Beating the Fascists: The Untold Story of Anti-Fascist Action by Sean Birchall

While there is some history that is widely known and even taught in schools, other pieces of history slip behind us almost unnoticed, apart from by the people involved. Until the writing of this book, the story of Anti Fascist Action was one of those types of history.

The book tells the story of Anti Fascist Action’s longterm street war against the far right, from the perspective of an AFA member.

The first thing the casual reader will notice about this book is that it’s very violent in places and unapologetically so. The author describes it as “violence as a first resort” and makes it very clear this violence was not always strictly defensive in nature. Neither does the book shy away from mentioning mistakes that were made. In one memorable description, a Labour party researcher is headbutted to the ground after being mistaken for a fascist. And this violence is described in detail, some might feel with relish.

On those grounds, the book could be compared to the “hoolie lit” books that have recently become vaguely fashionable in some circles. And that’s a fair comparison, even if “Beating the Fascists” is far better written than most of that genre. But the book is a lot more than that.

The author goes into detail not just about where and how, but also why. And puts forward a strong defense of AFA’s activities as a vital component in defending democracy. The political analysis in the book is just as detailed and written with no less passion than the more physical parts. Birchall not only makes a strong case for militant antifascism’s success on its own terms, he also suggests that AFA were the first to recognise the danger posed by the BNP’s move towards electoral politics. And explains how AFA moved to community politics in an effort to counter that.

The book is also an important attempt to chronicle a previously untold historical struggle. Many specific clashes, from a large scale setpiece at Waterloo Station, to scuffles in pubs, are covered. And the book doesn’t avoid mentioning AFA’s failures as well as their successes.

So, was the violence justified? That’s a question that every reader will have to answer for themselves. At the very least, those opposed to AFA’s tactics will come away from the book with a better idea of why AFA disagreed.

Recommended, for both academic and casual readers.