In September, local activists had only a few days to organise a counter demonstration to an event planned by racists and fascists trying to sow division in Dartford.
On that occasion 200 far right congregated in Dartford Town Centre and the counter demonstration mustered 30.
Two months later on a sunny November day last weekend, their turnout was decidedly smaller at around 100, with local anti-racist activists joined by others from across South East London this time numbering a much healthier 70 to 80.
‘National emergency’
Across Kent, where Kent County Council is run by Reform, the far right have been organising under a ‘National Emergency’ branding, wanting to ‘reclaim’ towns and ‘protect our women and children’.
Bexley far right had promised that they would attend and provide flags for all, which it appeared they had.
But on Saturday the main banner greeting anti-fascists announced that ‘Jesus Saves’.
Pink Ladies
A group of ‘Pink Ladies’ were prominent, two of them arriving with a male companion with a loud hailer who chanted ‘don’t trust your children with a Leftie’ as he walked right into the counter protestors.
When he struck one of them on the shoulder with the his loud hailer he was promptly arrested and we understand the police are pressing charges, with the loud hailer possibly confiscated as ‘evidence’ in the case.
Harry Hilden, of ‘Faversham National Emergency’, arrived in a 4 wheel drive brandishing a very large flagpole, for his diminished size, with two flags one announcing Jesus as ‘the way and ‘the truth’.
When he took the flags off to ‘adjust’ his long pole someone asked him ‘are you going fishing’ which caused him to advance towards the counter demo with his pole until police intervened.
Mental illness
Seconds later, with flags re-attached he began his address to the counter demo that Jesus would save us. “Jesus will save you from lesbianism, which you should know is a mental illness’.
And, perhaps inevitably, the awful Jodie Missuskent aka Jodie Scott aka Goodban, turned up though on this occasion, thankfully, she spared us her racist caterwauling.
The far right had not been granted permission by the police to march through Dartford so had to settle for a static protest outside the library, with users from Dartford’s diverse community coming and going past the protestors.
Green Cllr Laura Edie, gave an impassioned speech about her Jewish heritage and having relatives that fled to the UK to escape the concentration camps.
Demonising
A local Unite official spoke, also calling out the far right for their false narrative saying that those they seek to demonise are our neighbours, our workmates, our friends.
The organisers of the counter demo thanked those coming from outside Dartford and it was decided not to wait until the flag-wavers had dispersed as they had no finish time imposed on their gathering.
Apparently, there is another ‘national emergency’ planned for Gravesend on 22 November, so our work as anti-fascists is never done.
