2.20pm Police start setting up a new series of road blocks three quarters of a mile distance from school. Buses north of Loudon Avenue LTUCTCECHCE tively anther road block on the Fairlop school lo the north cast of Word County High C more often police hell the more often police copters pass over their heads. Groups of police are now placed at thirly yard intervals along streets like Horns Road. Even if you are in a wellstrung out group of people the police sland in front of you so you have ro go single file 2.30-3pm The main picket assembles in Fremantle Road to the south of the school — which looks more like a fort. As well as standing large grounds, surrounded by a brick wall surmounted by a spiked fence. Then there are the police.
Behind the police lines in Fairlop police horses. Two minutes trot away PORCE police horsesare nibbling at the grass.
2.45pm Anti-Fascists approaching the school from the south west are prevented from joining the pickec in Fremantle Road, The 300 pickets are ushered northwards Into Clayhull Avenue where they asserable behind the police cordon. More police from the City of London force ane brought up behind them. 3.00pm Alter mihutes confusion, the police bfficer in charge addresses the crowd thraugh a loudspeaker and them all to join the main picker yards away the other side of a TUBESCUUL.
To do that he instructs them total distance about OPERATIONS The school where the NF met is at the centre of the map three-quarters of a mile. The crowd decides not to move, A Socialist Challenge who takes the route encounters the allowed through on presentation of a press card. 3.25pm IMG contrades: loudhailer to start a mecting on PICKCE representatives of all organisaHUH: present discussion 4.10pm A decision dispeise. National members are seen at a distance in Mossford Lane. surge forward but are stopped by a police cordon. Pickets then cisperse aithough this is apposed by some individaals. There is a further some Front members may have 3.15pm Meanwbile....
around 1500 anti-fascists are speaks followed by Harris.
Harris says the bution of 10,000 leaflets is a great step forward. In the local elections in May Front standine candidates he argues we must this so distribute 2/1 million Scan Docherly speaks from Teachers Against the Nazis, AJl Socialist Workers Party. Other sponsors of the ANL appears to be present. iell 3.30pm While the continuing two once officers heard possibility of driving a police bas into the pickets.
Holborrow asks the crowd to moveto the pavements to make way for an ambulance. Some of the crowd are reluctant to do s0, feeling they messed about by the police.
discus, a police cordon at the back of the picket opens and City of London police charge use through throwing poople onto the pavements and Fifty or more storm the Jerry OVer East London People's Front. who have been urgins people to attack the NF meeting, arrest most of those on board and taken drive away the lorry Front No ambulance ever arrives.
Picket 3.30pm individual fascists and directing Tear that TIE IT LAE ARE Street Barkingside Fuiwell Avenue Lane into the side entrance Bf back at the 3.30-3.50pm HO SOMOW Broad Anti-fascists Nigel up behind them There are when the 1,500 terms of what's going that the police allow a mass peaceful picket.
3.50pm NF 45 The fascists' protectors greet pickets in Fremantle Road meeting is still ten minutes, discussing the A few minutes later Paul buck peopk the National Front have been Betore there is a chance to 4.00pm Over:
into other police also of the Maoist of Fremantle Road Police are soen charting with end of High down and Mossford The crowds on the pavement are now pushed back into the who bad moved down Trinity Road in reason they were response to police pressure find another police cordon coming Decause jokes about canstituency. anti-fascist sandwiches, but the mood and Pickets complain of the lack. of direction from ANE either in.
MacNce is happy despile the Fact are obviously agreement" to Adrian Paul Holborrow announces pictures. that we will picket for a further There are some hail-bearted chants of Nazis Never Again' Socialist Challenge supporters in Trinity Road sing the Internationale To the No Bans, No Platform, Smast the hun.
Bans on Anti-Fascises, Defend the Rightto Organise: The rest of the picket is almost silent the schools AROUOHEICELITIS Harman (SWP) repcats claim that this is a victory. The pickei begins to disperse NE members continued to be ferried into the meeting by bus until 4.30. The police charg the remaining anti-fascists out picket.
PAUL dav's STARSE The 1,000 fascists Inside thi school are in near hescerica mood. Webster tells them the banned in THord and not an Lewisham is Jewish money is League behind the Labour Party in thi Relerences to the 'reds outsibe are greeted with shouts di Trotskyite scunt*, Webster says no bans can stop the NF.
He is happy. Commissioner And the anti-lasciscs!
