Index:
On November 24, 1993, four prominent organizers for the Heritage Front appeared in court on two separate hate crime charges; Elisse Hategan stood trial on hate-literature charges while Gary Schipper, Ken Barker, and Wolfgang Droege were tried on contempt charges for their refusal to cease broadcasting hate on the Heritage Front "Anti-Immigration Hotline". These trials marked the first hate-crimes cases in Toronto since those of neo- Nazi/holocaust denier, Ernst Zundel; court cases which failed to make any inroads against his propaganda machine and instead provided him with a platform of debate. While the courts made it look as if they were making efforts against neo-Nazi propagandists with these four 'minor' examples, the biggest hatemonger of all, Zundel, was still operating with impunity only a few blocks away.
ARA was not about to allow these trials to proceed without a 'watchful anti-racist presence', but the importance of defining Ernst Zundel as a necessary target was well understood. Keeping these variables in mind, ARA called for a rally at city hall to prevent any possible show of fascist support for the Heritage Front members in court. From there, the demonstration would march to Zundel's production and distribution hatequarters at 206 Carlton Street. On the day, as anticipated there were no sign of the nazis at the courthouse so about 150 anti-racists proceeded to the targeted location.
Upon reaching Zundel's plastic-wrapped hatequarters, it was evident that the police sought to criminalize ARA demonstrators. Over 300 officers on foot including the Public Order Unit, Emergency Task Force, and upwards of twenty undercover cops were on the scene, surrounding the entire crowd of anti-racists. Following a few speeches and several paint and egg assaults on Zundel's house, the police moved in, brutalizing protestors and breaking up the crowd. Several ARA activists and supporters were arrested, including a reporter from a community radio station. Clearly, such an unprovoked assault was a display of 'revenge tactics' on behalf of the cops who were pathetically outnumbered and outwitted at the June 11 ARA demo at Gary Schipper's house. Another point of interest was that Zundel's own security was absent, in contrast to June 11 when fifty-odd boneheads were on the scene brandishing baseball bats. This time around, Zundel somehow got rewarded with a massive show of police protection for which Metro spent an estimated $200,000!! This gives some idea as to how far the Canadian state will go to defend and harbour this nazi propagandist.
Zundel is a key spider in the web of international fascism, his role being that of supplying a massive amount of nazi- propaganda to the neo-nazi movement at home and abroad, particularly to Germany where it is illegal to print and produce such material. ARA has set the groundwork for a renewed campaign against Zundel. This campaign will require the support and involvement of the entire community, as well as international anti- fascists, in a broad and diverse movement encompassing a variety of tactics, and clearly not based solely on decisions by the state's courts. For those who are concerned about the rise of fascism in Europe and its implications in Canada, the best kind of solidarity we can offer at the present time is working to shut Zundel down. No platform and zero tolerance!
To find out more about the campaign against Ernst Zundel, write to ARA for an info-package (see back cover) and further information on how to get involved!
Ernst Zundel, long-time fan of being in the media spotlight, seems to be getting bitter over a rash of anti-Zundel propaganda posters in his neighbourhood. Judging from some of the hate-mail we've recieved from Z's pals in the States, he's been mailing copies of the posters around and whining about the unwanted exposure. To whoever puts this stuff up: keep doing it!
Anti-Racist Action is ready to step up its activities to get at the deeper forces within the fascist camp. This new phase will include a campaign against Ernst Zundel, an international figure in fascist circles. His primary role in today's fascist movement is as a financier and publisher. Here in our city, Zundel has been virtually unhindered in his production and distribution of neo-nazi propaganda and materials to the fascist movement at home and abroad.
Our logic for waging a specific campaign against him is as follows:
- He is a source of funds for the nazis;
- He is a fixed target, with a known address in downtown Toronto:
a well-fortified bunker which was recently protected by upwards of
300 police during a demonstration, exposing the complicity and
deal-making between police and nazis. In recent years this location
has been the site of open gatherings such as Hitler's birthday
celebration;
- He has won numerous court cases, up to the Supreme Court of
Canada level; the liberal state solution to the problem of nazis
has clearly failed;
- Targeting the individual well-known fascists can involve a broad
base of activists with different strategies and connections without
requiring absolute political agreement on the tactics used or the
strategies required to defeat racism and fascism in the longer
term.
All these factors make a multi-level campaign possible and desirable. We in Toronto feel we have a responsibility to our comrades around the world as well as in our own community to see the end of Zundel's international status. The bulk of the work against him so far has been done by the Jewish community, as Zundel's primary notoriety has been gained by holocaust denial. We seek to act against him in solidarity and on our own behalf as people of colour, Jews, queers, and all others targeted by the far- right. We need your help in mounting this campaign and at this time issue a call to action.
