Barking and Dagenham!

So... as part of my 'experience', I spent my Sunday with a happy band of like-minded people as we went around Dagenham, 'canvasing' and posting leaflets against the BNP.

This involved talking to a select number of houses and convincing people to use to use their vote! The more votes against the BNP the more effective it would be!

This took me back to my door-to-door selling days... the anticipation of a person opening the door... coupled with the adverse reaction of a BNP candidate answering it.

Luckily I only spoke to one, and when I asked her "Why do you support the BNP?" she replied: "So we can get our jobs, homes and country back!"

I then said: "Do you realise the BNP are going to 'solve' the housing problem by building a caravan site?"

"What for the gypos? What they going to do that for? Just send 'em all back!"

Then she didn't want to talk anymore... lovely lady.


In Barking & Dagenham there are 12 BNP coucil members (who are pretty shit at their jobs anyway) but the place is crawling with BNP. We only got shouted at once, but surprisingly there were a few ex-BNP who were willing to listen...

My Bolton-inspired (and sourced) posters!

Fighting Racists in Bolton! March 20th!

It was about 6am when we left on the bus to Bolton.

I was amoung Socialists and generally everyone was completely psyched about the day! (Except for my mate, who was feeling slightly delicate... into a bag... for most of the 5hr journey......)

When we arrived we were met with a ghost town, boarded up and police everywhere.
The plan was simple:

The fascist and openly 'white power' supremisists a.k.a. the English Defence League (EDL) had been given permission to march through Bolton. So... UAF met it with 70 coaches worth of protesters. We blocked the square where they were marching from two sides, so that they couldn't go forward. This classic move is what has broken up fascist marches as far back as the 1930s!

Earlier in the day, the EDL, armed with KNIVES had attacked a mosque... this led to hundreds of the Muslim youth joining us and they were eventually what won the day!

The key points from the day:

The Muslim youth joining us!
The police behaving like a group of thugs, punching and headbutting no less... to us!
And some idiotic fascist, arriving in the modst of the densely packed in UAF, on his phone, when he suddenly exclaims: "WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M ON THE WRONG SIDE?!" Priceless... especially as he was chased!

Would I do it again? You bet ya! NAZI SCUM! OFF OUR STREETS!

Pictures from Bolton! March 20th

Models

Fascism Questionnaire

Ok I need more experience. So I went out to try and draw on other people's.

This was the most memorable with a catalogue of abuse:



Ethnicity: INDIAN
Age: 48


1. What is your political view/ standpoint?


Don’t have one.


2. Has fascism/ racism ever directly affected your life? If YES please explain.


Born in the UK.
Grew up in Tufnal Park/ Musewell hill/ Brixton/ West Norwood/ Barnet.

Beaten up. Jumped many times (UK).

The first time I can remember, was in 1967 (aged 5), and my Dad was taking my brother and me to an amusement park. As my Dad was paying the bus driver for three tickets he gave £5. This was a lot of money in those days. The female bus conductor took the money and badly short-changed him. He demanded his money but she said: “You never gave me £5.” Then she over looked at the all white queue and said: “Did he?”
“No love.” They replied.
So we had almost no money for the rides. This was very traumatising for me.
In the 1960s there weren’t a lot of Asians in the UK. We got a lot of abuse.

Once was by about 10 skinheads (aged 14 or 15).

Another time (aged 17) was in Brighton. On bumper cars. My friend and I were
Mobbed by skinheads. They were all spitting at us. It was like a shower of rain.

Another time (aged 18) was by two skinheads.

Another time (aged 18) I was jumped in Watford. I was with my friend and we
Were with two white girls. Two skinheads again.

Another occasion was in college (aged 25). A gang of about 15 people jumped me. The police, who were watching, just left. I ended up in hospital.

