I write this post while leaning on the north face of the Lewisham clock tower. Around me the crowds gather, the sounds of revolution grow, the swell of rebellion rises, and a sense of riot attacks the senses faster then you can say free drinks the Wetherspoons Clocktower for anyone who can perfectly execute a flying elbow drop.
I’m surrounded by demonstrators. Police in cars scream through the streets and charge the pavements on horseback to disburse the crowds. I am at the center, of the Battle of Lewisham 5pm, 2nd of July 1977. I’ve chosen to observe this famous battle because it had far reaching consequences for society, and also because I don’t have anything to do in the evenings now that Game of Thrones has finished. Let me fill you in on the background...
The 1970s were a journey of discovery for mankind. Steven Hawking has just invented space. Bruce Lee had just invented fighting. The invention of the pocket calculator had finally ended the need to count. The air was filled with Disco, the streets adorned with beautiful women in power suits, and art had reached its peak with the cinematic arrival of ‘Smokey and the Bandit.’
But the 1970s were also a time of economic strife, and political gains for a group of people who called themselves fascists. The fascists didn’t like immigration, believed that only white nationals should be allowed to live in Britain, and that it was acceptable to use intimidation and violence to get their way. These Facist’s were seen as saviours by some, despised by others, the silent majority, as always, kept their thoughts to themselves.
Throughout the 1970’s Fascist and racist rallies were becoming common in pockets of the UK. In the New Cross and Lewisham 1976 bi-election, two fascist groups (the NF and NP) between them polled more votes than the winning Labour candidate. The NF had only recently separated from the NP on the grounds that they felt that the letter P just wasn’t racist enough.
Had they won then it would have been the first time a Facist party had taken a seat at Westminster, excluding the time racist Kev nicked a stool from the House of Commons canteen. The forces of resentment, intolerance and hate, were growing.
30th of May 1977 tensions grew further in Lewisham when police raids lead to the arrest of twenty young black men and one black woman on suspicion of being responsible for a recent wave of street crime. The defendants appeared at Cambewell Green magistrates court charged with various offences of ‘conspiracy to rob.’ Which I guess meant the police found a big sack of eye masks and black and white striped jumpers in one of their houses.
Many felt the charges were unjust and during the trial protesters, and some defendants clashed with police.
The trail resulted in the creation of the anti racist/ fascist group ‘The Lewisham 21 Defence Committee’ or TL21DC. These joined the already formed anti racist/ fascist groups in SE London ‘All Lewisham Campaign Against Racism and Fascism’ (ALCARAF) and ‘Anti Racist/Anti-Fascist Co-ordinating Committee’ (ARAFCC).
The existence of these groups highlight how many people in South East London are willing to give up their time and energy to protect the freedoms we all enjoy, and we should feel very lucky to have them.
It also shows that all of these people are terrible at coming up with catchy names for organisations.
In response to the trial The Lewisham 21 Defence committee organised a demonstration in New Cross on Saturday, 2 July 1977. Hundreds of anti-facist’s attended.
It was also attended by NF supporting fascists who, along with their other hates, hated anti-facists. They were anti-anti-facist’s, and proud of it. During the demonstration, these anti-anti-facist facist’s, threw insults, rotten fruit and caustic soda at the marchers.
Buoyed by their success of throwing fruit and cleaning chemicals at peaceful protesters, the NF declared that they would hold a demonstration themselves. A counter-march through New Cross and Lewisham. A show of popularity and strength.
Pledging to bring thousands of its supporters, the NF leader and march organiser told the press “We believe that the multi-racial society is wrong, is evil, and we want to destroy it.” A few years earlier the same leader had been recorded boasting that the NF were “busy setting up a well oiled Nazi machine.” Possibly reasoning that the unpopularity of Nazis in Britain was due to the squeakyness of their machines.
“The cruelty, death and destruction, the Nazi’s brought are worse than words can describe. But I think it’s the screeching noise their tanks made when they stopped that will haunt me most”
-A made up quote from a WWII survivor.
And that brings us to today. My today, 2nd of July 1977, the Battle of Lewisham. The NF leaders were right about a show of support. Although I chose to stay away, I’m informed that two thousand NF supporters arrived at New Cross early this afternoon and at 3pm, escorted by police, began their counter-march to much cheer and pride.
