over the last six months but increasingly over the summer gangs of nazis have formed in scotland to harass, intimidate and assault anyone they deem nonconformist to white heteronormativity. the fascist rally was organised by ‘unite the clans’ and supported by tommy robinson amongst other influential figures of the british far-right. saturday 24 july was a culmination of pre-existing tensions that have been simmering for some time.

the anti-fascist response was organised in consultation with police scotland by ‘stand up to racism’, a proxy group of the socialist workers’ party (swp), an organisation whose entire central committee is compromised by sheltering & promoting sexual abusers, among other fundamental problems. whilst they fronted the advertising campaign for the rally on social media, ‘unite the union’ and ‘unison’, the two largest general trade unions in the uk, were also listed as organisers. their representatives wore high-visibility ‘security’ jackets during the protest and acted like marshals who liaised with the police & enforced crowd control.

these are the people who spoke of victory at the very moment anti-fascists were kettled and what exists of the black bloc was trampled by cavalry police.

proclaiming victory here makes no sense – comrades kettled while no one did anything; black bloc acting alone whilst the rest of the protest self-congratulates; no joy in marching together and occupying space outside the authorized zone; not a single shop window or bus shelter repainted by our hatred of this world : anti-fascism is defined by action; stand up to racism, trade unions and the socialist workers party are defined by fashion, self-satisfaction, and open collaboration with the fascist police. THEY DO NOT DECLARE VICTORY IN OUR NAME.

defeat is inevitable if no one talks to one another – no shared pool of anti-fascist information about what we are countering. we cannot prepare in advance without this. we must forge links between the various groups present and strip power from the institutional coordinators who seek only to neutralise our rage in direct and open collaboration with the fascist police —thereby leaving us scattered, weak, and disorganised.

protest ‘organisers’: wolves in sheep’s clothing – stand up to racism and trade unions’ close collaboration with the police serves only to control not just our movements within the rally, but even the very inoffensive slogans we parrot. we are all under their hold when we accept the rules of their game. the monopoly of their neon-clad ‘security’ enforcers renders us passive and self-censoring, afraid of the slightest unexpected move or autonomous action. let us repeat: the buoyant and world-historic onslaught of fascism cannot be stopped in direct or indirect collaboration with the police, and by extension stand up to racism and all other formal protest ‘organisers’. let us never forget that anti-fascism is born only in movement through action; the moment we stand still it dies. REJECT STASIS AND ALL FORMS OF POLICE

fascists are ten steps ahead of us – they pool their organisational efforts in advance; know what they are walking into and what they intend to produce; they coordinate in real time—which amounts to saying they always set the pace while we react at low intensity. they knew about the kettle at the rear, they charged in a coordinated fashion, they were organised enough to successfully occupy the city centre while we sat idly by selling t-shirts, making self-congratulatory speeches. they take us for a joke—and rightly so.

confrontation is inevitable. we can simply and effectively support those on the front lines – police are going to kidnap us for changing the world; the fascists want to kill us; we must be awake to these realities. there are several ways to help that go deeper than the front line:

• STAY MOBILE: don’t stand still; constantly shift your perspective; use your own eyes rather than relying solely on others’.
• HOLD THE LINE: stay close to the black block—whether at the flank or the rear—to allow people to swap out unseen if necessary, to ensure no one is left isolated, and, more broadly, to prevent gaps from opening in our ranks.
• ASSIST WITH DE-ARRESTS: there is strength in numbers—the more of us there are, the more they retreat. don’t be afraid; do everything you can to prevent any police kidnapping that could destroy a life.
• CLAIM THE SPACE: occupy it with your presence and bring others with you. it belongs to us. we are building a wall. constitute a brick; it doesn’t take much to build something impenetrable.
• SHARE INFORMATION: communicate constantly with eachother. the euphoria of the protest lifts the veil of our usual apathy and connects us all. feel and wield that power. if you know where the fascists are, tell the person next to you; if you see the police moving in a pattern, relay the information relentlessly so everyone can understand the situation and freely choose their own course of action.
• in short: COLLECTIVE DEFENSE, UNCONDITIONAL SOLIDARITY, AUTONOMOUS POOLING OF INFORMATION.