Villa Antifascists
Posted on 18. Dec, 2009 by fashwatch in On the Terraces
Fascist’s have often used the terraces of football clubs as a recruiting ground 
for foot soldiers. In the late 1980’s the BNP made a concerted attempt to recruit members and seek security from fans involved in football firms who may be sympathetic towards their far-right politics. Later in the early 1990’s the far-right drinking club of wannabe hard men called Combat 18 got much of it’s support from some of the more right wing firms, some of whom were involved in the Oldham riots of 2001.
While the BNP has cooled on it’s policy of recruiting from football grounds the emergence of the English Defence League has pushed nationalism back into the limelight at some football grounds and the group has drawn much of it’s support from right wing casuals. While the vast majority of people who go down the football treat the group with nothing but contempt and many casuals find the group divisive and misguided the involvement of a number of firms in the group shouldn’t be ignored. Despite claims to the contrary the group has attracted a number of old heads formerly involved with Combat 18 and other violent far-right gangs. The recent scuffle in London that the EDL has described as a fight between EDL vs C18 and used as an example of the groups opposition to the extreme right, was it seems more likely to be a fight between factions based around London football clubs as opposed to politics.
With the reemergence of such groups at football it’s good to hear that supporters at some football clubs are taking a stand. In the 1990’s Combat 18 made a concerted attempt to recruit supporters at Villa Park but we’re repelled by a concerted campaign by anti-facsist Villa supporters and casuals together with members of Anti-Fascist Action. Today the demonstrations by the EDL in Birmingham have reignited this anti-fascist tendency and a group calling themselves Aston Villa Anti-Fascists have been formed.
The group aim to combat any attempts by the EDL or BNP to recruit from the stands of Villa Park or the pubs around the ground and with a handful of right wing supporters who follow the Villa already involved in the EDL the timing couldn’t come sooner.
Asked about the group one die hard Villa fan commented “As an ‘Old Skool’ Villa Anti-Fascist, it’s excellent to see younger Villans taking up the fight against fascists at the Villa, every time they raise their ugly head in or around Villa Park they need to know that there is always going to people who will stand up and oppose them, as they should know from past actions. Fascists and racists have nothing to offer Villans.”
Fashwatch would like to hear from other anti-fascists who attend the football and would also appreciate any news on the EDL or BNP recruiting at your local club.
Its been well known in anti fascist circles there has been a large element of C18 at Villa. Have these fascists gone away?
Those people who associated themselves with C18 (a state honey trap) did attempt to get involved with things down at Villa Park in the 1990’s but left with their tails between their legs following some stiff opposition from anti-fascist Villa fans and their friends. They certainly don’t hang around the ground anymore.
Fair play to ye guys for setting this page up. It shows them cowardly scumbags that there is proper opposition to them.
Good luck with it all! I hear you have had badges made?
We’ve had 100 badges made and sold most of them already. They’re proving very popular down the Villa.
Hi,
I have met some real nice Villa supporters when Villa played Hamburg in the UEFA cup. Are some of you guys are invilved in the “Birmingham Boys in Brown”?
I haven’t been to a footie match for years, how do the EDL go about recruitng at games? I should imagine they’ve probably given it a go at Elland Road (Leeds United ground, my own particular team), the NF always had a paper seller in the car park. He used to get some stick but the cops always sprung to his defence.
The EDL/Hooligan thing is less hidden than the Fash/Hooly link in the 70s and 80s.