*SL 11/99 1/4* Aboformular

[Cyberia Edinburgh Public Mail]

 

ANTIFA-WEST c/o BI-Buergerwache wrote:

                      Abonnementformular:
                      ===================

Please make me a subscriber to Searchlight

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Address .......................................................

...............................................................

.................................... Postcode .................

Subscription rates for one year (12 issues) - please tick
appropriate box

UK:
Indivduals: £ 24                                             [ ]

concessions: £ 18 (Unemployed, OAPs, students; proof needed) [ }
 

AFA News: THE REAL LARRY O'HARA

____________________________________________________________________
Before subscribing be aware of what AFA in the UK have recently said of Searchlight magazine.
 
 

Larry O'Hara, Searchlight and AFA German
anti-fascists have sent us an
                          article that appeared in the February 96
edition of the anti-fascist
                          magazine Antifa Infoblatt. In an article
titled 'Who is Larry O'Hara?' by
                          Searchlight's European editor, Graeme
Atkinson, a number of false claims
                          are made. The usual Searchlight line that
O'Hara is a fascist stooge are
                          repeated, a claim that is dismissed by AFA who
conducted their own
                          investigation at the time and found absolutely
no evidence. In fact it was
                          clear that O'Hara is an independent
researcher, and had been involved in
                          anti-fascist activities in his younger days,
but clearly was seen as a
                          rival source of information on fascist affairs
- a situation that
                          Searchlight clearly would be happy to
undermine.

                          The article goes on to claim that O'Hara was
involved in various 'green'
                          groups which were considered racist by the
British Left, although whether
                          this is meant to include the Green Party's
Anti-Fascist Anti-Racist
                          Network, which he was involved in, is not
clear. Having suggested that
                          O'Hara was involved in all sorts of fascist
and racist organisations
                          Atkinson states that "the only anti-fascist
group in which he was a known
                          member, Anti-Fascist Action, threw him out
when they realised that they had
                          been left holding the baby."

                          In fact O'Hara was never a member of AFA,
although he did apply to join in
                          the early 90s. His membership application was
turned down because in that
                          period of intense street activity only people
prepared to play an active
                          role were admitted, something he made clear he
was not in a position to do.
                          It is also true that AFA was extremely
reluctant to being drawn into the
                          war of words that was being waged between
Searchlight and O'Hara at that
                          time, particularly because, athough we knew
O'Hara wasn't a fascist, we
                          certainly didn't agree with a lot of his
analysis.

                          Clearly this article was another attempt to
try and discredit AFA, and
                          shows that Searchlight are happy to use their
'dirty tricks' against
                          anti-fascists as well as fascists.

                          * * *