No Retreat: Dave Hann and Steve Tilzey
Back in 70s Manchester the NF merrily bashed blacks, Asians, gays and lefty paper sellers alike, until a group of rough'n'ready working-class activists decided to strike back. Anti-Fascist Action used heavy-handed tactics to rout the far-right for a generation.
This entertaining account from two movement veterans is more soccer-ruck memoir than dry political tract. It makes uneasy reading for pacifists, but their methods worked; AFA strongholds like central Manchester remain "no-go" to Nazis. The authors convincingly argue the current rise of the BNP elsewhere is due to neglect by mainstream politicians.
For fans of: "Homeland" Nick Ryan, "Guvnors" Mickey Francis
[First published in City Life magazine, 2004] Back