Battle of Lewisham
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Battle of Lewisham | |||||
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Commemorative plaque in New Cross | |||||
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Belligerents | |||||
National Front | Demonstrators | ||||
Units involved | |||||
500 | 4000 |
The Battle of Lewisham took place on 13 August 1977, when 500 members of the
Background
In the mid-1970s, New Cross and surrounding areas of
On 30 May 1977, the police staged dawn raids in southeast London and arrested twenty-one young black people, including a 24-year-old woman, in connection with a series of muggings. Following the arrests, the police said they believed the "gang" was responsible "for 90 per cent of the street crime in south London over the past six months."[4] They appeared at Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court on 1 June 1977, charged with various offences of "conspiracy to rob." During the hearings, some of the defendants fought with the police while spectators in the public gallery attempted to invade the court.[5] The Lewisham 21 Defence Committee was set up soon after. They heavily criticised police tactics.[6][full citation needed][page needed]
On 2 July 1977, the Lewisham 21 Defence Committee held a demonstration in New Cross. Up to 200 National Front supporters turned out to oppose it, throwing "rotten fruit and bags of caustic soda at marchers". More than 80 people were arrested.[7][full citation needed][page needed]
National Front march
In the following weeks, the National Front (NF) announced plans to march from New Cross to Lewisham. The NF national organiser,
There were political differences between anti-fascists about how best to respond, and as a result, there were three distinct mobilisations for the counter-demonstration. Earlier in the day of the National Front march, ALCARAF called for a peaceful demonstration. Later, on 13 August, the Ad Hoc Organising Committee urged people to occupy the National Front's planned meeting point at Clifton Rise in New Cross. [8][full citation needed][page needed] A third organisation, the Anti Racist/Anti-Fascist Co-ordinating Committee (ARAFCC, the London-wide Federation of Anti-Racist/Anti-Fascist Committees, including ALCARAF) also mobilised activists from across Greater London and called for support for the ALCARAF march and for a physical attempt to stop the NF march.[12]
In the week before the demonstration, a meeting took place in a pub in Deptford between ARAFCC and the Socialist Workers' Party (SWP) Central Committee member responsible for their mobilisation. This meeting was intended to produce an agreed joint plan (as both organisations intended to physically block the streets to stop the NF march). However, the SWP insisted that the London Anti-Fascist Committees must accept the leading role of the SWP and mobilise their supporters under the direction of the SWP-appointed stewards. This demand was rejected by the ARAFCC (whose members included many veteran Anti-Fascists, some anarchists, Communist Party and YCL members and trade union activists). Thus, ARAFCC appointed its own stewards and made detailed plans to combine support for the ALCARAF demonstration in the morning with a physical blockade of New Cross Road in the afternoon. Although the official position of ALCARAF was that it was only mounting a peaceful demonstration on the morning of 13 August to show public opposition to the racist march planned for that afternoon, several ALCARAF activists collaborated with and supported the ARAFCC plans to mobilise for two events on the day.[citation needed]
13 August 1977
At 11:30 am, the ALCARAF demonstration gathered in
There were clashes when the police tried to push demonstrators further down Clifton Rise, away from where the National Front demonstrators were assembling in nearby Achilles Street.
At 3.00 pm, the police escorted National Front marchers out of Achilles Street, up Pagnell Street and into the main New Cross Road, behind a large 'Stop the
The police separated National Front and anti-fascists, and mounted police cleared a path through the crowd attempting to block the progress of the march towards
Meanwhile, the anti-NF demonstrators joined by increasing numbers of local people (especially young people), made their way to Lewisham Town Centre, where they blocked the High Street. Due to the inability to gather in the town centre, the National Front conducted a brief rally in a parking lot on Connington Road and then were escorted onto waiting trains by the police.[15][full citation needed][page needed]
Clashes continued between the police and counter-demonstrators, the latter largely unaware that the National Front had already left the area. The police brought out riot shields for the first time on the
There was a brief period when the police completely lost control of the centre of Lewisham (later dubbed the People's Republic of Lewisham Clock-Tower). There was also an apparent break-down in the police chain of command, with officers driving vehicles at high speed up and down the Lewisham High Street under a hail of bricks and bottles until one crashed into a railway bridge, and the police charged to prevent the three occupants from being attacked by the demonstrators. There was also some minor looting of shops, and a vehicle was set on fire before police restored control of the area.[citation needed]
111 people in the march were injured, and up to 214 people were arrested during the clashes.[15][full citation needed][page needed]
Legacy
On the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Lewisham in 2017, a maroon plaque was unveiled by Lewisham council Councillor Joan Millbank at 314 New Cross Road, on the corner of Clifton Rise, where the resistance to the National Front march began.[17][18]
In October 2019, a new public artwork commemorating the Battle of Lewisham was unveiled on Lewisham Way in New Cross.[19] Designed in consultation with local people, it was inspired by 1970s zines. It drew heavily on many of the iconic images taken on 13 August 1977.[20] Prominent in the design is the civil liberties campaigner, Darcus Howe, in recognition of his role in the events of 13 August 1977 and wider impact on UK society.[20]
See also
References
- ^ Lindsay Mackie (15 August 1977). "The real losers in Saturday's battle of Lewisham". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- OCLC 875720519.
- ^ O'Neill, Padraig (13 August 2017). "Remembering The Battle of Lewisham". Jacobin. Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ "21 on robbery charges". The Times. No. 60018. 1 June 1977. p. 4.
- ^ "Policemen in court fracas with young defendants". The Times. No. 60019. London. 2 June 1977. p. 2.
- ^ Kentish Mercury, 16 June 1977
- ^ South London Press, 5 July 1977
- ^ a b South London Press, 5 August 1977
- ^ "BBC On This Day – 13 – 1977: Violent clashes at NF march". news.bbc.co.uk. 13 August 1977. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- ^ South London Press, 2 August 1977
- ^ a b Evans, Peter (17 August 1977). "Yard looks at police tactics on demonstrations". The Times. No. 60084. London. p. 2.
- S2CID 147837549.
- ^ a b c South London Press, 16 August 1977
- ^ Kentish Mercury, 18 August 1977
- ^ a b The Times, 15 August 1977
- ^ Kentish Mercury, 5 July 1977
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ Stong, Charlie (13 August 2017). "Film of 'Battle of Lewisham' found in time for anniversary". London News Online. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ Cox, Sarah (16 October 2019). "Battle of Lewisham mural installed in New Cross". Goldsmiths, University of London. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ a b "Battle of Lewisham public artwork". Goldsmiths, University of London. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
External links
- "A black and white glimpse of the past" by Darcus Howe, New Statesman October 2007
- Vulliamy, Ed (4 March 2007). "Blood and glory". The Observer. London. Retrieved 15 June 2009.