Fascists never go away, Bab
‘If I were fifty years younger I’d be there’
An older protester says pointing to a dozen younger compatriots running to meet another fascist vlogger walking through Police lines at the back of the peaceful anti-fascist demo to antagonise demonstrators.
Amplify Town Hall Exhibition, in the middle of the demonstration reminds me Birmingham has always been a city of protest – Chartist, Suffragist, Unionist and Anti-fascist protest. We were literally stood on the ground Paul Robeson visited so many times as a singer, but also as an anti-racist, socialist campaigner. He sang at the Town Hall in 1949 alongside Birmingham Clarion Singers, a socialist choir, and later became their President.
Saturday 20th June 2026 and here we are again. This time the anti-fascists organised by ‘Stand Up to Racism Birmingham‘ number 1000, and fascists, armed with flags and flares (smoke disguises the poor turn out) were fewer than 100. Britain First marched up Hill Street and down again to New Street station to leave Birmingham after less than three hours. They were still able to cause significant trouble, both on the day and in the days after. Cherry Reds Cafe and The London and North Western Weatherspoons bravely protected their regular customers and refused entry to racists. Fascist vloggers made a call out to their supporters, and both these businesses recieved abuse including literally hundreds of one star fake reviews online from mainly fake accounts. Birmingham-based news outlets pulled together to counter Britain First fake news and support local people and businesses.
Britain First at their demo were mainly middle aged white men; The anti-fascists included a diverse range of local people and groups. Birmingham Woodcraft Folk, a cooperative youth group meeting weekly, were well represented and talked to Birmingham Live:
“We started as a youth movement 100 years ago fighting fascism. I think it’s really important that young people have their voices heard. More would be with us today but they [Young People] were frightened to come on their streets in Birmingham, which I find absolutely terrifying.”
Later in the week I was speaking to Diane Fairfax, whose Father was a holocaust survivor coming to the UK as part of the ‘Kindertransport’ in December 1938, as fascism spread. She has been active in Woodcraft Folk throughout her life and still works in schools to raise awareness of the holocaust and Fascism:
‘Fascists never go away, but hope doesn’t either. We must stand up to it. When we Educate for Social Change we only sow the seeds for a better world, but know that fascists could return.’
