By Alex Rutherford
A review of documentary Defiance: Fighting the Far Right directed by Satiyesh Manoharajah, Channel 4 mini-series
ONE OF the first topics discussed in this excellent documentary is the horrifying racism suffered by many Asian communities in the 1970s and ’80s. Manoharajah goes on to give an inspiring and refreshing look at the power of organised community self-defence to resist fascist and state violence. With the far right threatening again today, this mini-series serves as a timely reminder that ethnic minority communities have a history of fighting back.
The late 1970s saw a huge rise in racism, violent attacks on Blacks and Asians, and support for the fascist National Front. The film shows how sensationalist media reports about ‘floods’ of Asian people immigrating to Britain drove this rise, just like the tabloid press today is doing. The pain and trauma of British Asians discussing their experiences of racist abuse in the late 1970s is visible in their eyes, as is their disgust at how little was done by police to protect them.
Indeed one of the fundamental narratives of the documentary is the shameful history of the police and British state. They routinely defended fascists and racists and criminalised anti-racist demonstrators. As one of the organisers of the Southall Youth Movement put it, ‘if the police can’t stop it, we have to stop it ourselves.’
In one memorable episode the Asian community of Southall refused to allow a National Front meeting to take place on their turf. They were met with horrific police violence. More than 360 demonstrators were charged, many convicted on the basis of police lies. The victims of police violence were treated as criminals, rioters and hooligans in the media.
The police officers interviewed throughout the documentary come across particularly badly, disinterested and ignorant about the damage they had done to people’s lives and perpetuating racism. This will be a shocking wake-up call to anyone who still believes that the police’s role is to ‘protect and serve’ the public.
The series also goes into detail about the trial acquittal of the Bradford 12, a landmark moment in the history of the anti-racist struggle. These were 12 young Asian men accused of making petrol bombs for the purposes of rioting; in fact they had actually made the bombs to defend their community against the National Front. Demonstrators from all over the country descended on Leeds Crown Court to demand the jury acquit the Bradford 12. The success of this movement is an inspiration in the current environment of repression of the pro-Gaza movement.
However, Defiance is not without its mis-steps. The most fundamental these is its framing of the anti-fascist struggle as one entirely around race, ignoring the pivotl role played by the working class movement.
While exposing the racism of the British state is very important, this lack of class analysis leads to a failure to analyse the police’s true nature as a defender of the capitalist system and the important of united working class self-defence across racisl lines in overcoming fascism.
This lack of political perspective also makes itself felt in the failure to acknowledge the important role played by communists, socialists and trade unionists in the anti-fascist struggle. Throughout the series, many communist banners and slogans can be seen in the footage. The police murder of SWP member Blair Peach receives significant attention, however no attempt is made to explain the role of socialist organisations and ideas, leaving the narrative incomplete and one-sided.
Despite this Manoharajah’s documentary still contains many important lessons for today: workers and demonstrators under attack by fascists cannot rely on the police to defend them; the need to resist the rise of fascism and the far right; and the importance of organising militant community self-defence against both the fascists and the police. In that respect, it is a must-watch for class conscious workers.
