A number of people who took part in Monday’s protest outside the union debate have been pictured on fascist website Red Watch.
More than fifty pictures from the demonstration have been posted on the site accompanied by the request ‘Any further info on the freaks below will be gratefully received’. Martin McCluskey, OUSU President, was given high priority, appearing fourth on the list.
The website claims to be an ‘online informational bulletin for White Nationalists to use to identify potential attackers from violent Marxist groups’.
‘Members of such groups as ANaL (Anti-Nazi League) and the AFA (Anti Fascism Action) have a long history of violence against us and it is their tactic to 'expose' our supporters by supplying their activists with details of where we live.’ The website states that it exists in order to give these people the same treatment as they are being given.
In a statement issued to the Online Press Gazette, Red Watch responded directly to the question of why they publish photographs, saying, ‘Members and supporters of White nationalist organisations are at constant risk of violent attack by political opponents. It is essential for people distributing Nationalist literature, for example, or perhaps stewarding a Nationalist event, to be able to identify opponents who may seek to cause them, or members of their party, harm’.
As well as people who spoke out at the rally, many of the photos included were of ordinary people simply attending the protest. Gerry Gable, publisher of anti-fascist magazine Searchlight told the Oxford Mail: "I think they should expect a level of harassment. They may get phone calls in the middle of the night, hate mail or even a brick through the window."
The website is being investigated by the Home Office and the police.
See also: video coverage of the protests
Protestors targeted by fascist website
