Cambridge
Unite Against Fascism
Statement about attempted surveillance of our activities
Cambridge
Unite Against Fascism is disappointed to learn that the local police
have been trying to spy on our activities. Unlike the Fascist right,
we are an open organisation which meets in public in a local café,
and our success depends upon us involving a wide section of society.
Nationally we are supported by Trade Union Leaders, MPs, sports and
music stars, and a former home secretary, while our last demonstration
in Cambridge was lead by local Lib-Dem MP Julian Huppert and Richard
Howitt, Labour MEP for our region. Local community and religious leaders,
football fans, Trade Unionists, councillors and The English Disco Lovers
were also at the head of our march. Given this broad support that our
campaign has (with the vast majority of the population being anti Fascist),
and the experience of other anti racist, peace, environmental and education
activists, we wonder whether the decision to monitor our activities
is in fact police or establishment policy, or was the action of a rogue
officer?
Unfortunately
the decision of the police to put resources into monitoring local people
who are opposed to Fascism, fits with historical priorities. Millions
has been spent ensuring that EDL thugs have been allowed to march through
City Centres, marches that have often upset, intimidated and even assaulted
local communities. Fascist organisations operate in secret; the EDL's
leadership has been repeatedly arrested and were quoted admiringly in
his manifesto by Norwegian Nazi mass murderer Anders Breivik. If more
money could have been spent investigating the activities of far right
and Nazi groups rather than people like us, perhaps some of the recent
attacks on mosques (including the graffiti attack here in Cambridge
and the dangerous arson attack in Harlow) could have been prevented.
As
anti Fascists and anti racists, we operate in public, we have no secrets
and have no weapons but the force of our numbers and of our argument.
Our grandparents fought to ensure a Nazi free future for us - we won't
betray their legacy. Anti racism is not a crime and we will not be intimidated
by these revelations. On the contrary, we will redouble our efforts
to campaign for a fairer, multi racial, Fascist free world.