Image from the Robert Workman Archive. Crowd walking in protest holding banner which reads "Anti Nazi League" and "Stop the Nazi racists".

Fighting Fascism: Exploring the archives

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These workshops will examine the ways in which racism and fascism have been contested and defeated in the UK throughout the twentieth-century.

Anti-racist and anti-fascist collectives - such as Rock Against Racism, the Anti-Nazi League, School Kids Against the Nazis, and the Southall Youth Movement - formed in response to the growing threat of the National Front and other far-right organisations in the twentieth-century. Examining the socio-economic environments within which these groups formed, and the tactics they used, deepens an understanding of how collective strategies against the rise of fascism can be applied in a contemporary British context.

Will I need any equipment or materials?
  • All materials will be provided.

Do I need previous experience or skills?
  • These workshops are open to all levels of abilities, writing styles and identities. 

See more detailed information on the workshops below.

Need to Know

Metadata

Time
10:00
Price
£29 / £19
Day
Saturdays
Duration
180
Venue
Bishopsgate Institute
Tutor
Grace Healy
Max Students
50
No. of Sessions
2

Meet the Tutor

Grace Healy

Dr Grace Healy is a South London-based researcher and musician whose research
began as an exploration of 1970s punk subculture. More recently, their research has shifted focus from music subcultures to anti-fascist and anti-racist collectives. Their work seeks to understand the extent to which, historically, anti-fascist and anti-racist groups have been successful in defeating the far-right and whether these strategies can be applied in a contemporary context. 

Learn more

Workshops Details

31/01/26 - Fighting Fascism: Southall Youth Movement
Target Audience: 

Researchers, organisers, creatives who are interested in how collectives have historically organised against the far-right. 

Workshop Description:

This three-hour workshop traces the history of the Southall Youth Movement (SYM), an anti-racist and anti-fascist group of Asian and Black Britons living in Southall, West London, established in 1976. Through visuals, critical reflection, and discussion, participants will examine the socio-economic environment of 1970s Britain, how this led to the formation of the SYM, and the strategies and tactics they used to counter the threat of the far-right.

21/03/26 - Fighting Fascism: Rock Against Racism, Anti-Nazi League, School Kids Against the Nazis
Target Audience: 

Researchers, organisers, creatives who are interested in how collectives have historically organised against the far-right.


Workshop Description: 

This three-hour workshop traces the history of Rock Against Racism (RAR), the Anti-Nazi League (ANL) and School Kids Against the Nazis (SKAN). Rock Against Racism will be the central focus, a campaign born at the intersection between politics and popular culture that used the power of rock music to counter the far-right. Through visuals, critical reflection, and discussion, participants will examine the socio-economic environment of 1970s Britain, how this led to the formation of RAR, ANL and SKAN, and the strategies and tactics they used to counter the threat of the far-right.

Dates and Times

Fighting Fascism: Exploring the archives

– , 10:00 - 13:00

ONE NIGHT IN THE ARCHIVE