News April 2003

24 April 2003: Cambridge

Le Pen humiliated at the Cambridge Union

Some 200 Anti Nazi League pickets blockaded and humiliated Jean-Marie Le Pen, the French fascist leader, when he came to speak at the Cambridge Union on Thursday 24 April. Le Pen left as he entered, surrounded by bodyguards and whisked away in a fast car, with hundreds of anti-Nazis surrounding him. The meeting was a shambles – no-one attending could hear Le Pen speak thanks the volume of chanting outside.

French Nazi Jean-Marie Le Pen: blockaded by activists

The meeting was disgracefully and dishonestly organised by the Cambridge Union (a private debating society, not to be confused with the university's Student Union).

Edward Cumming, president of the Cambridge Union, wrote to the ANL in February "to invite you to a debate This House would Gag the Bad ... this is an issue which is particularly prominent in Cambridge at the moment after the Student Union passed a No Platform policy in the wake of an invitation to Nick Griffin to speak."

In fact, the debating society had twice invited BNP führer Griffin to speak – and Anti Nazi League protests stopped him both times.

These repeated attempts to roll out the red carpet to Nazis prompted Cambridge students to campaign for a No Platform policy, which was won at a Student Union meeting earlier this year.

The ANL accepted the Cambridge Union's invite, having been assured by Cumming that it would be a serious debate between people opposed to fascism, with no-one from the far-right involved. We were informed the day before of Le Pen's invitation and immediately called a picket. Martin Slater MP and Alice Nutter from the band Chumbawamba, both billed to speak at the debate, also pulled out in disgust on hearing that the society had invited Le Pen behind everyone's backs.

Cumming and the Cambridge Union should be ashamed of playing games with serious and very dangerous fascist politics. Le Pen called the Holocaust "a mere detail of history" and has a long history involvement in Nazi politics. He is also a sadistic thug: he served his army years torturing Algerian prisoners and was recently expelled from the European Parliament after being found guilty by a French court of assaulting a Socialist Party woman.

NEWS LINKS:

Le Pen invite sparks protests – Education Guardian, 24 April 2003
Cambridge ANL scuppers Griffin 'debate' – Anti Nazi League, 3 December 2002

23 April 2003: Sunderland

Nazi meeting wrecked in Sunderland

BNP führer Nick Griffin was billed to speak at a BNP North East members' meeting in Sunderland on Wednesday 23 April. BNP speaker vans toured the area during the day promoting the rally. But the meeting was wrecked, thanks to swift action by the ANL.

Local anti-Nazi activists and trade unionists mobilised some 60 people to oppose the meeting, planned in a pub in Southwick. Four Unison banners were present: Sunderland, Newcastle City, Newcastle City Health and the Northern Region.

The protestors mounted a lively and noisy picket at the pub, which proved effective at stopping people from attending the Nazi rally. Car loads of BNP members drove on and a mini-bus full of Nazis was turned away. One group of BNP thugs attempted to intimidate the protesters – they were forced to retreat and flee down a back street.

To chants of "Nazis out!", Griffin was forced to sneak in round the back of the pub to address a hastily held meeting of between 20 and 25 old-time BNP members. He boasted that the BNP would win Town End Farm ward, where the Nazis grabbed 28 per cent of the vote in last year's local elections.

But Griffin and his band of Nazi thugs-in-suits will not get away with peddling their lies and whipping up race hatred in Sunderland. Local campaigners are vigilant of Nazi activity – and willing to mount effective opposition to it.

16 April 2003: Liverpool and Guildford

Anti-Nazis block BNP school meetings

Anti-Nazis came out in force yesterday to prevent the BNP holding a public meeting at Anfield Community Comprehensive School in Liverpool. Local people were outraged at the prospect of BNP führer Nick Griffin and local Nazi thug Joey Owens spreading their message of race hate in a school building.

BNP candidate Joey Owens: sent razor blades to Jewish people

The strength of feeling in the community forced the authorities to back down from letting the Nazi rally take place. But a crowd of 150 trade unionists, students and anti-racists turned out anyway to ensure that the BNP meeting did not happen.

The protest was called by Merseyside TUC and many trade union branches brought their banners along, including the CWU, NUT, UNISON and RMT. People rallied and vowed to make sure that the Nazi BNP would never be able to hold a public meeting in Liverpool.

After the rally, anti-Nazis leafleted the Anfield area, spoke to people on the estates and encouraged them to turn out and vote against the BNP on Thursday 1 May.

BLOCKED IN GUILDFORD

The BNP also tried holding a meeting at Bishop Reindorp School in Guildford last night, but school authorities blocked the plan. However Guildford ANL is concerned the BNP might attempt to hold a meeting somewhere else. It is now campaigning to ensure that does not happen.

Guildford ANL has been encouraged by the positive response from local councillors and residents. Local anti-Nazis are now organising a mass leafleting of Stoke ward in Guildford to ensure the BNP does not get a foothold in the area.

NEWS LINKS:

British National Party calls off city meeting – Liverpool Echo, 16 April 2003
BNP man sent razor blades to city Jews – Liverpool Echo, 2 April 2003

8 April 2003: Medway

BNP man forced to withdraw – by his mum

“He’s not the Führer, he’s a very naughty boy!”

The Nazi BNP's local election campaign in Medway got off to a flying start when one of their four candidates was forced to withdraw by his mother.

Medway Council's Electoral Registration Office confirmed that Anthony James Holroyd, BNP candidate for Peninsula ward, has withdrawn from the contest.

Holroyd's ignomious retreat came after his mother, Stella, discovered his intentions. She promptly marched him down to the civic centre and forced him to take his name off the ballot paper – just before the withdrawal deadline of noon on Friday 4 April.

Medway ANL is now busy campaigning against the remaining three Nazi candidates in the area. Details of the campaign can be found on our Don't Vote Nazi 2003 page.