On The Prowl - News Bulletin Of Anti-Racist Action (Toronto)

Number Two - January/February/March 1994 [Part VII]

18) International News

Bloodied And Humiliated

On January 15, 1994, Blood and Honour, a neo-nazi skinhead group, attempted to hold a memorial concert for Ian Stuart in London. Stuart, who died in car accident last year, was the singer for Skrewdriver, a fascist skinhead band that also operated Blood and Honour.

Because of previous successes by anti-fascists in shutting down fascist gigs this one was organized strictly by a word of mouth basis. As well, Combat 18 (C18) thugs (a paramilitary fascist organization), provided security in an attempt to foil anti-fascist efforts to smash the gig. All of which proved useless when militants from Anti-Fascist Action (AFA) thwarted their every manoeuvre.

AFA is national anti-fascist organization in Britain that was formed in 1985 to, in their own words, "cause maximum disruption to fascist activities". Unlike groups such the Anti-Nazi League (a Socialist Workers Party front group), AFA attempts to smash the fascists whenever they rear their ugly heads. January 15th was no exception.

Despite C18 attempts to redirect nazi scum to a series of assembly points, AFA militants always managed to find them. Even the cops called the AFA ability to locate the fascists as "uncanny".

The day ended with nazi skinheads and C18 stewards holed up in a pub surrounded by riot police. When AFA once again arrived on the scene, the fascists panicked and tried to flee. The riot police smashed their way into the pub and badly beaten and bloodied fascists were dragged out and arrested. Other fascists attempting to flee the vicinity received a beating from AFA militants in the area. The key to AFA's success was their intelligence gathering capacity and on that day they "controlled the play, were ahead of the game and made all the decisive moves". Write: AFA, BM 1734, London, WC1N 3XX.

Cyber-Nazis?

The recent media hype about an "information superhighway" and the explosive growth of computer-based telecommunications hasn't been ignored by fascists seeking new ways to spread their propaganda and unify their movement.

The Thule Network is a computer network linking together over a dozen computer bulletin boards in Germany. This network, based in 3 western states, allows neo-nazis to communicate with one another, pass along news and propaganda and even provides "services" for the movement. For instance, if a small group of fascists with few resources wanted to put out a publication they can log onto a bulletin board and be provided with graphics. A movement lawyer can look over the text for any legal problems.

Other information on the network can range from intelligence on anti-fascists to bomb-making directions. Access to the various bulletin boards is guarded by a series of passwords and loyalty tests which allows neo-Nazis a secure means of communication.

This network, which has been operating for over a year now, not only provides a link between various fascist organizations and individuals and allows them to exchange information but to be able to co-ordinate rallies, gigs and actions The Thule Network along with cellular phones, fax machines and telephone hotlines is helping bring together a diverse and often fractious neo-Nazi scene into a united movement.

Any anti-fascist hackers out there?