Deranged and disorganised. The best way to describe today’s illuminating get together in Manchester of racists, cranks, criminals, and conspiracy theorists. And it ended with the sight of UKIP leader Nick ‘The Kick’ Tenconi abandoning all his macho pretentions and fleeing across the centre of the city.
Gathering under the banner of Patriots for Britain, no more than 75 were in attendance.
Surrounded by amused, and bemused onlookers in Piccadilly Gardens, by police and a huge crowd of anti fascists from groups including SUTR, local Trades Unions, Jewish and Palestinian groups, Socialist and Communist Party activists, members of the SWP, RCP and others, this was a disaster.
The police had been told by organisers to expect many hundreds, but they never showed up. The main organisation appeared to have been provided by James Harvey of so-called Students Against Tyranny, a group of extremely unpleasant racist women, and a man holding a Ukip banner.
The main speakers were Tiresome Nick Tenconi, perhaps the best known of the racist “leadership,” crazy Simon Bean, former military man of action famous for threats to kill, Billy Howarth, the infamous activist from Rochdale, and Rajah Mia from Oldham.
Howarth, as big a fool as he looks, is, apparently still operating within George Galloway’s Workers Party of Britain. Except his speech claimed that, despite being a candidate for local office, he was “breaking all the election purdah rules. Stuff them”.
Claiming to be here “only here for the kids” his speech was the catalyst for a small group of racist thugs, identified as football hooligans from Rangers and West Ham United, supposedly acting as “security”, shouting “paedos” at a small group of young men and their children who they believed,were Muslims.
Turns out they were Nigerian Christians, but, hey, “they all look the same,” don’t they…
Tenconi, arguably the most able speaker present (which isn’t saying much), ranted and raved about his new law and order proposals, that sounded both nonsensical and fascistic: he would abolish the post of DPP, purge the current woke system of law and…well you can imagine the rest.
Egotistical attendees
Clearly in love with himself and his tailor, Tenconi posed with a group of thugs from London and Essex, his personal security detail (useless, read on), on and off stage, did interviews with other “new media” (aka far right bloggers) before preening for photographs with middle aged fan girls.
Other notable, noisy and egotistical attendees included notorious youtuber Charles Veitch who spent most of the afternoon annoying everybody in his quest for clicks and views.
Veitch was one of a small group who stupidly tried to sneak around into the anti-fascist ranks only to be given short shrift by police.
The real crippler, as far as the 75 were concerned, was the rambling and incoherent rubbish spouted by macho man Simon ‘Mr’ Bean. Indeed, half the audience made off during his short offering.
Others, bored out of their minds, decided that, despite a huge and effective police operation and hugely outnumbered by their opponents, now was the time to launch a futile assault on enemy lines.
Led, initially by Nick Tenconi, a 16-year old sidekick and anti-Islam gobshite called Thomas, and Tenconi’s team of security goons, they were quickly routed and repulsed.
Tactical retreat
The defeat and embarrassment led Tenconi to order what might be best described as a fast tactical retreat across Piccadilly Gardens, past the 24-hour Spar shop and across Portland St into Minshull Street.
High speed indeed, and, angered at the bum’s rush they’d received, Sam Westlake tried to assault an anti-fascist protestor filming this Rourke’s Drift moment. He was joined by two other antis. All we got to see was Tenconi high tailing it into the backstreets.
He’d abandoned his troops, his local organisers and run away.
What will Tommy Robinson make of this?
Uncomfortable fact
Oh, and the rally was about child grooming. One thing everyone in Piccadilly Gardens can agree upon is that we all detest it and believe that the full force of the law must be brought to deal with perpetrators.
Uncomfortable fact for the fascists; it was Muslim youngsters in Rotherham who first identified this scandal. And it was a Muslim lawyer who first brought this story into the mainstream.
There is still much work to do on this but dozens have been prosecuted and more will face jail
So how are the Patriots of Britain aiding this process? They’re probably hindering it, truth be told.
Shouting “paedo” or “groomer” at anyone they disagree with is a childish MAGA tactic imported from the USA. Cartoon politics is not what we need although Nick Tenconi and his thugs did do a good impression of the Roadrunner, or Speedy Gonzales, this afternoon.
Groups supporting this disaster included British Lions for Freedom, Turning Point UK, Spartans Against Grooming, Students Against Tyranny, various bloggers and Light newspaper distributors and an assortment of anti-vax cranks.
All afternoon they stood on the other side of the Queen Victoria statue whereby she was showing them her backside. The good people of Manchester did the same.
Amen to that
Two young onlookers, who wondered what the Patriots of Britain might offer them said, “they’re really horrible racists. Not the kind of people I want to spend time with.”
And we at Searchlight say a huge Amen to that.
