By Dan Jones
ONE WEEK after Tommy Robinson was sentenced to 13 months’ prison for contempt of court at Leeds Crown Court, around 400 of his far right supporters staged a rally outside the court, demanding his freedom before descending into the streets.
The #FreeTommy protest had all the hallmarks of a far-right demonstration with Union flags and free speech placards held aloft, accompanied by a chorus of nationalist and Islamophobic chants – “Keep Muslims off our streets” being one of the more printable examples.
There was a significant police presence, with officers forming barriers along certain routes and between those marching and the public. Confrontations with the police didn’t go beyond chants of “scum” and a handful of protesters who attempted to make a charge at them, startling the horses of the mounted units.
There were rumours amongst local anti-fascists that the far-right would organise a stunt outside the Crown Court but no concrete details were found in the usual online spaces. The fact that the fascists were able to mobilise relatively large numbers at short notice on a weekday with no opposition is cause for concern.
Given the symbolic importance the fascists have attached to Leeds as the site of Robinson’s “martyrdom”, local antifascists, the Trades Council and student unions should establish a democratic committee to organise a major antiracist demonstration and prepare for community self-defence.