Towards victory,
Anti-Racist Action
While the "Heritage Hotline" has been wrapped up in the court system facing the Human Rights Commission, the HF have been determined to continue 'business as usual'. The "Equal Rights for Whites" hateline (initiated by Ken Barker) has merged with the "Euro-Canadian Action League" line (set up by Les Jasinski and Marc LeMire). The HF also recently activated a "Euro-Canadian Freedom Front" hateline (featuring the voice of Gary Schipper), alongside a "Racialist Rock" line which provides boneheads with info on upcoming nazi-shows and events in Toronto and Southern Ontario. This most recent hateline is a prime example of their concentrated strategy for cultivating and expanding their street scene. The "Racialist Rockline" features the voice of Front member George Harbottle and serves as a link that holds together a loosely affiliated collection of white power bands here and in the U.S.
On February 26, a secret white power concert hosted by the 'Northern Hammerskins' took place in the East end of Toronto. A similar "Rock Against Communism" show is planned for the end of April, set to coincide with Adolph Hitler's birthday....and they are already hinting at an "Aryan-Fest 94" to be held this summer, complete with at least ten 'racist rock' bands.
The Heritage Front are well into the beginning stages of a comeback. More than ever, it is important to keep up the fight against the fascists. Attack them wherever they fester!
Last June 11, after a series of neo-Nazi terrorist attacks in the city, ARA struck a blow against the Heritage Front. A demonstration at the nerve centre of the Front's telephone hate- line, the home of Gary Schipper, resulted in smashed windows and lots of cleanup for Front lackeys. Gary moved out and the Front was messed up for months after. But part of the price for this victory were the arrests of five ARA supporters - seemingly at random - over the following six(!) months at various anti-racist events. The case of the five is still following its twisted path through the court system and it looks like they'll be facing a judge on mischief charges in May.
ARA withstood another cop attack on November 24 outside the headquarters of Ernst Zundel, internationally-known Holocaust- denier, hate-propagandist and creep. Cops surrounded the crowd of anti-racists, waiting for any excuse to take revenge for the embarrassment of June 11. A few eggs hitting the plastic sheet covering Zundel's bunker provided the opportunity for them, and seven ARA supporters were busted, again at random. Support the ARA dozen! The cops are trying to scare people away from ARA demos, and anti-racist work in general. Fighting racism is not a crime!
"Rock Against Racism" is a small collective of promoters that sets up benefit concerts for various local anti-racist, multi- cultural groups and projects. In its current form, the R.A.R. collective has been active for over a year now, with over a dozen concerts having taken place in Toronto. We have been able to hold regular benefits for Anti-Racist Action as well as raise legal fees for a protestor charged at an anti-fascist demo and help to cover the medical expenses of a Tamil man who was beaten into a coma by a neo-Nazi skinhead.
Rock Against Racism concerts are meant to be open to all communities and people. This means that our shows are always all- ages and attempts are made to provide wheelchair-accessible venues whenever possible. Also, as we are committed to supporting independent music and culture, we do not accept any corporate sponsorship of our events.
We want our shows to be as musically and politically diverse as possible. So if you're a promoter, musician, DJ or just someone who wants to help out, we want to hear from you! You can reach R.A.R. through the ARA address or leave a message at (416) 631- 8835.
CINECYCLE
317 Spadina Ave. (rear entrance, S. of Baldwin, east of Spadina)
April 13, 1994 @ 7:00 p.m. - Admission: $3
In an unexpected turn of events, former Heritage Front member, Elisse Hategan has broken her allegiance with the white supremacist group to testify against other HF members and divulge information on the group's activities to the police. This came to light following a trial in which Hategan pleaded guilty to charges of inflammatory libel for producing and distributing hate literature. In a CTV interview, she revealed that the group was responsible for a series of firebombings including two such attacks on the home of an anti-racist activist in Kitchener. Hategan also stated that the Heritage Front encouraged its members to join the Reform Party and to make use of welfare to finance the group's activities, and that almost all of the 100 members she knew possessed a firearm.
On March 15/94, Hategan testified in court against Wolfgang Droege, Gary Schipper, and Ken Barker - HF organizers charged with setting up and running a racist telephone hateline in an effort to evade an Oct.8/93 court order preventing the Front's placement of pre-recorded racist messages. Testimony revealed that Ken Barker was given a forged, predated, written resignation from the HF in order for him to operate the "Equal Rights for Whites" hateline under 'non-member' status in the face of last year's court order. Barker's line was set up on July 28/92, six days after the first trial began. During a March 23/94 hearing, Droege denied the allegations made and testified he "seriously doubts" he told Hategan of his plans.
