From: "Neil (practical history)" <practicalhistory-AT-hotmail.com>
Subject: AUT: Red Action
Date: Fri, 08 Jun 2001 22:05:08 -0000


>Peter J. wrote:
>>
>I've just been looking at the Red Action, www.redaction.org and 
>Anti-fascist >Action (UK), 
>http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/senate/5602/index2.html,
>websites. There is a fair bit of stuff on them about the recent events in 
> >Oldham. The general thrust of their articles seems to be that Oldham >was 
>in >fact a race riot. Comments? Broader comments about Red  
> >Action/Anti-fascist >Action would also be welcome as despite reading a 
>lot of their stuff online I can't quite seem to figure out their bizarro 
>mix of leninist/anti-fascist/anti-multiculturalist/pro-Sinn Fein politics.
>
I haven't got time to put down a full critique of this leftist gang, but I 
can give you a brief bit of background. The core of what became Red Action 
were expelled from the Socialist Workers Party in the early 1980s for 
'squadism' (i.e. beating up fascists). They have always been a two trick 
pony: militant anti-fascism (trick one) and unconditional support for Sinn 
Fein and the IRA (trick two) - one of their London members was jailed for 
taking part in an IRA bombing campaign.

The main difference between them and other leninist groups is that they have 
tended be more working class in social composition, and more willing to put 
their money where their mouth is (or fists). They have attempted some 
limited critique of leninism, at least the 'What is to be done' notion of 
conscsiousness being brought to the working class by middle class 
intelllectuals. However, despite a brief flirtation with Class War, they 
have always remained in the orbit of the various stalinist and trotskyist 
fragments with whom they debate endlessly.

Neil


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