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Scottish Defence League routed in Glasgow.
Image by John Lanigan
Almost two months of organising against the Scottish incarnation of the fascist English Defence League paid off yesterday – the SDL were outnumbered 50 to 1 by anti-fascist demonstrators, unable to march and spent most of the day kettled in a pub in Glasgow. Earlier fears of the SDL marching on Glasgow Central Mosque, attacking anti-war and pro-Palestine stalls on Buchanan St or assembling in George Square were unfounded thanks to the presence of well over a thousand anti-fascist demonstrators.
While the SDL spent their whole day stuck in the Cambridge Bar anti-fascist demonstrators had freedom to march all across Glasgow in what were effectively illegal marches. It was this presence which stopped the police from allowing the SDL any kind of demonstration in Glasgow, bar a pathetic 60 pace “march” outside the Cambridge Bar to police lines. The SDL themselves had to be taken out on double decker buses for their own safety.
Theres lots of things we could have done differently on the day – there was a split in the demo between those who wanted to stay at the Cambridge where the SDL were and those who went to Glasgow Green.
SSY members and GU Left Society members argued throughout the build up to this demo that we should have a mobilisation in the city centre early on in the day, as the SDL planned to demonstrate in the city centre well before the Scotland United rally. Having a rally away from the city centre and after the SDL were due to turn up therefore couldn’t be the only way to confront the SDL. At first UAF opposed the 10am kick off but later came round to supporting it.
The split in the demo between those who went to the Green and stayed at Cambridge is a lesson for any future demos the SDL or the far-right try to organise; many people did not stay at the Cambridge because the SDL presence there was tiny, and it was believed they would try to hold a larger rally later on in George Square. That made getting kettled outside the Cambridge an unattractive prospect, especially as there were rumours 100 SDL supporters would be coming in on the Trains at 12 to assemble in George Square.
As it happened the only SDL presence was in the Cambridge and in retrospect the demo could have stayed there for most if not all of the day. If part of the demo had to split off for speakers etc then in the future it should be somewhere much closer to the SDL – for example George Square.
Despite this the day was a resounding success, the SDL were totally unable to march or advertise themselves or their message. Just take a look at their comments on their Facebook group – http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&ref=search&gid=227558430152
The free march the EDL had in Luton was totally denied to the SDL.
SDL’s tiny “demo” kettled by the police
This wasn’t just down to a large anti-fascist mobilisation but a mobilisation which was committed to meeting in the city centre and confronting them – not simply going to the Green. SSY comrades played no small part in many of the meetings in the build up to this demo in arguing and promoting that city centre confrontation and we should be proud of our role in making sure the SDL had a bad day in Glasgow.
NO PASARAN!
I think the biggest mistake of the day was allowing the UAF/SWP to lead the march off to listen to speeches at Glasgow Green. This left those who wanted to prevent the SDL from mobilising, the aim of the protest, in danger of attack from fascists or arrest by the police. It wasn’t a collective decision but one that was made the SWP, a group who had played no part in organising against the SDL, content as they were with cosying up to racist groups like the Labour and Conservative parties at Glasgow Green.
I think that this post form Indymedia is quite pertinent as it shows that people within the crowd that was led away by Weyman Bennett thought they were heading towards the SDL and NOT to Glasgow Green.
http://www.indymediascotland.org/node/17396
“So far everyone here seem to be people who stayed to confront the SDL and were (rightly) disappointed and angry that the rest of us marched on. I’ll give you my version of the day.