Disavowing her involvement with the HF, Hategan offered further information on the group's activities and even admitted to spying on them for four months prior to her official defection. She also stated that most of her racist views had been obtained after she had joined the manipulative ranks of the Heritage Front.
Following a Nazi-gig last summer, featuring the bands Aryan and RaHoWa (Racial Holy War), Jason (Little Jay) Hoolans and his racist skinhead mates went on a rampage. On that night of June 6th, Hoolans 20, kicked a Sri Lankan immigrant into a coma, resulting in a state of permanent paralysis. In a videotaped interview with police, Hoolans stated that while he doesn't think all non-whites should be killed, the world would be better off without them and that he doesn't "like to see all the immigrants coming in, taking our jobs..."
On March 8, Hoolans pleaded guilty to the aggravated assault charge, and begged for the court's forgiveness. Pulling the old "reformed-racist" routine, a teary-eyed Little Jay did his best to convince the judge that the 9 months already spent in prison had given him the opportunity to see the error of his ways. They saw through his act and slapped him with a four-year jail sentence.
One of Metro's 'swinest', Const. Brad Coulbeck, 24, faces charges over his links with the Heritage Front, stemming from a condemning statement given by ex-Front member, Elisse Hategan. Coulbeck is not only on the HF's mailing list, but he has distributed HF material and had even attended a Ku Klux Klan rally in the U.S. His connections to the Heritage Front raise many questions about the relationship between Metro Police and white supremacist groups in this city. What was the extent of Coulbeck's role within the HF? How many other officers are involved? What police information has been shared with the Heritage Front as a result? Have HF/police links comprised cases against anti-racists while at the same time protecting neo-Nazis from further criminal charges or investigation? The recent Metro Police collusion and cooperation with neo-nazi, Ernst Zundel on November 24, 1993 and the wearing of white supremacist regalia by an undercover officer on that date illuminate the broader implications.
An investigation into the torture-death of a Somali man at the hands of the Canadian military led to the revelation that there was not just one white supremacist in the forces, but an entire regiment infested with them. It is equally critical that the police force be brought under scrutiny following the revelation of the existence of one neo-Nazi scumbag within its ranks.
The "Voice of Canadians Committee" held their founding meeting in Toronto on December 15/93 at the Swansea Town Hall. Self- acclaimed as the "Unhyphenated Canadians", these reactionaries are located between the Reform Party and the Heritage Front on the far- right scale. Believing that the source of their economic and social woes stem from "taxpayer-funded special interest groups", their material drivels on about how their "free society" and upper class stature has been violated by immigration, employment equity, etc. Suggested name changes: Short-Sighted-Canadians, Got-It-All-And- Still-Want-More-Canadians, Euro-Ignoramus-Canadians, Whining- Windbag-Canadians, Ku-Klux-Kanadians.
An attack on anti-homophobia education is the first step in a transparent attempt by the religious right to take control of Metro school boards. Using front group tactics imported from south of the border, well-known homophobia bigots have joined forced under the banner of CURE - "Citizens United for Responsible Education" - and taken aim at a package of mild educational reforms introduced in the Toronto Board of Education. With school board elections coming up in the fall, their sights are now set on overturning the current board and replacing them with a crop of homophobic, conservative trustees who will roll back any small gains made in anti-racist, anti-sexist and anti-homophobic education over the past 20 years.
CURE presents itself as a group of concerned parents who worry that the Board's recent steps toward countering homophobia in the school system means young people will be (gasp!) converted by pro- queer education. In fact CURE is led by a notorious collection right-wingers with shaky histories whose agenda includes the supposed "curing" of queers, questionable psychiatric ideologies and religious fundamentalism. Watch out for CURE members, Dian Malott and Sue Careless. Furthermore, the reforms they're attacking were only a small step towards real (and long overdue) anti- homophobic education. However, if we want to see large steps taken, we'll have to wipe CURE off the map and push the Board to go the extra mile ahead rather than letting the bunch of them drag us back to the stone age. Students are already meeting to make sure that these kinds of decisions - about what kind of school environment we'll be working in - aren't made by the religious right, and more to the point, aren't made without us! If you want to get involved, contact us through ARA at 631-8835.
The Black community is outraged that Dudley Laws, organizer for the Black Action Defense Committee, has been convicted of smuggling people across the U.S.-Canadian border. In a hearing which followed his conviction, his lawyers brought out the evidence that at the time he was charged, Metro cops were collecting information on Black community activists and building files on people; some of them government employees who had never been convicted of a crime. Laws in particular was singled out as a target because of his leading role in demanding justice for Black people who have suffered at the hands of Metro's finest. His phone was tapped for a year and undercovers were sent to him, begging for help in leaving the country and offering money for the service.
