Liverpool: the revolt of the downtrodden

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Police soner hehnd SOU Fascists who come kicking, beating and smashing their way into black neighbourhoods can expect an increasingly prompt and militant retaliation from local youth already pushed to the limits of endurance.

And if cops move in nii edni ni Summer School.

guaranteed total to £1847.00.

days or so-a tall order indeed.

20603% carry out their customary role of protecting the fascists they too will suffer the brunt of the anger of an enraged community.

This was the clear message from last Iriday's riot in Southall, which left the pub hired for a racist "gig" a smoking ruin and lea into spreading street violence as police allowed young fascists to launch attacks on Asian homes.

The clash had been prompted by the conscious decision of the concert organisers to have the coaches bringing racist youth from last London drop them off halt way along Southall Broadway.

As they made their way towards the gig at the Hambrough Tavern they abused Asian shopkeepers and your donation to:

smashed windows. The word went quickly out that the fascists were in town.

The group the thugs had come to see were the Foreskins-a band which supported the fascist Rock Against Communism'.

Yet police claimed they had not been aware that there would be any trouble in Southall that evening and were apparently sent on a on time. but this y. Every sound Socialist Press Special Fund BM. Box 5277 London WCIN 3XX decoy call Greenford.

No left wing activity would have found the police wrong-footed in this way: the whole affair appeared to have gone the fascists' wayuntil local youth hit back.

There can be no doubt that if the Asian community had not mobilised at once and beseiged the fascists in the Tavern, then a rampaging gang of skinheads would later have smashed their way through whole areas of the town. The black community has learned through bitter experience that it cannot look to the police to protect it against racist violence.

A mounting toll of immigrant homes, community relations offices, community centres and anti-racist organisations have been subjected to firebombs, vandalist and violent attack in recent months. Police are slow and reluctant to respond and arrests are few and far between.

Run In Southall on the first encrpies o were diverted to let i inhoads out heleagured. • puh and ondon E2. I riday, ing the the leaving Once again the Tory press is wringing its hands. Toxteth youth have fought pitched battles with the police.

But nobody should be surprised -least of all those papers which argue every other day in favour of Thatcher's policies of cuts and mass unemployment.

After years of social deprivation. slum housing, growing unemployment, rising poverty, miserable facilities and dwindling prospects, thousands of youth in Britain's big cities are on the brink of open revoit.

Misery While many adult workers, schooled in more peaceful means of struggle and protest during the 'boom' period, or cherishing the dream that eventually reforms will improve the present system of daily misery and degradation, have quietly suffered the Tory onslaught, youth are by no means so restrained.

Thrown from crumbling schools onto never-ending dole queues, harassed and provoked each day by police who deliberately pick on black and unemployed youth, rejected by arrogant vicious employers, offered no perspective by the labour leaders for organriot in nearby them to run streets while angry Asians were kept at bay by police cordons.

GLC leader Ken Livingstone was quite right to point out that the Asian youths arrested had been "fighting to defend their community" and should be released.

Readiness

The Southall events show the growing readiness of the black community to combat racist violence. It fits into a pattern of increasing self confidence among black youth, who have been prepared to challenge not only the unofficial racists, but also the harassment and discrimination they face daily at the hands of the police.

In Coventry, a spate of racial murders has brought a mass mobilisation of biacks, growing labour movement support, and the formation of anti-racist defence squads.

It is plain from the rapid development of the confrontation in Southall that there, too, the labour: movement must work with the youth and workers of the black community establish defence squads ready at short notice to combat gangs of marauding racists. ised struggle to defeat government and the cap ist system, youth t become a simmering hot of frustrations, confusic and potential revolutior zeal.

Skinheads

It is this situation W has allowed the fascist the NF and British M ment to cull a harves confused and oppre young skinheads for 1 racist anti-communist as: squads.

But the strength energies of the youth : not be channelled in su reactionary direction. bulk of young people and detest the fascistsare prepared, given a lea rally against racist violen And they hate the p who, as agents of the Tr and their system of expl tion and repression, see their business to harass intimidate the young unemployed who show contempt for the auth of the state.

Rebellion That hatred is a p tially progressive ele among the youth. The e sion of anger into insurrection in Toxtet/ weekend contained a l rebellion against the alist state itself.

But the rebellion is clear or conscious one police are fair game for iation-but nobody regard it as progressiv youth to smash wo class homes, terrorise own community, or from small shopkeepi their own neighbourhor The Toxteth revol firms the arrival o1 political scene of the h hit victims of That savage policies. They spoken out in St Pa Bristol, in Brixton ant in Liverpool.

No socialist woul the youth to revert state of apathy or al cence. But at the sam it is vital that a sx leadership-able to w allegiance of the oppressed youth, bla white alike-is built te the way beyond spont individual anger tr mobilisation of » young and old in o struggle to bring dor Thatcher government.

The National Lef Youth Movement launched last month perspective of precisely such a lea first issue of its pape Fighter, is now on sall We urge our rea give this new mo their support and fin to help root it in th communities and class estates.

CLASS FIGHTE Paper of the l Left Wing Youth Mo First issue now out!

on fighting racism, March, The Bomb, YOPs and youth. ag ment. Price 25p.

postage from NIWI Box 135, London NI