Activist attacked by far-right thugs

Submitted by AWL on 6 June, 2008 - 11:48

A supporter of Education Not for Sale in Huddersfield was attacked by the far right on Friday morning on her way to work. The comrade has been campaigning to no-platform the BNP at her campus and has obviously been targeted. They knew her name and route to work.

We need to make it clear to the far right that the comrade is not isolated. They cannot get away with targeting people who stand up to them. Publicise this in union branches, student organisations and anti-fascist groups.

This attack must receive the widest exposure we can give it. Messages of solidarity have started coming in. Send them to

education.not.for.sale@gmail.com

kirklees unity statement:

On Friday morning a young female student was attacked on her way to work by three armed members of the far right. They pulled her to the ground, kicked her repeatedly in the ribs and slashed at her head with a knife. Whilst attacking her they called her “A Dirty red” and “Filthy lesbo”, the latter being a reference to the victims sexuality.

She suffered a fractured rib and severe bruising, but given the severity of the assault the injuries could have been far worse.

The attackers singled out this student because she campaigns on her campus to drive out the BNP. The victim is also a member of Unison and the NUS.

They knew her name and route to work, and deliberately targeted her to intimidate her and others campaigning against the far right.

The incident has been reported to West Yorkshire Police and they are currently investigating the attack.

The victim may be available for comment but will require anonymity in the media for fear of reprisal.

For further information regarding this press release you can contact Kirklees Unity at the following email address.

kirkleesunity@yahoo.co.uk

a statement from the comrade

On Friday 31st May, while going to work I was approached by two “skinheads”, and after confirming my identity they proceeded to attack me. While calling me names such as a ‘Dirty Red’, ‘Lesbo’ and ‘Britain Hater’ (amongst other things) they dragged me to the floor and repeatedly kicked me in the ribs. They also used a knife to slash at my head and cut off my hair. Not only did I suffer a fractured rib and extensive bruising but also ended up having significantly less hair.

This attack could have been much more severe especially as the attackers were armed with knives but it goes to prove that those who say people are not attacked in the street by fascists are ignoring the facts.

Last Fridays attack seems to have followed work I have been carrying out for a number of months. This has involved campaigning actively against the BNP and other fascists. As president of my local FE College, I have been attempting to no-platform fascists from campus. However this has come up against a lot of opposition and many attempts to put a vote of no-confidence in me. These in particular have been led by a Staff Student Liaison Officer (the HE SU equivalent of a General Manager).

Even though on a national level the BNP gained seats, locally within Kirklees they lost one of their seats in Heckmondwike, and gained no others (however it must be noted that they had many close seconds), having stood candidates in all but three of Kirklees Wards. There is still much anti–fascist work to do in Huddersfield and Kirklees, most importantly making the working class realise that a vote for the BNP is not a vote for their interests.

A BNP councillor has recently spoken out against the attack daring to call it a hoax. My reply is that the facts and the evidence speak for themselves.

The far right seem to think that it is perfectly acceptable to use violence as a form of intimidation, however it has done the completely opposite. I intend to campaign stronger and harder than ever before.

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