Despite all evidence that Laws was entrapped by police because they didn't like his politics, the judge upheld his conviction. Not too surprising, considering this is the same judge who had ordered the wiretap in the first place! At his most recent hearing, Laws was sentenced to nine months in prison.
Call BADC at 416-656-2232 for an update on the case and on efforts to further expose the malicious police campaign against the Black community in general. BADC also needs money to cover legal costs, so send some to their office at 386 Vaughan Road, Toronto M6C 2N8.
"The Jewish Feminist Anti-Fascist League (JFAFL) came together in November 1992, to join the fight against fascism at a time when fascist and racist organizing was escalating in Toronto and globally. Fascism is manifested in many ways. We feel that as Jewish feminist activists our experiences of anti-Semitism, and also sexism, homophobia, classism, ableism, and so on, help provide us with a complex analysis of the structure and operations of oppression. The far right has made many gains; consider the number of recently established white-supremacist groups and the increase of "above ground" anti-semitic race-hate literature, as well as fascist violence. The extreme right has also gained legitimacy in mainstream electoral politics across North America, as well as internationally. Symptomatic of the rise of the neo-right are the renewed and vicious campaigns against immigrants, refugees, gays, lesbians, people of colour, women and people with disabilities." (exerpt from JFAFL pamphlet, March 8/1994-International Women's Day) JFAFL, P.O. Box 291, Stn. B, Toronto, M5T 2W2.
Commemorate the 51st Anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising! An evening of readings and presentations by the Jewish Feminist Anti- Fascist League April 19th @ the Jewish Community Centre, Bloor & Spadina, 7pm.
A February 22, 1994 article in the Toronto Sun reported that Armand Siksna, a member of the Toronto-based neo-Nazi Nationalist Party (NP), and the first person ever charged under Canada's hate- crime laws (back in 1973), had recently joined the right-wing Reform Party. This revelation, coupled with, for example, the November 1992 awarding of the 'Heritage Front Merit Award' to former Western Guard Party (WPG) leaders John Ross Taylor and Jacob Prins, for years of service, serves as a timely reminder that today's neo-Nazi organizations such as the HF didn't just suddenly appear out of thin air, but rather have grown out of the remmnants of previous hate groups. A brief look back at the workings of racist groups of the 60s and 70s like the Nationalist Party and the Western Guard can make clear the heritage of the Front.
Many prominent members of the HF were members in good standing of either the Nationalist Party or its earlier incarnation, the Western Guard Party. Wolfgang Droege joined the WGP around 1974, and was arrested in 1975 for writing neo-nazi slogans around town, and for assaulting a Toronto Sun photographer. (He's also done time for possession of cocaine, and for his part in the attempted invasion and takeover of the island of Dominica.) As well, in the late 70s, he organized in Toronto for David Duke's Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Front members Peter Mistrevski, Max French and Nicola Polinuk (ex-wife of Nationalist Party founder Don Andrews) were all active members of the NP.
The neo-Nazi Western Guard Party was born in 1972 out of the ashes of the Edmund Burke Society, an anti-communist "conservative organization" formed in 1967 by none other than Don Andrews and Paul Fromm. Led by Andrews, and later, John Ross Taylor, the WG's Manifesto declared the Party to be "dedicated to preserve and promote the basic social and spiritual values of the White People", and further stated that "we fight for our Christian moral values, our European Racial heritage and the spiritual and cultural rebirth of our people".
The WGP had several fronts; it published a magazine entitled Straight Talk, and established a white-power telephone hotline. Its members maced a meeting of African students at the University of Toronto in 1974, attacked a Black band taping a show at CITY-TV in the same year, and vandalized numerous synagogues. As well, Taylor, Andrews and Siksna, among others, ran for political office - Andrews ran for Mayor of Toronto several times, and the others generally ran for the position of alderman - generally coming in dead last.
In 1976, Andrews and another WGP members were arrested for plotting to launch a bomb attack on a visiting Israeli soccer Team at Varsity Stadium. With Andrews in prison, John Ross Taylor, a confirmed fascist since the 1930s, took control of the WGP. Taylor renamed the organization the Western Guard Universal, and stated that its aim was to fight "Jewish-Freemasonic-Communist world- destroyers everywhere."
