In Europe fascist groups have grown since the mid 1970s - tapping into the reactionary political climate created by mass unemployment, public sector cutbacks and the scapegoating of immigrants.
The British recession of the late 1970s gave rise to the British National Front led by John Tyndall. The National Front claimed Pakistanis, Indians and Caribbean immigrants were responsible for the economic downturn. Anti Semitism was also at the core of this group's beliefs. In 1976 they gained two seats on a local London Council. The Anti-Nazi League was formed in response to this threat.

The Anti-Nazi League confronted the National Front at every corner; preventing them from carrying out rallies and exposing their ideology as fascist. These tactics were successful so that by 1979 the National Front was a shell of its former self.
There are still nazi organizations which play upon people's fears in Britain today, such as the British Movement, the British National Party and Combat 18 (a nazi skinhead terrorist outfit)

In 1973 Jean-Marie Le Pen founded a group called Occident, which would become Europe's most successful far right movement, namely the National Front. Like their British counterparts, the French National Front link immigration to increasing unemployment. As the National Front gained strength through the 1980s - gaining 10% of the presidential vote in 1984, 14.4% in 1988, and 13% in 1992 - mainstream political leaders stepped up attacks on immigrants in order to win back National Front voters.

Successive French governments have helped the fascist cause by continuing to attack immigrants from countries such as Algeria and Turkey. Immigrants have been harassed by police, repatriated, and in 1997 have been subjected to fingerprinting - as part of the Debre Law. The National Front control the towns of Vitrolles, Toulon and Orange, where they have replaced social workers with police who stomp on the rights of immigrant citizens.
The inactivity of the left is partly to blame for the success of Le Pen's fascist thugs. The French Communist Party has produced a leaflet linking social ills to immigration. The Socialist Party, like the conservative Gaullists, have administered attacks on immigrants, making the National Front seem mainstream rather than extremists. The main anti racist group, SOS Racisme, has run a moderate campaign, refusing to confront the fascists or expose their ideology. It was only in 1997 that the French left decided to confront the National Front by organizing a 50,000 strong counter demonstration against Le Pen's group in Strasbourg.

The British fascist movement, with about 3,000 active members, is smaller than in countries such as France. The "No Platform" position adopted by the Anti-Nazi League in the late 1970s has helped to politically isolate British fascists. The way to prevent the growth of fascist movements is to cut them off at the roots.
Anti fascists should be ready to head fascists off in the streets and shut down their meetings. The left has to offer strong and decisive alternatives to the politics of economic rationalism and racism.

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