How to stay safe whilst resisting the far right

Here in Britain, the last ten days have been marred by tragedy and violence.

The senseless and unimaginable slaughter of three girls at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport, Merseyside set in motion a series of events that has seen racist violence in towns and cities across the country. Rampant misinformation about the identification of the suspect, fuelled by decades of demonisation by the political and media classes quickly turned a horrific tragedy into a far right rallying call. The last ten days have seen unrest in the streets, the targeting of people of colour, looting, burning down of libraries, police stations and more.

Over the weekend the violence escalated even further, as hotels said to be housing asylum seekers were attacked. In Bristol those attacks were resisted by community members. In Rotherham and Tamworth, attempts to thwart the fascists were not successful, with both hotels set on fire with people inside them.

Today, if a message from Telegram is to be believed, the far right intends to move against 30 targets all over the country. Many of them are asylum support centres or the offices of immigration lawyers who provide vital (and necessary) legal support to those navigating the asylum system.

In the tradition of Cable Street. Of the battles of Lewisham and Wood Green. Of Rock against Racism and all of the historic and contemporary mobilisations to stop the fascists in their tracks, many of you will take to the streets to defend your communities from the rising tide of hate and horror. Much like those historic examples, tonight poses significant danger to those of you deciding to take action. For those who choose to join an action – after seriously evaluating the risks – I’ve taken information from trusted organisations and seasoned activists, put together a quick guide to keeping yourself and your friends safe from both the far right and the police.

In 2010, as student protests swept the country against the trebling of tuition fees the violence and relentlessness of the state reaction took many by surprise. To counter it, and provide legal support and mutual aid to those taking a stand against government cuts, Green and Black Cross was born.

Their five key messages on knowing your rights are a great and easy way to remember the fundamentals of keeping yourself safe.

1. No comment - You do not need to answer police questions, so don’t. This applies to casual conversation on the street, to in a police van after arrest all the way to interview.

2. No Personal Details - You don’t have to give details under ANY stop and search power.

3. No Duty Solicitor - Use a recommended solicitor with protest experience. Netpol have a great list of recommended legal professionals across the country here (remember some like Hodge, Jones and Allen will cover the whole country so don’t worry if you can’t see your city on the list). Choose your preferred solicitor and write their contact number down on your arm in marker so you have it with you if you’re arrested.

4. No Caution - You’ll be admitting guilt (and giving yourself a record) for an alleged offence that might never get to court

5. What Power? - Ask “under what power?” when an officer is asking or demanding you do something to ensure they have the lawful power to do so.

If you are a non-UK national attending a demonstration and potentially putting yourself in a position where you may be arrested, here is a great guide from Informed Dissent on the implications that could have to be read before you do so.

If you are trans and are attending a demonstration GBC have written a handy guide to your specific rights here.

Far right mobilisations are dangerous, there is no point in beating around the bush here. It’s the reason why we go out and counter them. But it also means you need to be extra careful going to and from the demonstration.

Go with a group of friends, comrades or colleagues. Make a loose plan (see below about knowing your limits and vibe checking with everyone) and try to stick to it but be reactive and vigilant to what's happening around you. Don’t make unnecessary stops on the way to or from the demonstration. Look out for one another and make sure you leave together.

It’s important to understand your limits. What you personally are able to do in terms of the demonstration you’re attending. In some cases that might look like physically putting your body in between the far-right and, for example, a hotel or an asylum centre. In other cases, it might be standing back from the ruckus and chanting. In others, it might be not attending at all but providing support from afar.

There are lots of reasons why your limits may be set at a certain level - everything from an unregulated migration status meaning you can’t get arrested to feeling burnt out and lots in between. Knowing these limits, and making sure to communicate them to your friends, ensuring you’re all on the same page as to the levels of risk you want to take is vital. 

If you are there with the intention of using your body - do so in a way that does not endanger those around you in the crowd.

As riots spread across the country, Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to crack down on those involved in the violence including with the use of facial recognition technology. We have previously covered how dangerous this technology is, and the threat it faces to civil liberties.

If you are countering a far right demonstration, it is likely you will also be surveilled using this technology. It is why, before this year, the advice had always been to mask up before attending. New legislation brought in during the dying embers of the last government has given the police powers to demand you remove any face covering at a demonstration and, as a community member from Bristol detailed for us just yesterday, they haven’t been shy in using those powers.

Of course, there is a wave of covid currently making its way around the country and so if you were to wear a mask to prevent the spread (safety first!) it would have the added benefit of also obscuring your face.

On this subject - wearing plain and dull clothing rather than loud patterns, logos etc will help keep you safe both during and after the demonstration, and will make you harder to identify.

These demonstrations can go on for some time, especially if the police use containment tactics such as kettling. They can get violent - even if you’re separated from the far right, they will still throw glass, bricks and anything else they can get their grubby little hands on at you. Make sure to keep these things in mind when packing for the demonstrations. Seasoned activists I spoke to recommended taking water, snacks, battery packs and protective gear like helmets if you have them.

Download and carry a bustcard before hand, or grab one off of a legal observer or steward. 

Avoid carrying your ID with you or your phone - especially if you will be taking part in action that is arrestable. Burner phones are your friends.

The information above is designed for those of you attending anti-fascist demonstrations. If you are looking to organise your own, libcom has an excellent guide here, but as an experienced activist told me last night ‘No 1 aim is to have the most amount of people you can’.

You can see the full list of counter protests here.

DISCLAIMER: None of the information in the article above should be taken as legal advice, but as a guide to protesting safely. If you have specific questions about your rights or the implications of certain actions, you should contact a legal professional.

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