In June of 1979, Taylor was ordered by a Canadian Human Rights Commission Tribunal to stop broadcasting white-power telephone messages. A perusal of type-written copies of some of these messages reveals them to have been along the lines of today's HF hateline drivel - attacking "commies and race-traitors" and blaming multi-culturalism and Jews for the bulk of the world's problems. The messages didn't stop and Taylor spent 243 days in jail. At this point the WGP basically fell apart, as many of its members left to join Droege's Canadian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which he had begun to organize in 1976, or Don Andrew's newly formed organization - the Nationalist Party - which he had formed upon his release from prison in 1977. The fact that Taylor is a nutcase probably contributed to the demise of the WGU - among other things, Taylor is convinced that white sugar is the cause of homosexuality, and anybody who has seen the documentary Blood in the Face might remember seeing Taylor rambling on about the importance of certain numbers in the bible. Taylor made the news again recently when it was discovered that he had contributed to an anti-semitic loony- tune conspiracy-theory type book entitled The New World Order in North America: A Secret American Military Counter Intelligence Report by University of Toronto professor Robert O'Driscoll. Taylor wrote under the pseudonym "His Excellency J.J. Wills".
The NP didn't really differ all that much from the WGP, in ideology or action. A newsletter, The Nationalist Report, was published, and NP members including Max French and Robert Ruminski ran for Mayor in Toronto municipal elections, as recently as 1988. In 1990 Nicola Polinuk ran for a school trustee byelection as a member of the National Party. Andrews made a real effort to attract skinheads to the NP - a 1988 Toronto Sun article entitled "Young Face of Racism" reported that NP members were regularly holding 'teach-ins' with up to 70 skinheads, but Stanley Barret, in Is God a Racist, aptly describes the bulk of NP members as being misfits, losers, or alcoholics. The NP's presence in Toronto has been all but non-existent as of late.
In 1989 several NP members travelled to Libya in order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Khadafy's revolution - including Droege, French and Mitrevski - and it was at this time that the idea for the HF came up. Apparently, some NPers had grown tired of Don Andrew's "fuhrer-like leadership" and the NP's inability to do anything except contest local elections. The HF was born a few months later in Toronto.
There is an overall continuity throughout white supremacist organizing in the on-going development of strategies throughout its history. Fascist organizations in Canada such as the Heritage Front are held together by the experience and leadership carried over from pre-existing fascist structures, complete with well- established ties to other existing groups worldwide. Street-level recruitment of skinheads is of on-going importance to them, not only to swell their ranks, but to cultivate and nurture the next generation of organizers who, like their experienced leaders, will continue down the same path. For anti-racists and anti-fascists it is of utmost importance to become aware of this historical pattern to establish how far they have come, where they intend to go, and to ultimately stop them dead in their tracks.
For Further Reading On The Far-Right In Canada:
"Antisemitism in Canada: History and Interpretation", by Alan Davies, editor (Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1992).
"Hate on Trial: The Zundel Affair, the Media and Public Opinion in Canada", by Gabriel Weimann and Conrad Winn (Oakville, Ontario: Mosaic Press, 1986).
"Is God a Racist?: The Right Wing in Canada," by Stanley R. Barrett (Toronto, Ont.: University of Toronto Press, 1987).
"Les skinheads et l'extreme droite", by Daniel Hubert and Yves Claude de la Ligue des droits et libertes (Montreal, Quebec: VLB Editeur, 1991).
"Shades of Right: Nativist and Fascist Politics in Canada, 1920- 1940", by Martin Robin (Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press, 1992).
"The Swastika And The Maple Leaf: Fascist Movements in Canada in the Thirties" by Lita-Rose Betcherman (Toronto, Ontario: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1975).
"White Hoods: Canada's Ku Klux Klan", by Julian Sher (Vancouver, BC: New Star, 1983).
ANTI-FASCIST iNFO (AFi) is a collective of predominantly people of colour in Vancouver, some currently defendants on charges arising from anti-fascist demonstrations, with the aim of gathering and distributing information on the extreme right in Canada. They are producing and distributing a range of material including pamphlets and posters.
"We see anti-fascism as a protracted struggle with no clear victory or conclusion, until there are fundamental changes in the white supremacist world order. Institutionalized racism and the oppression of Third World peoples globally, creates a climate that inherently breeds racists. At the same time, we have witnessed the explosive rise of fascism in Europe, and are determined to prevent it from developing into a mass movement here."
