Stand Up To Racism factsheet After Tommy Robinson’s release on bail... Don’t let the far right grow he far right are mobilising on the streets of Britain and are The Islamophobic Tattempting to re-organise and grow. The release of Nazi Tommy Robinson figures from the on bail, following his arrest for contempt US behind Tommy of court, has given confidence to racists and fascists. His release is seen as a Robinson victory for a campaign that was led by It was recently revealed that the Middle East key far right figures internationally. Forum thinktank (MEF) has played a key role Robinson is no hero. He’s not the voice ‘legally and diplomatically’ in pressuring the of the forgotten “white working class” or British government to release Robinson. The MEF is helping fund Robinson’s a champion of free speech. defence and along with Breitbart (a far right An ex- member, pro-Trump website) is campaigning for Robinson, he also led the violent English Robinson. Defence League. He aims to divide us Incredibly, ’s ambassador for and to scapegoat and migrants. Robinson’s supporters repeatedly abused a Muslim international religious freedom was reported woman bus driver during their protest on 14 July to have lobbied the British government on Release attacked in a pub with beer glasses, in a behalf of Robinson, after talks withBreitbart . The fascist right, the Democratic Football ferocious assault. US officials deny this. The MEF has a ‘legal project’ which At the heart of this movement is Lads Alliance (DFLA), alt-right figures provides financial help to certain public and UKIP are backing Robinson. violent Islamophobia and increasingly figures who make inflammatory remarks Once the FLA and DFLA claimed to attacks on the Labour and trade union about Islam. be against “extremism” and distanced movement. The MEF’s president is Daniel Pipes. He themselves from Robinson. Now they’ve was nominated by ex-president George helped put him at the heart of a new far UKIP Bush to serve on the US Institute of Peace, right movement. UKIP are trying to rebuild their shattered a move criticised by many because of Pipe’s Islamophobic views. Internationally the far right are forces by aligning with this new force. Pipes has attacked Muslim immigration, mobilising behind him. Figures like Anti-racists and the whole labour claiming that Muslim migrants “bring with Trump’s ex chief of staff movement has to be alert to the growing them a chauvinism that augurs badly for their and racist Dutch politician Geert Wilders threat. When Robinson’s supporters integration”. campaigned for his release. The US marched after his arrest in Leeds they Pipes refers to Geert Wilders as “the leader alt-right pumped big money into his chanted anti-Muslim slogans. Days later of Europeans who wish to retain their historic campaign. thugs acted on those slogans, carrying identity”. He also defended the right of the Danish newspaper, Jyllands Posten, to publish They all believe the success that the out an arson attack on a mosque and a inflammatory Islamophobic cartoons. racist right has achieved in the US and Sikh gurdwara. across Europe can be repeated here. We have to build a mass anti-racist Wealthy backers Pro-Robinson protests have seen movement that can isolate far right Pipes and the MEF are pouring significant increasing levels of racism and violence. ideas. And we have to be ready to take resources into Robinson’s campaign. On 9 June 15,000 of his supporters to the streets against Robinson and Expensive large screens, placards and T shirts rallied in . Some openly gave the his supporters when they next try to bearing Robinson’s image are financed by the MEF. The founder of the far right InfoWars Hitler salute, and attacked anti-racists mobilise. website, Alex Jones, also donated £20,000 to and police officers. A follow-up rally on Sign the Stand Up To Racism Robinson. 14 July saw a group of trade unionists statement: bit.ly/TommyNotWelcome Robinson and his racist friends On the 9 June key figures it as a badge of honour!” they wanted “fewer or more Bannon is a central player in Moroccans” in their country. Who are the from the British and trying to coordinate the far right When people shouted “fewer”, Football Lads international racist across Europe. He has wealth and Wilders said: “Then we’ll fix it.” and fascist right spoke influential contacts and admires Alliance and former UKIP leader . the Democratic or sent messages of Bannon’s Breitbart operation Gerard Batten support to the “Free started several years ago. He Football Lads started Breitbart London to help Tommy Robinson” rally UKIP leader UKIP. Breitbart communicates its Batten spoke at the Robinson Alliance? in London. So who is own fake news, heavily slanted to event. Batten seems to be