Sydenham - National Front march?

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maestro
Posts: 1157
Joined: 27 Jun 2008 16:32
Location: 2nd most struck UK bridge

Sydenham - National Front march?

Post by maestro »

Quote...... Having grown up in Sydenham where the National Front marched, he said he knew the dangers and also the racial tension that existed between the community and the police.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/m ... 49751.html

I can't recall any "National Front march" ever taking place in Sydenham, can anyone else?
marymck
Posts: 1579
Joined: 9 Feb 2008 16:30
Location: Upper Kirkdale

Re: Sydenham - National Front march?

Post by marymck »

According to Transpontine ...

Quote The route of the NF march on Sunday April 20 1980 was kept secret until the last minute - it went from Forest Hill to Catford where 'A rally was held in a confined areas bordered by Catford greyhound stadium, a railway embankment and bridge, a second railway line and a canal' (Times 21 April 1980). According to the South London Press (22 April 1980): 'Estimates varied between 250-700 NF marchers - mostly young skinheads - against 1,000 counter marchers. Marquees were put up in Hilly Fields for the 4,000 police drafted in for the day'. Unquote

I have no first hand experience of Sydenham around that time as I was living in Hanwell then and the last March I went on was the Southall Anti Nazi League Rally in April 1979. It was terrifying and afterwards we went into our local pub, already shaken and me in shreds, only to find the National Front having a meeting there. My boyfriend took his tie off in case someone grabbed it (wearing a tie on a March! It really was a bizarre time), we legged it home and never went in the pub again.

My point is, they were everywhere. We forget how far we've come. But we also forget that they were, and hopefully always will be, outnumbered.
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