Ireland, anarchist WSM paper Workers Solidarity #128 - Celebrating 21 years of Anti-Fascist Action in Ireland

On the weekend of 5th-7th October, Anti-Fascist Action Ireland held a series of events to 
celebrate their twenty one years in existence. The organisation was founded in 1991 with 
the aim of fighting fascism both physically and ideologically as and where the need 
arises. ---- The events, planned months in advance, looked to unite anti-fascists from 
across Europe in a way that has not been possible in recent years. For while fascism is on 
the rise across Europe, with Greece seeing the emergence of the Golden Dawn Party, Italy 
seeing an alarming increase in support for the autonomous nationalist Casa Pound and 
Eastern Europe experiencing the continued growth of neo-Nazi groups, Ireland has remained 
relatively threat free, due in part to the hard work of AFA.

Friday?s events saw over one hundred activists gather in the Teachers? Club for the launch 
of a one hundred page book called ?Undertones: Anti-fascism and the far-right in Ireland 
1945-2012.? The book, while examining the history of the far-right in Ireland, also looks 
at the militant anti-fascist resistance that has al- ways accompanied it. The evening was 
also a good op- portunity to network with some of the foreign activists who had made their 
way to Ireland for the weekend?s events as somewhere in the region of one hundred and 
twenty travelled.

Saturday started off with another meeting in the Teachers? Club, this time a forum on the 
future of militant anti-fascism across Europe. Speakers from Ireland, England, Italy, 
France, Poland, Greece, Denmark, Sweden, Germany and the Czech Republic took to the stage 
to speak about their experiences at home, and where they see themselves in the future. 
Over one hundred and sixty activists packed the hall for two hours of very useful 
discussion. The debates carried over to the Grand Social on Liffey Street that night where 
a sold out gig of two hundred and eighty people witnessed five bands and six DJs play for 
over seven hours under the banner of anti-fascism.

Sunday morning, and again a large crowd; After meeting at the Jim Larkin statue on 
O?Connell Street, four groups of forty people left for a walking tour of Dublin, 
culminating in the unveiling of a plaque on Connolly Books in Temple Bar dedicated to 
those Irish volunteers who made their way to Spain in 1936-1939 to fight Franco and the 
rising fascist tide. Speakers included Manus O?Riordain, whose father Michael spoke on 
platforms with AFA Ireland in the past, Tom Redmond from the Communist Party and 
Councillor Cieran Perry.

Following on from this, the crowds made their way to Smithfield where a mural was unveiled 
on the side of the Cobblestone pub in memory of Bob Doyle, deceased veteran of the Spanish 
Civil War who grew up on North King Street nearby. Afterwards, the growing crowd retired 
into the Cobblestone where they were treated to an evening of trad music from Ron?n 
??Snodaigh of Kila, Lynched and Troika.

An AFA statement on the weekend read: ?Without a doubt, this was one of the most important 
anti-Fascist events this country has ever seen. Hundreds of people from all over Europe 
and the island joined us. Ireland benefits hugely from having such a small and fragmented 
neo-Nazi and far-right movement. The failure of these kinds of groups to develop into real 
threats in Ireland is not just down to political and historical reasons but also the 
constant, vigilant work of anti- Fascists. This weekend was a celebration of that and an 
acknowledgement of the struggles of past generations.?