But they did not reckon with the anti-facist response. The counter-counter march! It started at 11.30am in Ladywell fields, roughly 20 minutes walk from Lewisham. I was there this morning listening to speeches, singing songs and trying to find a souvenir T-Shirt to sell on eBay. Around five thousand people gathered at the anti-facist counter-counter march organised by ALCARAF, and attended ARAFCC, TL21DC and many other letters of the alphabet.
I must say my heart sored to be amongst people who believe in peace, tolerance and respect for their fellow man. I lay back, run my figures through the grass and thought, maybe John Lennon was right, love really is the answer. Just then, three anti-facists with wooden clubs clumsily concealed beneath their army jackets walked past me. Things escalated quickly after that.
The counter-counter march, was set up to start in Ladywell Park and stop just short of the NF counter march in Lompit Vale, Lewisham. Once at Lompit Vale the police were to set up a blockade to prevent the anti-facist counter-counter march from mixing with the anti-anti facist, fasict counter march. But with five thousand anti-Facists, and two thousand NF anti-anti facist facists to control, essentialy the entire population of Britain in 1977, there was always the possibility of things getting out of hand.
The anti-fascists used the side streets to get past the police blockade, and decided to create their own blockade to halt the NF anti-anti fascist, fascist counter march, which for simplicity we’ll call the ‘counter-counter march anti fascist blockade against the facists’ or CCMAFBATF for short. When the NF anti-anti facist, fascist counter marchers saw that the anti fascists had got through the police blockade to set up a counter-counter march anti facist blockade against the facists, they decided to set up a blockade of their own, but before anyone had time to work out what it should be called, chaos ensued!
Bricks, bottles and bits of wood were thrown at the NF marchers, police used tear gas and, for the first time on mainland UK, riot shields to try to separate the two sides. despite their best efforts police lines were in places broken and, to borrow a line from Homer’s Iliad describing the fall of the gates of Troy, ‘it all properly kicked off.’
My commitment to pacifism and cowardice prevented me from stepping in, so I ran weeping like a child until I reached what I believed was the safety of Lewisham Town Centre, which on reflection was a poor decision given the title of this post.
Hundreds were gathered by the clock tower. Some were anti-facists, some were local people, mostly young. Some were there to protest peacefully. Some were there for a fight. Whether they were mindless hooligans, or misguided youth who after a lifetime of being the butt of racist jokes, intimidation and sometimes violence from people like the NF marchers, snapped, depends on your point of view.
Alas, the showdown they craved, never came, as their opponents were already on the early train home. I know from reports I have read (wikapiedia) that in the melas of fighting up the road in Lompit Vale, the police, like a seasoned referee protecting a fighter in a hopelessly one sided fight, diverted the NF counter march to a car park in Lewisham. In the car park, the NF held a small rally for those who hadn’t fled. There, they were able to freely express their views, as is their right in a liberal democratic country. They did however have to pay a fee of £1.50 at the end, for a ticket to lift the barriers so they could leave.
With the protesters unaware the NF weren’t coming, Lewisham Town Centre became a battle between the anti facist protesters and the police. I write these last paragraphs with horse’s charging past me and bottles flying overhead (there's always bottles in riots aren't there? Who brings them?)
Police will eventually get the situation under control, but not before as many as 214 people are arrested.
Tomorrow the the press will be hugely critical of the facists and anti-facists alike for the violence.
The NF will never again came close to becoming elected. The myth they were a respectable party who won support by peaceful persuasion, forever tarred by the images of the riot they had provoked and took part in.
To a large extent they will also lose their air of intimidation, as they were outnumbered, outfought, and unable to complete their march. The first time this had happened to the NF.
The anti-fascists will also take a bashing in the press, but popularity was not their motivation. In fact non-conformity, and anti-authoritarianism are about to become very popular in the UK as the Punk movement is ever growing. What influence the Battle of Lewisham had on it is probably to complex for me to answer.
A plaque to commemorate the Battles 40 year anniversary, will put up by Lewisham Council on New Cross Road in 2017.
It’s all a bit too scary for me. So I’m off. Laters.
PS
FYI if you’ve never read my blog before, I can travel through time.
