Aberdeen City Council reject National Front march

Mike Martin

A NOTIFICATION BY THE ABERDEEN CELL of the National Front to hold a "family fun day parade" on St Andrew's day 2004 caused difficulties for the City Council and consternation in the City.

The Licensing Committee met on 25th August to consider the application where they were warned by the Director of Legal Services, they could be left facing financial surcharges and disqualification from public office if they voted to ban the NF from staging their first ever march in Scotland through the centre of the city. Despite popular support for a ban the Committee voted instead to defer their final decision, pending further consultations with Grampian Chief Constable. By deferring the decision the Committee gave the energetic National Front organiser, David MacDonald, the media spotlight whilst the popular opposition clustered around Aberdeen United Against Fascism.

Attention then became focussed on the Licensing Committee meeting on 25th October which gave opponents time to pressurise for a ban. One of the four dissenting Councillors, Martin Greig, chairman of Aberdeen Community Safety Partnership, passed evidence to the Chief Legal Officer that the National Front intended to use the march as a national rally for extremism and racism. He said members of the far-right organisation from London and the south of England are, according to their website, organising a cheap away day flight from London to Aberdeen on the day of the march.

Consistent campaigning of AUAF and a hardening of attitudes among councillors resulted in the notification being voted down unanimously by the 16-strong committee after a two-hour sitting. To add to the pressure the police warned that football thugs could turn up to support the NF. Councillors also blocked a rival parade proposed by trade unionists and supporters on the grounds that there was high risk of violence breaking out between the two camps. A third march planned for that date, by the anti-English Scottish Patriots, could not be considered because applicant, was found dead in prison the previous week.

Licensing convener councillor Raymbnd Hutcheon ruled there were a host of reasons why the NF parade should not proceed. He said the "family day" tag had been dropped by the NF in favour of mounting a largely men-only march of activists and that the parade would have drawn march opponents to the city. Mr Hutcheon stressed the council had a "duty to protect the marchers as well as the public", who would include Christmas shoppers with children. His statement of reasons -seconded by Labour's Norman Collie -sparked applause from the 60 members of the public in the gallery of the council chamber, who had remained largely silent during the preceding submissions.

The NF organiser Dave MacDonald indicated to the committee that the NF would not appeal against the decision and would not apply to march on another day. But he warned up to 100 party activists still planned to descend on Aberdeen on November 28 for a "shopping day".

Mr MacDonald was put on the spot by councillor Steve Delaney, who asked him to explain an entry on the NF web site which stated that activists "would be in Aberdeen, no matter whether our parade is banned or not". Mr MacDonald -who had earlier told the committee he planned only to attend church on that Sunday -answered 'yes".

On the day 200 protesters, including many young folk and some who had opposed Moseley's fascists in the 1930s, gathered at the Town House to demand a ban. They hailed the decision as a sweeping victory for public opinion as summed up by pensioner's leader Bill Knight, who said: "We have won the day and this is a victory for the people of Aberdeen ".

Mike Martin is a member of Glasgow Central CLP and a former member of Gordon CLP