Adrian Askew, General Secretary of CONNECT, talks to Searchlight about the vital need for community activism to defeat the fascists. Interview by Maureen Foster.

CONNECT is the trade union for workers in telecommunications, information technology and related industries and Adrian Askew was elected as its General Secretary less than a year ago. He has worked as a full-time official for a number of different trade unions since the 1970s. He explains, "I got involved in anti-fascist activity when I lived in Manchester in the seventies and worked with the local Communist Party and local activists against the nazis in the National Front. We opposed them in the community and stopped them marching in Moss Side."

Adrian thinks that, in some ways, we are in a similar position today fighting to stop the BNP, which is taking advantage of discontent and apathy in working-class communities. He is unequivocal. "Labour must respond upfront against the BNP and push the fascists back." Rebuilding local activism, he maintains, is central to the fight against fascism and he fully endorses Searchlight's work in communities to develop and support local anti-fascist groups. He argues strongly that "the key to defeating the BNP is working at the local level and taking on the BNP on their own ground".

Of course it is easy to see what should be done but not so easy to achieve it. Adrian recognises the difficulty of finding local activists and realises that there is a huge job to be done of inspiring and developing grassroots activism. However he is optimistic and says that his and a number of other trade unions are moving forward on the question of developing local activism.

CONNECT, he says, have put massive resources into building local organisation in the union to develop its effectiveness. For CONNECT part of that process is to explain to activists and reps what is going on in workplaces and at community level. The union is small, with around 20,000 members, most of whom live in middle-class areas. A lot of the members, he says, "feel racism and the threat of fascism don't touch them, although they would find racism and fascism abhorrent".

Adrian feels that the challenge for his union is to encourage members to take the next step. "How do we engage our members to be active against fascism at the local level and engage our branches in the struggle and the wider political issues," he asks. This is the issue for the union "for we must win the battle against the BNP". He feels the union is beginning to make headway and develop activity in some regions, for example the northwest.

I ask Adrian about the role of political parties in the struggle against fascism. He feels strongly that the Labour Party, as the party in government, should send a clear signal that it is totally opposed to the agenda of the BNP and take on the fascists head on. This means "not targeting asylum seekers thereby playing into the hands of racists and fascists".

He maintains that the position of the Home Office on asylum seekers over the past six months has been absurd. He talks about the many contradictory statements, polices and positions emanating from the government, for example "they are swamping us", then, "they are really economic migrants". Now, he says, the government maintains "refugees are good for the economy as long as they have got skills". This, he argues, "does not amount to thought through policy - it is simply reacting. The government have to make it clear, and dispel the myth, of no difference between economic migrants and refugees." He goes further, asserting that in a global economy people have every right to live anywhere they please as long as they have the means to live.

As anti-fascists know, the BNP repeatedly targets asylum seekers in its propaganda even in areas where very few asylum seekers live. Adrian is aware that the government's lack of clarity on asylum seekers and its failure to stand up to the racist agenda on asylum generate a lack of confidence in arguing the issues.

"If the government were clearer on asylum policies," he maintains, "then local councillors would feel more confident about confronting the BNP on their local ground. This has to be addressed by Labour and there must be a clear lead from the centre."

But having outlined what the government needs to address on asylum, Adrian recognises that there are deeper issues that trade unions are certainly working to address and that the Labour Party also needs to address. He recognises that we have had over 20 years of individualist politics and that the days are long gone when five or six people would go out on the hustings aiming to be elected Labour Party councillors. Local people feel more distanced from the party and this needs to be reversed.

Trade unions, he also acknowledges, have allowed local organisation to wither on the vine. He says that in CONNECT they saw this happening and have put resources in on the ground to reverse this. This will develop a new generation of activists in the anti-fascist and Labour movements.

Asked about the union's position on fascist infiltration of the union, Adrian maintains that to his knowledge CONNECT does not have fascist members. He is strongly opposed to fascist membership of trade unions and declares, "if we found we had a fascist in our union I would recommend to my EC that they be expelled, with or without backing from the law". He goes on, "if you have a union dedicated to equality, as we do, then you must pursue that position. There is no place for fascists in our union."

CONNECT has recently affiliated to Trade Union Friends of Searchlight and Adrian has some encouraging words for our work. "Without doubt the fight against fascism would be impossible without Searchlight," he says. He acknowledges Searchlight's "bravery" in investigative work and declares, "we are impressed by Searchlight's development of vital work with communities to combat the BNP. It is important for all our members that Searchlight goes on from strength to strength."

This article appeared in Searchlight Magazine January 2004.

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