looking a far right nature. The (FLA) Tommy Robinson – to the far right on the streets hit the streets seeking to whip up Bannon’s nationalism and to rebuild UKIP after its local and who are his racist pseudo anti-establishment racism in the wake of the terror elections disaster. attacks in the summer of 2017. friends? rhetoric is about shoring up He shouted in Whitehall that a base of hard-right, anti-left It initially claimed to be “mass immigration” was a “disaster against all forms of extremism, populism. Bannon likes to see that has fed Islamisation”. and distanced itself from himself as a right-wing radical. A At one point he said, “You Tommy Robinson. But it headed Tommy Robinson far right international of various either submit or resist”. The nature in an increasingly racist and lynchpin of the forces is central to his aims. of such “resistance” was left Islamophobic direction. far right hanging in the air. It mobilised over 6,000 at UKIP members were London Bridge in June 2017 and Robinson was the leader of the prominent in the crowd. But even up to 20,000 in Central London fascist Geert Wilders former UKIP leader Nigel Farage the following October. (EDL). Mass opposition in areas leader of Dutch is reported to think Batten is too But after failing to mobilise like Walthamstow and Tower right-wing. Farage told a meeting successfully in Birmingham Hamlets broke the EDL and saw Freedom Party of UKIP activists that opposing all earlier this year its leading figure Robinson quit the group in 2013. This notoriously racist Dutch MEP Islam and backing Robinson was a John Meighan resigned. Robinson then made links spoke at length in Whitehall. He political mistake. The Democratic Football Lads with ex-UKIP figure Anne Marie called Robinson the “bravest man Alliance (DFLA) emerged as the Batten says Islam is a violent Waters and others to form Pegida in Britain” and railed that “we are FLA went into decline. The FLA “death cult”. After becoming UK. Far right groups in Europe foreigners in our own lands”. has now collapsed into the DFLA. leader, he called for Muslims to be continue to promote Robinson. He is leader of the racist UKIP has thrown in its lot with asked to sign a pledge attacking He has flirted with the DFLA, and Party for Freedom (PVV) in the the DFLA, holding joint strategy parts of the Koran. He has following his latest imprisonment, Netherlands. The party won 20 meetings, attending DFLA events been interviewed by Robinson’s has become the figurehead of the seats out of 150 in the 2017 general and calling on DFLA members to YouTube channel at least once and British far right. UKIP’s embrace election and is the second largest join the party. is a favourite of groups like the far of Robinson highlights how the in parliament. Wilders made The DFLA is now backing right Generation Identity. racist right see the movement’s several attacks on high profile the campaign to release Tommy Robinson from jail and fortunes entwined with his. British Asians, particularly MPs. Wilders continues to be a key has mobilised for two violent link person in coordinating right- Raheem Kassam Robinson rallies. wing forces inside the European Steve Bannon Parliament and beyond. He has ex-Breitbart editor former Trump close allies in France’s fascist Raheem Kassam chaired the rally. JOIN STAND UP Front National, Austria’s fascist He has associations with the alt- TO RACISM adviser FPÖ and Italy’s racist Lega. right in America and elsewhere. Steve Bannon sent a message of He followed up his trip to Kassam was the London editor Stand Up To Racism is a broad support for Robinson to be read London by announcing he will of the racist, far right, Breitbart based organisation made up out at the 9 June demo. In recent hold a Prophet Muhammad website. He is still close to Steve of anti-racists, students, trade months he has visited Europe cartoon competition at his party’s Bannon. Kassam wrote a book unionists and faith groups. several times, addressing far right parliamentary offices. This is called Enoch Was Right about the For more information and to crowds in France, Italy, Hungary a highly provocative move as racist MP , infamous help with our campaigns, please get in touch: and the Czech Republic. many Muslims consider images for his “rivers of blood” speech He spoke alongside the fascist of the Prophet Muhammad to be in 1968. standuptoracism.org.uk Front National leader Marine Le blasphemous. He plays a prominent role Pen, saying, “Let them call you In 2016 he was convicted of in directing the Robinson @AntiRacismDay racist, xenophobes, nativists, inciting hatred and discrimination bandwagon, alongside ex-EDL Stand Up To Racism homophobes, misogynists—wear after asking supporters whether leaders such as Kevin Carroll.