Contributions and support can be sent to...ANTI-FASCIST iNFO, Box 35, 1744 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC, V5N 2S3
Vancouver's high-profile fascist Tony McAleer, connected to the Aryan Resistance Movement (ARM), Aryan Nations, and White Aryan Resistance (WAR), last year sponsored an attempt to bring WAR's Tom Metzger from the US on a Canadian speaking tour. Vancouver anti- racists succeeded in shutting this venture down on the evening of January 22/93. Now, exactly a year later, McAleer is under fire for his activities which focus around the "Canadian Liberty Net", a telephone hateline which is the central propaganda and recruiting tool of Vancouver-area fascists. A federal human rights tribunal has ordered McAleer and his associates "anywhere in Canada" to cease distributing hatred and contempt telephonically, following a message which said the ancient Celts had "not such a bad idea" when they used to "take queers and trample them into peat bogs." McAleer is being represented by Doug Cristie, a fascist lawyer who has represented the likes of Ernst Zundel, in this, the second run- in with the courts "Liberty-Net" has faced. Remember...three strikes and you're out, racist scum!
ON THE PROWL would like to make this section of the bulletin a regular feature in documenting the current struggles against racism and fascism in Canada. If you are active in anti-fascist organizing outside of Toronto, drop us a line and let us know what's up. Also, we are always in need of a steady flow of newspaper clippings on far-right activity in other cities. If you aren't necessarily a member of any group, but have information on fascist activity in your neck of the woods, drop us a line at: ON THE PROWL, PO Box 664, Stn C, Toronto, Ontario M6J 3S1 (All information treated in strictest confidence.)
On Saturday February 12, anti-fascist youth in Kitchener- Waterloo (K-W) marched through the streets to demonstrate at city hall against racism and fascism. En route the demonstration targeted the European Sound Import store on King St., nazi-owned property used as meeting space for the Heritage Front and location where holocaust-denier David Irving attempted to speak last fall. Eggs were thrown at the shopfront and the windows were plastered with anti-racist stickers.
The demo was called by K-W's Anti-Racist Group (ARG) to bring attention to the rise in racist and fascist attacks in the city. An anti-racist activist's home had been fire-bombed by fascists twice, a Jewish shopowner was assaulted by nazis, and attacks on people of colour by the police. Incidents such as these have fallen on the deaf ears of a community which has chosen to sweep them under the carpet. So once again, the impetus has come from the youth to fight alongside those who are resisting the attacks. Toronto anti-fascists extend full support to the actions of groups like ARG.
In Toronto, ARA has made life very difficult for fascists, so scumbags like the Heritage Front retreat to smaller towns like K- W to recruit in the high schools. This is countered by the efforts of grassroots anti-racist organizing that sets a precedent on the streets and in the highschools. Fascists will not be tolerated in the community! To contact ARG, write: 170 University Ave West, Suite 12 Box 133, Waterloo, Ont. N2L 3E9
In Oakville, spray-painted swastikas and neo-nazi slogans appeared on the outer walls and three portable classrooms at White Oaks Secondary School. Nazi graffiti was also found in an elevator at the Medical Sciences Building of the University of Toronto. Anti-racist students everywhere can combat the spread of neo-nazi spray-painting and propaganda in their own schools by tearing down nazi-posters and replacing their racist, sexist and homophobic filth with anti-racist posters, etc. Be creative!
Write to ON THE PROWL with any information about neo-nazi activity in YOUR school (All information treated in strictest confidence) and ask for a package of anti-racist posters and stickers to get you started. We would also like to print statements and reports from local highschool groups who are active against racism and fascism within their schools and neighborhoods.
Ottawa Anti-Racist Action seems to be off to a good start on its monumental task of squashing the fascists in the nation's capital. They have just released the first issue of an anti-racist newsletter, and they can be reached for general information at P.O. Box 4721, Station E, Ottawa, K1S 5H9.
On March 30/94, three-hundred students and anti-racists demonstrated at Queens University in Kingston against a neo-Nazi presence on campus. One particular fascist has been responsible for a rash of neo-Nazi posters and an attempt to sue an anti- sexist/racist student newspaper.
David Lethbridge, director of B.C's Salmon Arm Coalition Against Racism (SACAR), has become the target of a lawsuit for "defamation of character," launched by Eileen Pressler. Pressler is the head of Salmon Arm's Council on Public Affairs, a right-wing organization which reproduces pro-fascist, holocaust denial, anti- Semitic and racist materials in its monthly Council on Public Affairs Digest which claims to have a circulation of 12,000.
SACAR has been committed to exposing key links in the international far-right movements existing in the Okanagan region, organizing demos and conferences, disseminating information and bringing attention to fascist activity that has been largely downplayed by the mass media. It seems they have been successful to some degree in light of a lawsuit which seems to be aimed at shutting down SACAR's public campaigning.
Pressler's lawyer, Doug Christie, is well-known for representing the KKK in Manitoba, the Canadian Liberty Net for its racist hateline, Rudy Stanko of the paramilitary fascist Church of the Creator, nazi propagandist Ernst Zundel, anti-Semitic teachers Jim Keegstra and Malcolm Ross, and others.
