WHILE the BNP have won a seat in the south east of and anti-fascists have won the upper hand in the west of Bengali youth organisations came together over the summer tion. Supported by YRE and Panther, they began to organise for a demonstration in Brick Lane in September.
They had just decided to postpone it to allow more time to build support when Quaddus Ali was attacked. It was back on for 3 October.
Campaign
A 'Free the Tower Hamlets Nine Defence Committee has been set up to detend the nine people arrested and then charged with riot after the vigil for Quaddus outside the London Hospital.
The Committee is calling for the charges to be dropped and is organising a picket of Thames Magistrates Court at 9.30am on 26 October.
The night after the vigil BNP members ran up Brick Lane smashing windows.
The police admitted they had followed the fascists on a pub crawl from the Isle of Dogs - and went on to say they had lost them when the 30-50 fascists left one of the pubs by the back window' This was later changed to "by the back door; and later still to losing them 'in the maze of streets around Brick Lane'.
The ANL called a mobilisation for Brick Lane on 19 September, winning support from YRE Stewards.
As the march reached the point where the ANL began to file off to go and stand behind the crowd barriers YRE stewards nipped up the left side of the Lane, behind the crowd barriers and overturned the BP paper stall.
The three BNP members there at the time ran off. A larger crowd of BNP members came back later and were chased off by the anti-fascist crowd - resulting in a further crop of arrests.
Following this success, antifascists mobilised again for 26 September. The BP's paper selling site was occupied, and the fascists were not seen -apart from the 44 arrested by police at Mile End tube station some distance away.
1,000 anti-fascists gathered for the Youth Connection march on 3 October. The BNP did not turn up.
Bill Morris has called for the TUC to hold a demonstration in Tower Hamlets along the same route as the 1930s 'They shall not pass' Cable Street demonstration as have the GMB. This would be a welcome initiative to sustain the anti-fascist focus which must be held through until next May's council elections.
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 50, October 9 1993, Page 7