Workers Solidarity Movement

On Saturday 10 June, loyalist supporters of the far-right anti-Muslim group, Britain First staged a march and demonstration in the name of ‘free speech’ for the founder of EDL (English Defense League), Tommy Robinson (whose legal name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon). Britain First is a militaristic, violent right-wing extremist group who specifically targets Muslims and migrant communities. One fascist group, Generation Identity, which is trying to organise in Dublin was also present at this loyalist organised protest, its lone flag sticking out in the sea of union jacks. [See video ]

The crowd was unsurprisingly majority male, white and aggressive. With numbers well over 150 they marched the streets of Belfast up to the City Hall unopposed. Flags and regalia sporting ideologies across the British nationalist and fascist spectrum. Trump flags, MAGA hats (make America great again), Israeli flags, Union Jacks galore, along with Generation Identity and Saint George’s Cross flags.

There was a small counter-protest held at the the City Hall organised by United Against Racism Belfast. Around 20 counter-protesters gathered behind the barriers opposite the ‘free speech’ rally. Anti-racists and anti-fascists were significantly outnumbered and received the expected abuse from the fascist side. United Against Racism had brief speeches conveying messages of support to our Muslim and Migrant brothers and sisters. We chanted together slogans of solidarity and resistance to hate.

The bigoted supporters of Tommy Robinson hurled many confused and contradictory insults at us. While we were standing in front of an antifascist action flag they proceeded to call us fascists, traitors and peadophiles. They shouted racist and Islamophobic slurs and threats of violence. At one point a man was making a Nazi salute while standing next to someone waving an Israeli flag, neither of whom seemed put off by the absurdity of the situation. The  crowd of far-right nationalists, Islamophobes and fascists engaged in taunting, mocking and threatening us for the duration of the counter-demonstration. 

Tommy was jailed for contempt of court. The ruling judge had clarified on multiple occasions that it was not a ‘free speech’ case. Tommy defied a court-ordered ban on reporting in 2 separate cases of the ongoing trials of men charged with grooming underage girls. Tommy disregarded the ban, recorded parts of the trial and released the video on social media. If Tommy and his band of neo-fascists were interested in stopping paedophillia and the traffic of children for sex then he would not have released such videos which would help the alleged sex offenders insofar as they could claim his videos have biased a jury and made a fair trial impossible.

But then dismissal on such grounds would actually fit into the agenda of Britain First and the English Defense League. If the grooming cases were dismissed then Tommy and his supporters could claim that there is no justice and try to establish legitimacy for fascist-style vigilantism where the courts had seemingly failed. EDL and Britain First are well known for history of violence, harassment and intimidation of muslims and migrant communities including assault and mosque invasions. Tommy has been banned from both Twitter and Facebook because of continued violation of community standards - incitement to hatred against Muslims.

The protest was organised by Jolene Bunting whose previous use of anti-Irish alt-right imagery (above)  shows exactly where we would fit in their 'Europe'