Villa Antifascists. Artigo na fashwatch.org

A parda cabeça do fascismo/racismo teima em se levantar até nos estádios de futebol, mas contra isso surgem também grupos Antifascistas organizados nas bancadas.
Este é o caso deste pessoal, do Aston Villa , de que fala o artigo.
POR UM FUTEBOL POPULAR & ANTiFASCiSTA.

Villa Antifascists. Artigo na fashwatch.org
«Fascist’s have often used the terraces of football clubs as a recruiting ground sticklogfor 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.»

http://www.fashwatch.org/?p=85