How the far right were defeated on the streets of London 47 years ago

Anti-fascist protesters bloomed across the streets of London last night, in defiant scenes reminiscent of one of the biggest battles against the far right, 47 years ago.

In 1977, before social media or Tommy Robinson and his loyal army of racists, the National Front (NF) held the top spot for the far right.

Launched in the 1960s, the NF’s primary decade was marked by a spate of racist attacks across the UK, as well as Enoch Powell’s infamous “rivers of blood” speech.

By 1976, a local council by-election in Deptford saw the far right secure almost half the vote.

Together the NF and its breakaway faction, the National party, secured 44.5 per cent, a total not quite enough to beat Labour but sufficient to relegate the Conservatives into fourth place.

The result was understood to be an act of punishment against the Tories for their “moderate” stance on immigration.

The scene was well set for the murky underworld of racialised unrest to burst out on to the streets.

Less than a year later, on August 13, 1977, the NF organised a march from New Cross to Catford which would pass through Lewisham.

By around 2pm, 500 far right extremists filtered through the streets.

But, above them, crowds of counter protesters poured out across the pavements in nearby New Cross.

Four thousand counter protesters, including the Mayor of Lewisham and the Bishop of Southwark, came together at Ladywell Fields.

The National Front turned out to be vastly outnumbered in a postcode they thought they could control.

White and black youths, and local anti-racist groups among others, forced the National Front to abandon its march.

The far right stumbled through side streets, led by police to waiting trains.

Later, there were bloody clashes in Lewisham town centre between police and the counter-demonstrators.

In the hours of chaotic fighting, at least 111 people were injured, 11 police officers were hospitalised and 214 people were arrested.

Testimony from witnesses has varied, contradicting official reports and leaving historians struggling for a clear understanding of what happened.

The media vilified both the protesters and counter-protestors as inciters of violence, to which the police had bared the brunt.

In August 2017, a week before the battle’s 40th anniversary, footage thought to be destroyed appeared.

New light was shed on policing tactics as images showed officers lined up with riot gear for the first time on the UK mainland, a development in public order policing that set the precedent ahead of the 1980s.

The footage also draws attention to the use of police horses and the scale of the police deployment, as 2,500 officers met protesters in the streets that day.

Professor Tony Dowmunt, of Goldsmiths’ media and communications department, who helped to uncover the footage, described shots of “police behaving brutally towards demonstrators”.

This was followed by allegations of racism against the force, which has since admitted there were issues of racism during the time.

The Battle of Lewisham changed the perception of the NF to unelectable, thuggish and violent.

On August 13, 2017, a maroon plaque was unveiled at 323 New Cross Road, where the demonstrations began, and where Lewisham fought back against the fascists.

Pictured top: The scene in Clifton Rise, New Cross, as police battle with National Front demonstrators and left-wing protesters (Picture: PA)