A police escort accompanied Restore Britain’s Lewis Holmes while he attempted to give out flyers to residents ahead of the Holborn and St Pancras by-election
Anti-racists once again scuppered Restore Britain’s plans to spread far right poison in London on Saturday morning.
Up to 20 members of the far right party, including candidate Tyler Johnson, met in Camden to hand out flyers ahead of the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.
But around 40 supporters of Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) chased them off the streets. After most of their supporters had left, Restore Britain’s Lewis Holmes tried to put Restore Britain flyers through letter boxes.
He had to do so with a police escort and a crowd of anti-racists following him as locals slammed their doors in his face.
An older woman in one of those doorways proudly displayed a “refugees welcome” poster. Several other people stopped to show their support for the anti-racists or smiled and waved from top floor windows.
Holmes eventually gave up and left in a police car. Johnson admitted in a social media post that anti-racists had outnumbered and out-organised them and pushed them back.
Investigations by SUTR have exposed the fascists at the heart of the Restore Britain campaign.
Patrick McGinnis nominated Johnson as the candidate. He has said that, “Jewish ideas are destroying our country, not Islamic ideas”. And he told a local journalist that he wouldn’t talk to “anti-white Christ haters”.
On Saturday they were joined by private security guards as well as several far right social media streamers known as auditors.
Young Bob—whose real name is Gregory Moffitt—was arrested after allegedly assaulting three anti-racists.
Also among the group was “English Ned”—Chris Messenger. He is a fascist auditor from Ellesmere Port in north west England who attacked a Manchester anti-war meeting in February. Messenger regularly calls for violence against refugees and migrants in hotels.
“MKR Audits” —Kelsea Leigh Cunliffe—was also with the Restore Britain crowd. Based in the Manchester area, she was arrested and charged with affray earlier this year.
Holmes is a supporter of fascist Danny “Tommo” Thomas’s street movement, which has brought hundreds of thugs to the south coast in Gosport and Dover this month.
Eva from SUTR told Socialist Worker, “In this election campaign, Restore Britain is trying to present itself as the presentable face of the far right. We need to stop them from trying to look presentable.
“We are here to expose what they are saying and expose their fascists among them.”
Another anti-racist, John, added, “It’s very important that we point out to the people in Camden that Restore Britain is a fascist organisation—or at least an organisation where fascists are organising inside it. It’s like the AfD in Germany.
“This is a major threat. They are not just to the right of Reform UK, they are not just more racist. There is a project within it to build an organised fascist movement.
“I also think it’s urgently important that we build more local Stand Up To Racism groups with local roots. If they keep trying to canvas we will need more people.”
Restore Britain’s campaigners complained that voters should be able to choose who to vote for.
But fascism is not a political choice like any other. It is not a force to be debated with. It is a movement that aims to terrorise minorities and ultimately destroy all democratic rights.
Restore Britain is moving in a fascist direction. It is right to confront it and destroy its ability to build before it can grow.
Fanning the flames of Islamophobia and racism is hardly restricted to the far right
An interview with Minnesota-based trade union organiser Todd Dahlstrom
Reports from anti-racists in Bradford, Croydon and Southampton
Interview with key organiser
