TODAY I’ll be at the Together Against The Far Right march in London, for me the most important anti-fascist mobilisation since the Battle of Lewisham in 1977 and the two Rock Against Racism carnivals which followed. 

I was at all three, which means that not only am I utterly ancient, but that I was there during the horrible but heady times in the late ’70s and early ’80s when the fascists were a powerful street force, especially at gigs and football. I’m sure many of you remember songs like Staring At The Rude Boys by the Ruts and Ghost Town by the Specials about the endless trouble back then. Now the fascists are back, in a different guise but with the same old scapegoats and the same old lies. And there are brand new dangers now. 

Back then vile bigotry was, of course, fostered in the pages of the right-wing press, but the really poisonous and dangerous stuff was spread by word of mouth and via leaflets handed out in pubs and on terraces. People had to get out, socialise and be on the streets to see it.

Now, angry and frustrated young men or bored retired old ones (it is mostly men, then as now) can be radicalised by the far right without even leaving their respective bedrooms. 

Far-right billionaires bankroll websites and advertisements which drag the gullible, the angry and the unsuspecting down hideous rabbit holes which lead straight to fascist hell. The richest man in the world, Elon Musk, whips up division and hatred through his various media networks and the most powerful one, Donald Trump, expressly backs far-right political parties across Europe. This is a horrible new development.  

Tommy Robinson’s huge far-right demonstration last summer demands a huge response, and well done to all those who have spent so much time and energy organising today. And I’ll say something else too. I’m really pleased that the music happening at the end of the march is the music of a new generation, since it is they who must take over the mantle of us old Rock Against Racism activists, and if they want to Rave rather than Rock Against Racism that’s fine by me. Stay safe today, folks: these are horrible times, but there are millions of us and together we are strong.

I’ve just recorded a new track about the new challenge we face from the far right. It’s called Never Again – Again. I’m backed by John Peel favourites Death By Milkfloat and you can hear it at attilathestockbroker.bandcamp.com and buy it if you like.

I’m donating all proceeds to We Shall Overcome. 

I’m off to Finland next Tuesday for a four-date tour, promoting my new book of football poems published by my friends Jukka and Harri with the backing of their local club, Tampere United. On Thursday I have the honour to be launching the new football season there reading the short poem I wrote dedicated to all the Tampere fans who resurrected their club as a fan-owned operation after it was shut down due to financial malpractice. They say they were inspired to do so by our long campaign to save Brighton & Hove Albion: that’s why they wanted to publish my book. I wrote this poem for them.

DON’T TAMPER WITH TAMPERE

Football is our culture – 
it belongs to us, the fans
But sadly there are profiteers 
who have quite different plans 
They just care about money, 
they don’t love the game at all
And they will scheme and plunder 
till a club goes to the wall.
We rose and fought at Brighton, 
and you folk stood up too. 
We saved ours from oblivion, 
you started yours anew.
And now you’ve built a special bond 
no businessman can sever
So don’t tamper with Tampere, 
keep it fan owned for ever! 

Stuff Trump, stuff Netanyahu, here’s to a better world. Cheers folks.