*THREAD*

So Thornberry seems to be trying to claim that Labour Party has historical mantle of anti-fascism in UK.

Not forgetting Labour’s direct involvement in various pieces of racist legislation & its current disturbing antisemitism crisis, let’s check reality of that claim https://twitter.com/guardian/status/1044601421356847104

In 1930s main a-f opposition to Mosley was organised by Communist Party & left wing factions such as ILP & Jewish organisations such as moderate Board of Deputies & more radical Jewish Peoples Council. Labour Party was ‘organisationally absent’ & ‘passive anti-fascist forces’

At famous Battle of Cable St in Oct 1936, Labour Party called on people to stay away from the demo & organisationally it played no part although individual members would have been there. Other groups were backbone of East End anti-fascism.

(Copsey’ ‘Anti-Fascism in Britain’)

So just to recap, Labour Party was tepidly anti-fascist & suggested its members stay away from Cable St. It had NO significant role in most famous a-f mobilisation in UK history. That hasn’t stopped some of its prominent members laying spurious claim to that legacy though...

Postwar fascist revival was opposed by 43 group, an organisation of mainly Jewish military veterans & younger activists. Their politics were mixed - communists, some Zionists who would also fight for formation of Israel, but its activists united behind physical force anti-fascism

43 Group popularised tactic of ‘No Platform’ - occupying space & using physical opposition to prevent fascists from speaking, organising & marching. Sometimes this involved literally turning over platform that fascists were due to speak on. It also produced a newsletter On Guard

While 43 group fought on streets, Labour government refused to enact legislation to ban fascist groups or to remove top German Nazis. Labour also opposed Jewish emigration to Britain. In short, organisationally or legally, LP did very little to support anti-fascism in UK 1930-40s

LP also played no role in 62 group another Jewish led organisation who in the 1960s bravely physically opposed overtly neo-Nazi groups such as the National Socialist Movement & Greater Britain Movement led by future NF/BNP leader John Tyndall.

(Testa ‘Militant-anti fascism’)

Rock against Racism was founded in 1976 by musicians & activists. Anti-Nazi League was formed in 1977 & was a creation of Trotskyist Socialist Workers Party although it attracted support from Labour MPs & activists & other individuals & groups on left & had up to 50K supporters

Now while some Labour MPs were supportive of ANL & spoke at their rallies & many ordinary LP members were also active, LP stopped short of an official endorsement of ANL. But LP found ANL useful as it could erode support for NF in marginal constituencies.

(Copsey A-F in Britain)

ANL helped to curb NF. But after SWP shut down ANL in 1982, its more militant a-f members in ‘squads’ split & became backbone of Anti-Fascist Action in 1980s. AFA was inheritor of physical force tradition & made up of ex-Trots in Red Action, anarchists & independent anti-fascists

AFA had few LP members - hardly surprising when its own class-based analysis blamed the rise of fascism on Labour’s abandonment of the white working class in favour of middle class voters. But AFA had an impact on BNP & forced them to abandon street politics to focus on elections

1970s & 1980s also saw formation of various autonomous networks of working-class black & Asian social movements. These youth organisations fought at sharp end against racism, fascism & police oppression largely outside of orbit of the Labour Party

(See great book by Ramamurthy)

In 1990s there was a profusion of new anti-fascist groups - SWP re-launched ANL, Militant created Youth Against Racism in Europe. Two Labour members later expelled for anti-Semitism, Ken Livingstone & Marc Wandsworth, were involved in ineffective LP-oriented Anti-Racist Alliance

Did Labour Party lead fight against fascism in 1980s & early 1990s? No. Had some individual LP members been involved? Yes

ANL attracted some LP support but effective a-f campaigns, intelligence & physical opposition were mostly led & carried out by other groups & activists

BNP became most successful UK far-right party in 1990s by tapping into economic & cultural grievances of sections of white working class in traditional Labour areas.

A-f opposition was Trotskyist United Against Fascism, anarchist Antifa & community activism of Hope Not Hate

Hope not Hate campaigned successfully on ground to unseat BNP local councillors in Northern towns & Barking - mostly to benefit of LP. Their campaigns involved some LP members, trade unionists, independents & community activists.

Antifa & UAF led physical opposition to BNP & EDL

So Labour Party, as in previous eras were electoral beneficiaries of anti-fascist campaigns rather than leaders of them.

While overwhelming majority of LP members would claim to be anti-fascist, reality is that their party’s overall contribution to that proud history is minimal

Anti-fascism in UK has historically been dominated by Jewish groups, communists, anarchists, Trotskyists, autonomous black movements & independent anti-racists & anti-fascists.

They deserve to be quoting ‘No Pasaran’ far more than any member of LP. Especially today’s LP. /ENDS

Coda: For a reading list on contemporary anti-fascism, see https://medium.com/@FFRBookSeries/british-anti-fascism-since-1967-a-bibliographic-survey-8d46db626439