Admin: I'm not sure if this is the right forum or not, so if it isn't feel free to move it.
I have been invited to an event on Facebook called "STOP THE RACIST EDL IN BRIGHTON"
My first thoughts were, "The EDL are marching in Brighton, oh, strange, isn't that absolutely mental of them?"
On the Facebook event there is a comment on the wall that says "It's not an official EDL march, it's a MfE march, with EDL attending. You're right, I don't think EDL as an organisation would bother down here.".
So now I'm kind of concerned as to whether this whole thing is just UAF produced hysteria and what actual contingent of EDL are planning on marching in Brighton. Does anyone here have any more information.
Also, how are Brighton people planning on responding to this? I'm very cautious about standing underneath a UAF banner, I don't know if I can do it and not hate myself.
FB event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=120521291291657
as far as i can tell, a couple of people mentioned going to the 'March for England' on the EDL forum, which the UAF have transformed into 'the EDL are marching in Brighton.' this is completely fucking mental and counter-productive for so many reasons (of which i'm sure posters here are well-aware, but just for the record...)
firstly, the rationale for opposing the EDL is that they march against mosques, stirring up racial tensions regardless of their stated intentions, and that some fascists join their marches. Since this march is neither targetting a mosque (nor in fact does Brighton have a particularly large/visible muslim population), and since only a minority of EDL marchers are actual fascists, it's taken to the farcical level of mobilising against a march which may have some members of a group that holds marches which some fascists attend...
secondly, a month or two before the World Cup this is about the most counter-productive thing anyone could do. the 'March for England' is a patriotic St. George's day march that celebrates the 'English' identity within a multicultural society ("Regardless of Colour, Culture or Religion or Non Religion ... Free from Hardline Extremists of all Religions or facist groups"). they've previously had Gurkhas lead the march. Now it's nationalist, and nationalism is reactionary, but it's essentially a fairly harmless patriotic family stroll. a UAF counter-mobilisation is all-but guaranteed to bring out EDL/fash who will paint it as 'Reds' trying to shut down a St. George's day celebration (which isn't all that innacurate).
given the soft flag-waving nationalism that become particularly prominent around the time of the World Cup, this seems like a sure-fire way to drive flag-waving patriots towards the confrontational street-based nationalism of the EDL, and make the UAF scare-stories about meetings being broken up, ethnic minorities getting beat up/stabbed etc far more likely.
of course this kind of popular frontist bollocks is less about practical opposition to nationalism (which after all requires long-term, class-based organising) and more about radical posturing, student trots trying to re-enact cable st, selling papers and building the party. the SWP has previously taken the line that supporting England in the football is "racist", so this is par for the course and as much driven by barely sublimated contempt for the culture of 'the masses' as much anything else.