The Football Lads Alliance (FLA) are calling for support from across the North East of England and ‘beyond’ for a march called by an Islamophobic group Veterans Against Terrorism (VAT) in Newcastle on Saturday 17 February 2018.
The two organisations hooked up in November 2017 in Edinburgh where the march was addressed by far right activist Toni Bugle (ex English Democrats) and Bill Weir for the FLA, who had spoken on a English Defence League (EDL) march, last September.
Rather than calling for unity Veterans Against Terrorism have called for the creation of a ‘Home Guard’ and deportations.
The FLA claims to be against all extremism but in recent months it has had far right speakers on its platforms and supported Islamophobic events such as an intimidating march by far right extremists against the East London mosque in Tower Hamlets.
Far from opposing extremism the FLA’s closed Facebook page continually sees racist and Islamophobic posts, also targeting the Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott in the wake of concerns she raised about the group.
These posts were so severe that a major Veterans charity Walking With The Wounded pulled its support for the recent FLA demo in London, last October.
John Meighan the FLA’s founder has even offered his support to Donald Trump in his recent row with Theresa May over retweeting fascist Britain First tweets.
We believe that any VAT/FLA event can only promote division in our community and open the door to racist, Islamophobic and far right groups and ideas to grow.
We oppose this event and support calls for a positive anti-racist mobilisation in Newcastle on 17 February.
If you agree we are asking people to sign this statement. Message us and we can add your name to it.
Michael Adams (PCS), Darlington trades council
Pat Meredith
Howell Davies (Labour Car, chairman of waldridge parish council, Chester-le-Street)
David Bryce (Equalities and Diversity Officer, Gateshead CLP)
Lorraine Glover
Rachel Meenan (Unite)
Terry Brereton
Janice Hutton (Stand up to Racism, Newcastle Unites)
Mike Dixon (Unison)
Yunus Bakhsh (Unite)
Cal Desmond-Pearson
Stan Herschel (Retired RMT)
Simon Hall (Retried Unison, Stand up to Racism)
Daniel Kebede
Pip Harrison (National Education Union)
Jeff Abbott (UCU)
Ron Brown (Musicians’ Union, Communist Party of Britain)
Michael inness (AMWU)
Sharifah Rahman (Labour Clr, Stand Up to Racism Darlington)
Tony Pierre (Officer Hexham Labour Party)
Brian O’Riordan (Veteran)
Jack Robson (Newcastle United fan)
Lauren Barnes (Newcastle Uni)
Jamie Nelson (Newcastle United fan)
Tom Hirst (Unison)
Newcastle Socialist Workers party
Mark Jameson (Stand Up to Racism Darlington)
Carl Dixon (Newcastle United fan)
Margaret Levy
Martin Levy
Mollie Brown (Newcastle Unites)
Phil Thompson (Secretary Berwick trades union council)
Sue Abbott (UCU)
Andrew Agate
Helen Tully
Chris Kay
Dave Wisdom
Alan Laine (Unison)
Joe Dixon (Newcastle United fan)
Steve Cooke (Unite the union shop steward, Labour Party branch secretary)
Allan McLeod (Teesside Peoples Assembly)