Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century
 
Revolutionary
Socialism in the
21st Century

Edinburgh: vibrant protest against Farage

Pete Cannell

 

DSCF1009

Pete Cannell reports:

Farage’s public meeting in Edinburgh last night was intended as more than just another publicity stunt. Until this year’s elections UKIP’s impact in Scotland has been minimal.  Just a year ago Farage had to run from Edinburgh, unable to find a taxi that would take him to the station.  Recent polls, however, are showing UKIP at 10% and above. This would give them a seat in the European Parliament from the Scotland list.

In the event the meeting took place behind a cordon of UKIP bouncers and police and was attended by just a handful of UKIP supporters.  Many of them had to wait outside where over 300 anti-racists were assembled.  The protest, called by the Radical Independence Campaign and UAF, was diverse, vibrant and very loud.

Media coverage of the event did highlight the fact that the fascist Britain Group was offering armoured cars and a squad of ex-soldiers to protect Farage.  What most of the mainstream media missed, however, was the presence of 8 – 10 Nazis on the fringes of the protest.  After a half-hearted attempt to get in to the meeting they were pushed away by the protesters.

UKIP’s false appeal as outsiders from the mainstream parties has limited resonance in Scotland. Here, the referendum has sparked a genuine and growing grass roots debate around an alternative and more radical politics.  However, Better Together, the campaign for a No vote, while inept and negative, is well financed and plays into many of the themes that UKIP thrives on.  UKIP’s rise in the polls shows that there is still a lot to be done to take the radical arguments for independence out beyond the traditional left.

SHARE

0 comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

GET UPDATES FROM RS21

RELATED ARTICLES

Chris Kaba verdict shows the police have a licence to kill

The police defend capitalism and we need to fight with a revolutionary response

Working class unity means anti-racist unity: no compromise with racist state power

rs21 members make the case for an anti-racist politics that combats all forms of oppression and exploitation

A large banner hangs from the side of a university staircase. It is written in Greek. A red flare is lit against the night sky.

Comrades face deportation after Palestine camp in Athens

Greece pursues deportations processes against 9 EU citizens for participation in a Palestine encampment.

A year of the Palestine movement in Manchester

The story of 10 months and 400 actions in Greater Manchester, from marches to direct action.

Greater Manchester mental health early intervention service strike

Video report from the Greater Manchester mental health early intervention service strike picket line

Mazan, rape as a political fact

The so-called ‘Mazan rape trial’ commenced in France in early September. Aurélie-Anne Thos contextualises the events and the protests that followed.