I came to the St Enoch assembly, as a member of a group that had been meeting for over a month at Glasgow Uni to mobilise and organise for yesterday’s event. When the march started, heading up Buchanan Street, as far as I knew we didn’t know where the SDL had decided to assemble, and actually thought we were just starting to march for the sake of having our march (possible the SDL weren’t gonna turn up at all). I asked people around me and they, like me, didn’t know the SDL had been spotted. As the march turned up Cambridge Street, a number of us stayed on Sauchiehall Street, for fear of being kettled (I saw police and their vans heading the same way as the march, but didn’t realise why, partly because of the police’s attempt to control our direction earlier in the march). I asked a group of people who told me the SDL were in a pub “two minutes up the road”. Unfortunately, I didn’t take this literally as ‘a pub two minutes up this road’ and I didn’t ask(!) which pub it was either. SO, as the march again went up Cambridge Street and turned right towards Cineworld, I never even noticed that we were going away from something, or the hundred-odd police lined up on Cambridge Street. Concerned only by not poking out anyone’s eye with my umbrella and not walking in puddles (…or something like that) I walked on until those ‘two minutes’ seemed awfully long. As we turned down Renfield Street(?) someone asked me where we were going, and I told her we were going to a pub where the SDL were. Fooled! I never thought all these people would be giving up the chance to actually confront the SDL.
Afterwards, I have learned from others about the SDL presence and the split on Cambridge Street, and having seen video footage of the police presence I honestly can’t believe I missed what was going on. But I did, and many with me, I’m sure. There was a lot of confusion for sure, but to those who saw me and others walk by, obediently following after the UAF lead, I can only say I’m sorry and I really hope we won’t have a situation like this next time. I don’t know what the solution is, better communication? No UAF lead of the march, for sure. ”
That said it was a pathetic showing from the SDL who were massively disorganised, the words piss up and brewery come to mind, but with a more confident show of force from anti-fascists they would have been cleared off much quicker.
Nice article
I marched away from the Cambridge and know other SSP and SSY folk who did, while some stayed at the Cambridge. In retrospect we should have stayed, but at that point I think we totally overestimated the strength of the SDL and thought we’d get kettled while they had a bigger demo in George Square.
That said UAF only came to backing a 10am demo at the 11th hour, and on the way to the Cambridge they tried to stop us from even approaching it, which was wrong, it would have stopped us from getting intel on the SDL.
Scotland United rallies of that kind can draw folk out, and are good for folk who cant or dont want to go chasing after the SDL but they should from now on be much closer to anywhere the SDL are so marchers can get to them easily (and they should STOP THE EVENT if they hear the SDL are on the move).
This is my favourite photo from the day: http://www.flickr.com/photos/broccoli/4102862663/
Also, everyone should come to the socialist public meeting against racism and fascism tomorrow night (Monday 16th November) at 7pm at the The Piper bar on George Square.
The thing is though if everyone who was at the green, kids and old folks as well, had been at the Cambridge the cops would have huckled the SDL into their buses a hell of a lot faster than they did. The SDL, and all of their ilk, are cowards and would without a shadow of a doubt have run from such numbers. This has been shown time and again. it was also seen on Saturday.
I was up outside the thistle hotel for most of the day and i think a lot of people are underplaying what happened up there. There was definetly more than the 70 to 80 that is widely being reported. i would say over a hundred, not much but definetly around that number. The perception that they were bussed out for their own safety to me again seems wrong. I was close enough to the police cordon to hear them arguing with the police that they were not getting on the buses and to hear the top cop on the day warn them several times they would be arrested if they did not.He then gave them a final warning and that is when they got on the buses.
They did not seem to me intimidated, actually more dissappointed that there was not more of us up there and that a lot of ours disappeared. I think a lot are making the mistake of thinking they do not want confrontation.I think they do. I have heard various accounts of them being pulled off the subway and buses in an attempt to get back into town enmasse after they were bussed out.I also heard from one of the police on duty that they never intended to go to the mosque.Which in retrospect makes sense when you see where they met up.
We cannot allow a split of our forces next time they come out.That was a major mistake in my view. I cannot see the sense of a counter demo that takes place several miles from the threat.
[...] today was the day of the English Scottish Defence League’s second outing. They had first appeared in Glasgow last November, with a generous estimate of 80 turning up to find themselves outnumbered by about 50 [...]
Lol, what a bunch of tossers!
EDL/SDL = WANKERS
I am Scottish and I hate myself I want open borders and foreigners to come here in their masses, I’m not having children either because I am Scottish scum I support the foreigners. Assured that you foreigners will support me in my quest for extinction. End the British scum from these shores!