If this lawsuit is successful, it could mark the beginning of a series of similar moves against the anti-racist movement, aimed at discrediting and hindering anti-racist work on the whole. SACAR is appealing for support, especially for contributions to its legal defence fund. Donations can be sent to: SACAR DEFENCE, 3521 20 Ave. NE, Salmon Arm, B.C., V1E 4M4
(condensed from People's Voice, Feb.94)
On January 15, 1994, Blood and Honour, a neo-nazi skinhead group, attempted to hold a memorial concert for Ian Stuart in London. Stuart, who died in car accident last year, was the singer for Skrewdriver, a fascist skinhead band that also operated Blood and Honour. Because of previous successes by anti-fascists in shutting down fascist gigs this one was organized strictly by a word of mouth basis. As well, Combat 18 (C18) thugs (a paramilitary fascist organization), provided security in an attempt to foil anti-fascist efforts to smash the gig. All of which proved useless when militants from Anti-Fascist Action (AFA) thwarted their every manoeuvre. AFA is national anti-fascist organization in Britain that was formed in 1985 to, in their own words, "cause maximum disruption to fascist activities". Unlike groups such the Anti-Nazi League (a Socialist Workers Party front group), AFA attempts to smash the fascists whenever they rear their ugly heads. January 15th was no exception. Despite C18 attempts to redirect nazi scum to a series of assembly points, AFA militants always managed to find them. Even the cops called the AFA ability to locate the fascists as "uncanny". The day ended with nazi skinheads and C18 stewards holed up in a pub surrounded by riot police. When AFA once again arrived on the scene, the fascists panicked and tried to flee. The riot police smashed their way into the pub and badly beaten and bloodied fascists were dragged out and arrested. Other fascists attempting to flee the vicinity received a beating from AFA militants in the area. The key to AFA's success was their intelligence gathering capacity and on that day they "controlled the play, were ahead of the game and made all the decisive moves". Write: AFA, BM 1734, London, WC1N 3XX. Cyber-Nazis?
The recent media hype about an "information superhighway" and the explosive growth of computer-based telecommunications hasn't been ignored by fascists seeking new ways to spread their propaganda and unify their movement.
The Thule Network is a computer network linking together over a dozen computer bulletin boards in Germany. This network, based in 3 western states, allows neo-nazis to communicate with one another, pass along news and propaganda and even provides "services" for the movement. For instance, if a small group of fascists with few resources wanted to put out a publication they can log onto a bulletin board and be provided with graphics. A movement lawyer can look over the text for any legal problems. Other information on the network can range from intelligence on anti-fascists to bomb-making directions. Access to the various bulletin boards is guarded by a series of passwords and loyalty tests which allows neo-Nazis a secure means of communication.
This network, which has been operating for over a year now, not only provides a link between various fascist organizations and individuals and allows them to exchange information but to be able to co-ordinate rallies, gigs and actions
The Thule Network along with cellular phones, fax machines and telephone hotlines is helping bring together a diverse and often fractious neo-Nazi scene into a united movement.
Any anti-fascist hackers out there?
Freedom For Kurdish And Turkish Anti-Fascists In Germany
On April 4, 1992, a group of masked people burst into a restaurant in Berlin where members of the neo-nazi Deutsche Liga (German League) were having a meeting. The attack resulted in a leading member of the Deutsche Liga, Gerhard Kaindl, being stabbed to death. A year and a half later, on November 15, police raided the apartments of 4 anti-fascists and arrested them in connection with Kaindl's murder. The four, Erkan, Fatma, Abidin and Mehmet are facing charges of murder, attempted murder, abetting a murder and assault. The basis for the charges against the four is the result of a confession extracted from Erkan who was beaten and tortured by police. Since then, a fifth person, Bahretin, has been arrested. All five anti-fascists are being held in prison - some in solitary confinement - until their trial.
In stark contrast to their unwillingness to investigate numerous racist attacks and murders, Berlin police immediately launched an intensive investigation into Kaindl's death. This investigation consisted of massive surveillance of the militant anti-fascist scene and a reward of 100,000 DM was offered. Police paid particular attention to the Turkish and Kurdish group Antifa Genclik (Anti-fascist Youth). The five comrades are all members of this group which has been at the forefront of militant anti-fascist resistance in Germany.
Despite the fact that dozens of people have been murdered by German neo-nazis over the last few years, many fascists receive minimal prison sentences. A double standard applies to anti- fascists who generally receive much harsher treatment at the hands of the German judicial system. The legal proceedings for the five anti-fascists will held in a "show-trial" atmosphere with the state attempting to make an example of those who fight back against the fascists. All of this is part of a well-organized campaign to criminalize and isolate the militant anti-fascist scene in Berlin. To resist this it is important that anti-fascists everywhere show their solidarity with these comrades.