Another time (aged 26) two posh racists wanted to fight me for my white
Girlfriend! I was in this posh pub with my girlfriend and this bloke comes over.
He says:
“My friend just said to me that this girl you’re with is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.”
“Thank you” I reply.
“It wasn’t a compliment. We’ve got a bit of a problem here haven’t we?” He replies.
He then says “My friend is going to fight you for her.”
I am a calm person so despite how ridiculous the situation is, I say OK just to gage the situation. His friend comes over and at this point I was sizing him up, trying to gain an insight as to my chances. My body can take a lot of punishment thanks to the abuse I’ve grown up with.
He says: “I don’t really fight much but I will do what I can.”
I say: “That’s OK. Lets step outside. You do what you can do… and I’ll do my kick-boxing.”
They didn’t follow us out of the pub.

Once, a black gang jumped me on my doorstep. They eventually robbed my house.

Another time (aged 28) I was walking with my girlfriend and a group of lads shouted “Paki!”
I walked up to them and very calmly said: “What did you say?”
They didn’t have anything else to say.

A lot of the time, the abuse is motivated/ sparked off by me being with a white girl.


3. If you have experienced fascism/ racial abuse first hand, how did it make you
feel? If you have not how does it make you feel to know about it?


Doesn’t make me feel angry at all.
At the time I saw it as part of growing up as an Asian in this country. The older you get the more you can cope. Younger is more stressful.
Education is the key – the reason for the hate. People assume things and want to believe what they hear and what they’re told without finding out themselves. Not educated enough to ask questions. Ignorance. Poverty. Lack of education.
It hasn’t made me bitter. You can’t live with hate.


4. Have you ever taken action against fascism/ racism?


YES.


5. If YES please explain. If NO what would you do?


Confront them verbally.
Make eye contact. If it’s a gang, make eye contact with all of them. Gives them nowhere to hide.
Meeting violence with violence hasn’t really worked.
Kids never used to see colour, just the person.

KKKlown

This is just a quick cartoon that I made, which i am developing into a stencil (at some point!)

Afterthought

The meeting was interesting. Just giving people a chance to talk, but to be honest, I was just surrounded by opinion.

I met socialists, Marxists, Anarchists and just curious-people-ists.

I have been told about an event in Bolton about stopping the EDF (ENGLISH DEFENCE LEAGUE).

As such I am making my own mind up about how polical campaigning works...

Unite Against Fascism meeting March 04

Toxic Cloud...

This is the latest.

I wanted the BNP cloud to look harmless, although people know that posionous clouds look white and polluting as well.

I wanted the word play 'Fascist Reign' to sound like Acid Rain so as to really avoid getting covered in it.

Again this piece is fun, but politically, quite ineffective.

Stormy presence...

Second attempt...

I wanted to make the rain seem more militant and organised to stress the danger of the Hate.

The ominous background was meant to portray stormy turmoil/chaos or just evil. It could also be portrayed as power.

I think the ideas are too confusing in the end. Also too much going on in the picture. Not very well balanced and not direct enough.

Live In Harmony. First Attempt

This was the first attempt.

I wanted to unify Britain using our national symbol, the umbrella (also used in our Olympics display) and appeal to the dry parody of British misery from being rained on.

The rain is of course hatred, and I wanted the typeface (deftones - music), to look quite appealing.

The Headline "Live in Harmony" is also connected to this are the umbrella handles, made to look like sheet music notes.

The colour scheme of course speaks for itself, as the unified 'multi-colour / culture' with the grey and unappealing white head of characatured 'Nick Griffin' apparition overhead.

Main Problem with this piece: It has no political bite. Too 'stand-offish', and obvious that I have not had much direct experience with racism. Too much of an academic angle.

Nick Griffin

The leader of the BNP, Nick Griffin

The BNP are EVIL!

So... my FMP for Graphics is as follows:

My friend asked me tp help her create a poster campaign against the BNP for the upcoming May elections.

The BNP have many policies, but under their picture-painted use of words and promises of reform, their party boils down to a white-power party that wants to return 'indigenous Britain' back to the days of the Empire...

So far I have been approaching this from a purely academic angle. My ideas have ranged from targeting Nick Griffin, the figurehead of the BNP, to targeting people's own common sense and appealing to Britain in general.