Stand Up To Racism factsheet As the far right mobilise around “Free Tommy Robinson”... 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. They are falsely claiming the banner figures from the of ‘freedom of speech’ and calling for US behind Tommy the release of long time far-right activist Tommy Robinson from jail, following his Robinson imprisonment for contempt of court. It was recently revealed that the Middle East But Robinson is no hero. He’s not a Forum thinktank (MEF) has played a key role representative of the forgotten “white ‘legally and diplomatically’ in pressuring the working class”. He is a fascist. British government to release Robinson. The MEF is helping fund Robinson’s An ex-British National Party member, defence and along with Breitbart (a far right Robinson led the violent English Defence pro-Trump website) is campaigning for League. He aims to divide ordinary Robinson. people and to scapegoat Muslims and Incredibly, Donald Trump’s ambassador for 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 14 July saw a group of trade unionists behalf of Robinson, after talks with Breitbart. The fascist right, the Football Lads attacked in a pub with beer glasses, in a US officials deny this. The MEF has a ‘legal project’ which ferocious assault. Alliance (FLA) and now the Democratic provides financial help to certain public Football Lads Alliance (DFLA, Alt-right At the heart of this movement is figures who make inflammatory remarks figures and increasingly UKIP are at violent Islamophobia and increasingly about Islam. the heart of campaigning for Robinson’s attacks on the Labour and trade union The MEF’s president is Daniel Pipes. He release. movement. was nominated by ex-president George Once the FLA and DFLA claimed to Bush to serve on the US Institute of Peace, be against all “extremism” and distanced a move criticised by many because of Pipe’s UKIP Islamophobic views. themselves from Robinson. Now they UKIP and its leader Gerard Batten are Pipes has attacked Muslim immigration, have helped put him at the heart of a new trying to rebuild their shattered forces claiming that Muslim migrants “bring with far right movement. by aligning with this new force on the them a chauvinism that augurs badly for their And the international far right are streets. Anti-racists and the whole labour integration”. mobilising too. Figures like Trump’s ex movement has to be alert to what is a Pipes refers to Geert Wilders as “the leader chief of staff Steve Bannon and racist growing threat. of Europeans who wish to retain their historic Dutch politician Geert Wilders have When Robinson’s supporters marched identity”. He also defended the right of the Danish newspaper, Jyllands Posten, to publish backed Robinson. in Leeds they chanted anti-Muslim inflammatory Islamophobic cartoons. They believe the success that the racist slogans. Just days later thugs acted on right has achieved in the US and across those slogans, firebombing a mosque and Wealthy backers much of Europe can be repeated here. a Sikh gurdwara. Pipes and the MEF are pouring significant Pro-Robinson protests have seen We have to build a mass anti-racist resources into Robinson’s campaign. increasing levels of racism and violence. movement that can isolate far right ideas Expensive large screens, placards and T shirts On 9 June 15,000 of his supporters and can mobilise on the streets against bearing Robinson’s image are financed by the MEF. The founder of the far right InfoWars rallied in London. Some openly gave the them. Anti-racists are the majority. We website, Alex Jones, also donated £20,000 to Hitler salute, and attacked anti-racists have to mobilise that majority and drive Robinson. and police officers. A follow-up rally on the racists back. 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 Nigel Farage. 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 Football Lads Alliance (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 English Defence League 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 Enoch Powell, 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.