SCARF - Sheffield Communities Against Racism & Fascism

On 26th September, local fascist group Raise the Colours plans to march through Sheffield once again. Gathering at the Peace Gardens at 12pm and finishing at the Train Station. We are going to show them the true spirit of our city. Unity, solidarity, and fun; not hatred and division. Join us for a festival of resistance. Bring banners, beats, and bikes to keep Sheffield antifascist. More details to be announced in the coming weeks. If there's something you'd like to bring to the party, drop us a line – scarfsheffield@protonmail.com For more information and updates join our WhatsApp Announcement channel: https://tinyurl.com/y6mvsd98    

On Wednesday 12th August, Crookes Social Club (CSC) hosted a meeting of the Sheffield branch of Restore Britain . Alerted, at short notice, by regulars and members of staff, Sheffield Communities Against Racism and Fascism (SCARF) and other anti-fascists staged a picket outside. Counter protesters gather outside CSC While attendees ponder their life choices CSC management hadn't been tricked into this position; they knew who they were hiring the space to, and questions and concerns from several regulars and locals were met with indifference or hostility. This was a choice to close the doors to club members and allow twenty fascists and fascist sympathisers exclusive use of the space to organise; a decision that surprised many regular users of CSC, who had previously viewed it as a venue free from organised far-right hate. LOWE BLOWS The term “fascist” can be bandied about casually. In the case of Restore Britain, we use it deliberately. Restore formed as a political party at the b...

On Saturday 13th June, around 60 flag-waving fascists under the banner of Raise the Colours (RtC) were escorted through Sheffield and allowed to march on a migrant hotel.Despite the outcry from trade unions and refugee solidarity organisations in the run up and the efforts of around 800 antifascists on the day, South Yorkshire Police (SYP) pushed the march through our city, albeit with some delays and diversions.  From the morning, antifascists were assembling. With Walkley Antifascists (WAF) marching in from Walkley Green and South Sheffield Antifascists (SSAF) coming from St Mary's Church, both groups converged in the city centre where they joined either Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) in Tudor Square, or the crowd of autonomous anti-fascists outside the Town Hall. By midday, with antifascists filling various parts of the city centre despite police attempts at restricting movement, it was clear that the people of Sheffield had no intention of letting the far-right march through our ...

On Saturday 13th June, Raise the Colours Sheffield (RtCS) intends to march from The Peace Gardens to refugee accommodation on Blonk Street. This blatant attempt to scapegoat migrants for all of society’s problems is just the latest escalation in a coordinated campaign to intimidate and divide, nationally and here in Sheffield. We will not let this racist fear-mongering go unopposed. Sheffield Communities Against Racism & Fascism , alongside a coalition of other groups and local residents, have pledged to block this hate march because we do not believe that South Yorkshire Police (SYP) nor the local authority have either the means or inclination to do so. This march has no mandate and does not speak for the vast majority of Sheffield. Many of the organisers have never lived in our city, and half of them can’t even spell it. South Sheffield Antifascists (SSAF) will be meeting 10.30am St Mary’s Church  S2 4QZ . Walkley Antifascists (WAF) will be meeting in Walkley (exact loc...

This week the far right gathered across the North of Ireland and Britain, including here in Sheffield.  In multiple locations these "protests" were just a smokescreen for racist and sectarian violence. In Belfast people's homes were set on fire, businesses had their windows smashed in, cars and public transport were torched. Two years ago we saw this violence in South Yorkshire when far-right rioters broke into and set fire to a hotel housing refugees in Rotherham. Now this Saturday here in Sheffield, the far right intends to gather and march on refugee accommodation. We must turn out, and turn out in force, to defend our city from these racist thugs.  Saturday 13th June – 11:30am – Sheffield Town Hall! For more information and updates join our WhatsApp Announcement channel

Raise the Colours Sheffield (RTCS) is the local variant of a national campaign which launched last summer. The campaign sought to appropriate our flags as symbols of anti-migrant sentiment, primarily by attaching cheap St George’s Crosses and Union Jacks to lampposts, or crudely painting mini roundabouts. For many the novelty wore off fairly quickly, but in some areas this simple act has become a galvanising force for racist activism more broadly. RTCS is a classic example of this; united by a fear of migrants and an interest in far-right politics, a small group of friends began decorating street furniture, mainly in the north of the city around Parson Cross and Southey Green. Sustained by “donations” from some of their more sedentary neighbours, the group set about flagging streets by request – provided the cash had been received upfront. The occasional pro-Trump flag was added to the mix, just to make their noble stance on the protection of women and girls extra clear, while fear-...