The afternoon started peacefully enough with anti-fascists asserting their right to organise by defying the ban placed by local council ornicials and ine police on Ducketts Common. After initial threats to cicar ine common tne police were forced by weight of numbers ana une sondanty or Ine lorces organising the Rally against RacSaturday's election agent for Islington North.
ism to allow it to proceed.
Unity for action had been built amongst anti-racist committees, black or samusations.
Labour Parties, trade unions and the International Marxist Group and Socialist Workers Party. Two days before the rally, the London District of the Communist Party also added their SUP PULL price Ho i not be one in our mi humeday a to y London Organiser of the IMG and one cannot walk. Injuries inflicted by the police are the reason. Alsc among ine arrested were Gerry Healey, the socialist IMG candidate l Ealing Southall in the Greater London Council elections, and the IMG's ...On the Streets Iesult was tne largest and broades UnCe on or lic workers move ment against fascism yet seen in local Ls country. Commica to a DosI tion of 'No platform for fascists'.
Chairing Knight, prospective Labour candidate for Hornsev crowd that the labour movement must not repeat the mistakes of Ger many in the 1930s in dealing with the fascists. movement was divided and as now people said the rights of fascists to organise should be defended. We don't accept that. Fascism must be crushed in the bud, it must be denied any legitimacy.' Nor was any going to stop anti-fascists organising. the International Marxist Group, "will go to any lengths to allow the rascists to march wnile tnere wil always be any number of by-laws SEOD wan-Tascists Well, they have got their answer today as to war we mink obna So powerful was the momentum built up amongst the anti-racist forces that the Haringey Labour councillors, who had earlier held their own protest across the street from the Common, joined the rally on the Common indications Lual defy the ban.
Mayor, followed by the leader of the Tory COHEDICLC LOUD of councillors from an illegal platform provided by the IMG in the form of a lorry must have come as a surprise to many!
The police, having been forced into one major concession, were preparing their attack elsewhere. Niggling incidents, such as the sealing of the only entry and exit gate to the Common by the police, took place. Three times the senior stewards appealed to the police to fac discuss what was happening and three times the senior police offi cers were nowhere to be found. Only four miles later and after a vicious, sprawling street battle did for. *For years we waited patiently
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Wood Green High Road, North London, was turned into a battle- field on Saturday afternoon as 3,500 anti-fascist militants confronted 1,200 police and a thousand fascists in an attempt to stop the National Front's St George's Day Parade.