Our reporters at Ilford were feeles, Jude Woodward, Geoffrey Sheridan, Mick Gosling and Richard Carver.
Graeme Cookson took the discussing Ilford excremely ban Frost the event PETER HAIN, press officer of the Anti Nari League, sass he Saturday's events. It was which promised to be peuceful and with a lew mmor blemishes i was," he explains because of the direction of the League rather than the police.
*If you mobilise on a mass basis and the State reacts by imposing a han, that's a limited victory, What do we de demand they don't ban ibe The hun does allow the police to protect the Front in a more controlled way, but clearly puts the Front on the defensive by preventing them marcong: am opposed to tal blanket ban, and when we have Ilford operation mures will have to he mude ca The thrust of the work bus to go back to the fuctory flier, CALANCS rather than the Saturday shows - alibough we should still have these when necessary."
the addressing the Laft: Paul Holborrow HOLBORROW, ortanisation secretary of Che Anti Nazi League, describes Satur the EVen 13 000 35 8 uadoubted success' It was a the Nazis marching. The ban the Nazis questionably a victory for antiThe motivating factor in the decision of the police and the massive mobilisation by and other fascist forces. The depotations to the Home Secretary, by us and numerous SACES. PEO tors. duced absolutely nothing uniti hey knew there would b 10.000 out against the NF We reject completely the equation between the Nazis and anti-Nazis, quite possible under the police's powers to have a specific bau on Nazi organisations, attich is what we have been calling for. The Anci Nazi League will be this week action we should take against the ban on anti-fascists.
The whole operation Was unquestionably successful Алиfascist pressure produced the and stopped the WESTIN marching. They threatened to streets, but in the the GAS DULls 50,000 leatles in 95 per cent of "The action of the police was We had an agreement will them to mount a picket acros: Fremantle Road close to the school. They broke i or trying to shove the anti-fascists on to the pavement. it created a great ancount of confusion, and it was only by pood direction and stewarding that we prevented Pietere is bate the 'The press barrage in preceding days was aimed at stopping anti-fascists coming. but 2,500 did. Word was an example of drawing in new people to tbe campaign. It was the start The next focal point will he the May local clections, for which we've got 2ki million Icaflets on the stocks.
BRIAN GROGAN, National secretary of the International Marxist Group, sass that the ban under the Publie Order Ac was clearly aimed at the Left and anti-fuscist forces. undermined the mobilisation, and gave fo the But the operation on the day itself — as it will be for the next two months, was essentially aimed ALLUSUCH "The police as in Hyde. worked hand in glove with the Front. The anti-fascists were harussed and intimidated and finully prevented from holding • peuceful picket. It should som be abrivus that the has has operated to allow the fascist freedom while concentrating the bigges repressive force for many a yes on the Left.
*A campalgo against the bea. linked with the fight to mobilise the labour movement to Impose "No Plutferin!, does not give the fuscists free reign. To Join in the call for a han does *Itis only in this light that we could have heen prepared for their deal with the Anti Nuri League to allow a nass picket. It is true thut we were overwhelmingly the police. But with the eyes of the whole movement on lford, League should have asserted its right to hold the mame for any putting the blame any violence that ensued on the police.
*If the police had moved in. we would have been able to mobilise the whole labour movement in our defence sed shown what it menes to rely on the Stale to do our job. In the event, the leudership of th League capitaluted all the wa down the line and thoroughis demoralised the demonstra *Towards 4pm, we did begin to hold our ground in Trinity -H030 and the police backed off. This could have been done word had police League had political darily. The nest step is for a mass campuign to organise broughout the labour move ment to get this ban lifted.
From a report by Godfrey Barker in Monday's Daily Telegraph: Front .con crived to distribute 35,000 leariets in Ilord on Saturday -Britain's great political party" as well as dominate the conversation on apparently everyone's lips.
I also had the sutisfaction of seeing Mr Rees commit 5.000 notice into the area to secure 21 arrests, al left-wingers successive speakers pointed out at the cothusiastic rally.
MARTIN WEBSTER, nation al activities organiser of the NI at Saturday's rally: "Of course we are opposed to the ban, but me have still scored a victory. We are meeting and the red houliguns have been kept away
abbit if it wa the steel union bosses will push Taity is doing anything more BOCIALIST CHALLENGE, 2 March 1978 page 4
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• NO NAZIS IN LORD