For more info: FreundInnen und UnterstuetzerInnen c/o Kreuzbuero, Grossbeerenstr. 89, 10963 Berlin, Germany
The State Of Minnesota Vs. The Anti-Racist Movement
On October 22/93, the Progressive Student Organization held an anti-racist rally to counter an announced demonstration by neo- nazis at the University of Minnesota campus. Daniel Simmer, one of two neo-Nazi skinheads who showed up sporting brass knuckles, charged the demo injuring several people. In response, Kieran Frazier, long-time anti-racist activist, defended himself by clocking the bonehead with a flashlight. Kieran now faces up to ten years in prison and a $20,000 fine, while the nazi remains at large. Several organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and the Northern Hammerskins, which Daniel Simmer belongs to, are active in the Twin Cities where they've organized, vandalized, and carried out violent attacks. In fact, two years to the day before the October 22nd demonstration, on the same spot, supporters of Tom David's White Student Union attcked members of Anti-Racist Action and the Progressive Student Organization, resulting in a concussion for one activist.
Kieran goes to trial April 12/94 [Ed. Note: The trial has been delayed to August 2, 1994]. Write or call the Prosecutor and the DA and demand all charges be dropped!
County Attorney Mike Freeman
C2000 Hennepin County Govt. Center
300 S. 6th St.
Minneapolis, Mn 55415
(612) 348-5550
Info/Contact: Anti-Fascist Defense Committee c/o Minneapolis ABC, P.O. Box 7075, Minneapolis, MN 55407 USA
On The Prowl is the voice behind Toronto's Anti-Racist Action. On The Prowl provides a forum for anti-fascist strategies and reports up-to-date news on street-level organizing against racism and fascism. On The Prowl is not interested in debating with the fascists, but it does want to hear from other anti-racist activists with feedback, opinions and reports. On The Prowl comes out every two months...free on the streets...$5/year subscription by mail ($25/year for institutions). Bulk copies to distribute in schools and events are available at $5/20 copies. (We accept Canadian Tire money!) Write to ON THE PROWL at the address below and get involved today!
Boys In The Hoods...This pamphlet serves as a basic overview of
the neo-Nazi movement in Toronto..........................FREE
CARF-Campaign Against Racism and Fascism...International
perspectives and news on community action against racism and
fascism in Britain.......................................$2.00
Fighting the Klan...A thesis produced by the Sojourner Truth
Organisation in the U.S. to combat the rise of fascism...$2.00
Fascism in the U.S...An historical survey, also produced by the
STO, on the operations of neo-Nazi groups like the Ku Klux Klan in
the U.S..................................................$2.00
No KKK, No Fascist USA!...Newspaper of the John Brown Anti-Klan
Committee................................................$1.00
Race Traitor...A quarterly publication containing essays and
letters on the issues of race and class..................$5.00
Turning The Tide...Journal of anti-racist activism, research and
education from P.A.R.T.(People Against Racist Terror)....$2.00
New Stuff!!
ARA Education Package...an essential collection of articles and essays compiled for the serious anti-racist. Includes everything from a look at racism, sexism and homophobia, through an historical documentation of the far-right, to insight on the various examples of anti-racist projects and experiences. Complete with reading and resource lists. Order yours now...Knowledge is Power!....$7.00
ARA Info-Package #1:Fighting Fascism in the Highschools...Every- thing students need to know in order to combat far-right activity in their schools, including a collection of stickers and posters to get started with......................................$5.00
ARA Info-Package #2:Zundel's Gotta Go!...a collection of articles, clippings and pamphlets which serve as a primer for all who are interested in forwarding the Campaign to Stop Zundel.....$5.00
Far-Right Clippings Packages...these collections of mainstream media newspaper clippings, dating from the late-80s to present-day, offer some background on the far-right in Canada. Nazis in the military..boneheads on parade..anti-racist demonstrations. It's all here! Vol.1/2/3/4...................................$4.00 each
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Distribution List: Send $1.00 for a complete list of literature, T-Shirts, buttons, videos and much more.
In the fight against racism and fascism, our aim is confront and hinder the activities of the far-right in Canada. Everyone has a role to play in ARA, whether they feel confident in street-level actions or not. From legal observers to scouts and first-aid people, from leafleters to people who can write articles or speak in highschools, ARA needs people with a whole range of skills if it is to continue to succeed. Fill in and mail the form below and join today!
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ARA will expose and oppose organized racism and hatred through
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