, which Police horses in action against anti-fascists in London was to have featured Webster and Lady Birdwood of the Monday Club speaking in support of the motion: *That Repatriation is the Solution to Britain's Race Relations Problems.
The occupation was only one aspect of a broad anti-fuscist campaign which won support in the labour movement. Mick MeGahey, President of the Scottish NUM, publiely condemned the mecting, a resolution was passed by the Edinburgh Bullding Trade Joint Shop Stewards Committee, and sites in the area were leafleted on the ISSUC. Gas workers, building workers and students from Newcastle, Stirling and Aberdeen Universities were Involved in the action.
LONDON Last Saturday the National Front held its Annual General Meeting in London, complete with a guard of honour provided by the Metropoli tan Police, Blue-uniformed doormen pobtely checked the credentials of NF mem bers as they entered the Consay Hall, while their colleagues - both mounted and pedestrian - took on more arduous job of keeping 800 irate anti-fascists from picketing the hall.
DEMO TACTICS Without doubt last Seturday's antifascist demonstration was one most disciplined and militant that has place for some time. This hes inevitably sparked off a debate through out the left, a number of criticisms being levelled at the IMG's lendership of this The extermination of the opposition The demonstration, called by the International Marxist Group and endorsed by a number of trade union bodies and prominent trade unionists in the London area, marched from Lincoln's Inn Fields where a number of speakers stressed the urgent need to root fascism out of the trade union movement and smash it wherever it appears in public.
The demonstrators, bearing the ban ners of TGWU Region No.1, TGWI International Branch, ASTMS Central Medical Branch, and the Suasex and North London Poly student unions, marched to the Conway Hall The political objective of the demonstration was to make it dear that we reject the idea that those who sproad racial hate and stand in the tradition of the fascists who destroyed the organisations of the working dass throughout Europe in the 1930 have any right to publicly spread their reactionary ideas; and to show that. they offer no way forward for the mass of working people suffaring from the crise capitalism indeed that they can paly operate under the continual protec tion of the capitalist state.
The vary minimum that we could insint spon under these circumsteners was an effective mass picket of the fasciste" meeting place. Nor could we passively accept the decision of the police to deny that to us - the right of the capitalist state to maintain order.? We sought to expose the supposed "neutrality" of the capitalist state and rewal its active collaboration with the fascists, This made it neansary to actively wok to enforce our right to picket. This was not edventuristie as long as it was carried out in an organised and discialined fashion. and so long as we warg able to recognise when further effort was fruitless. This was precisely how the action was carried out - and it achieved its purpose.
nor indeed even reed the newspaper ne counts, could doubt the political deter mination of the damonstrators or the hopes to demoralise the population which they found heavily protected by police, In an attempt to insist on their right to mount an effective mass picket of the ball a number of untifascists and police were injured. Five demonstrators were arrested, two of whom were obviously fingered for having spoken at Lincoln's Inn Fields In general, last Saturday was a suc cess. It can sarve as the first step in developing a mass, national campaign which will strike at the lascist discose wherever it taises its ugly bead, and draw into its ranks greater numbers of trade unionists, immu nising them agrinst the poison of fascist demagoguery and racism.
part played by the police. For a fairly vigorous protest the injuries sustained were faw and the number of wrests lem then have occurred on many lar more passive" demonstrations.
We will not be able to enforcs our right to crush the fascist orgenisations until we can involve much larger numbers anc arate a more favourable belance of forces The fusk of a resporisible politicat louden ship is to make sure that this process i carried out in such a way that it o m munipates a dear political imessage and the human costs are kept to a minimum This s a contral preoccupation of thi International Marxist Group.
But sheer numbers are not anough, Vic must also inarn how to use our forme more effectively - and that & something that can only do terms trom waponene We cannot fail to comment on the abyss mal response of the laft - and in particular the revolutionary left - to this cruciel dem onstration. Tha Communist Party, the In tarmational Socialists, and she Socialist Labour Laegue, wore all conspicuously absent. This represents nothing less tha an abject capitulation in the face of thi fascist thraat. These organisations min seriously reconsider their policy on thi question if they are to lay any serio claim to being concerned with the main political questione facing the workers movement war Unity and all other forces fight