Tuesday 9 April 2013

Young union firebrand and the middle-aged anarchist behind parties of hatred for Margaret Thatcher



Bryan Simpson, who sits on the executive council for Britain's largest trade union Unite, used Facebook to invite over 8,000 people to the street party in Glasgow on Monday
Bryan Simpson, who sits on the executive council for Britain's largest trade union Unite, used Facebook to invite over 8,000 people to the street party in Glasgow on Monday...

Hello Friends!

Their hate-filled rants on the internet encouraged violent scenes across the country at anti-Thatcher parties.

And an investigation by the Mail has discovered that the organizers of the street parties include a young union firebrand, a former Unison branch secretary and committed anarchists.

Members of various anarchist and socialist groups used the power of the internet to arrange disgraceful ‘Thatcher death parties’ in various British cities.

Law graduate Bryan Simpson, 24, who sits on the executive council for Britain’s largest trade union Unite, was the architect of a vile party in Glasgow.

Using his Facebook account, he invited over 8,000 people to the street party on Monday night. 
More than 1,200 people signed up to the page to state they were going to the anti-Thatcher party.
The Strathclyde University graduate later posted an image of himself and friends ‘celebrating’ the death of Thatcher by spraying champagne.

He was a central figure at the party, joining a conga line and an impromptu dance after a piper turned up.

Simpson, who comes from a respectable Glasgow family, was seen taping up a banner to a statue in George Square and punching the air, and chanting ‘Maggie, Maggie, Maggie – dead, dead, dead’.
Mr Simpson later posted an image of himself and friends 'celebrating' the death of Thatcher by spraying champagne
Mr Simpson later posted an image of himself and friends 'celebrating' the death of Thatcher by spraying champagne

Bryan SimpsonBryan Simpson following the death of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Mr Simpson (left) was a central figure at the party in Glasgow (right), joining a conga line and an impromptu dance after a piper turned up...

Meanwhile, a group called the Glasgow Anarchist Federation with which he is affiliated, published details of the anti-Thatcher party.

A member of the anti-capitalist group wrote: ‘Thatcher is Dead – Party in George Square. 5pm.’
On another popular internet page, anarchist Ian Bone, 65, used his blog to tell his army of followers where the street parties were being held.

‘We’re happy to be described as disrespectful. I am being disrespectful and I am glad of that. We are rejoicing at her death, I don’t care about her family or her friends’

- Former Unison branch secretary Rahul Patel

Mr Bone published an image of Mrs Thatcher’s head being cut open by a meat cleaver. Next to the image he wrote: ‘The best cut of all.’ He also encouraged anarchists to meet at Trafalgar Square in London this Saturday to ‘rejoice’ at a ‘class war party’. Mr Bone claimed it would be the ‘best night out since the poll tax riot’.

Neither Simpson nor Mr Bone were available for comment last night.

In Brixton, more than 300 people began gathering on Monday afternoon chanting ‘Ding dong, the wicked witch is dead’.

Former Unison branch secretary Rahul Patel, 54, led vile chants and boasted that he had organised the event through the Brixton Socialist Workers’ Party.

He told the Mail: ‘We’re happy to be described as disrespectful. I am being disrespectful and I am glad of that. We are rejoicing at her death, I don’t care about her family or her friends.’

In Bristol, one group used a well-known anarchist website called Indy media to urge its followers to ‘see the evil Tory off in style’. The internet posting told people to congregate in a particular street in the city on Monday night.

Ian Bone, 65, used his blog to tell his followers where the street parties were being held
Ian Bone, 65, used his blog to tell his followers where the street parties were being held

Organisers sent the message to thousands of activists using social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook. The anti-Thatcher party soon descended into violence.

Elsewhere on the internet, Left wing agitators set up a page which said: ‘Margaret Thatcher is dead. This lady’s not returning.’ 

The authors, computer administrator Jared Earle and musician Antonio Lulic, wrote: ‘How are you celebrating? Let us know... or get to one of the parties near you on Facebook.’ They later told the Guardian newspaper their provocative website had led to them receiving angry Twitter messages from Thatcher supporters telling them to ‘watch their backs’.

A group calling itself the Informal Anarchist Federation claimed responsibility for smashing the window of a charity shop in Brixton.

Writing on the Indymedia website: ‘On the celebration of Thatcher’s death, we smashed a window of Barnardo’s ‘charity shop’ in Brixton using a concrete slab from a bin on the street. And it was easy. We would of done more if it weren’t for self-proclaimed pacifists violently attempting to arrest us.
Police grapple with protesters as celebrations turned sour and protesters blocked the road in Brixton on Monday
Police grapple with protesters as celebrations turned sour and protesters blocked the road in Brixton on Monday

Police turn up wearing riot gear as celebrations in Brixton turned sour on Monday
Police turn up wearing riot gear as celebrations in Brixton turned sour on Monday

‘This action was in solidarity with all migrants detained, deported and struggling to cross borders. Barnardo’s was targeted because they fund and administrate Cedars detention centre in Croydon. They detain children, families and individuals who merely seek freedom from poverty, persecution, murder, rape and other oppression the borders.’

Simpson, 24, sits on the executive council for Unite after being elected as a ‘young observer’.

He has been involved in public disturbances before the anti-Thatcher party in Glasgow. He joined a mob that attacked the Tory Party HQ in protest at rising tuition fees in November 2011.

Mr Simpson hurled a megaphone towards police officers during the violent disturbances at Millbank, Central London, in 2010 - but missed, hitting a fellow protester on the head. BBC cameras captured him, in red, as a police medic's cap is pulled off
Mr Simpson hurled a megaphone towards police officers during the violent disturbances at Millbank, Central London, in 2010 - but missed, hitting a fellow protester on the head. BBC cameras captured him, in red, as a police medic's cap is pulled off

He hurled a megaphone towards police officers during the violent disturbances at Millbank, Central London – but missed, hitting a fellow protester on the head. Simpson admitted affray last year. He received a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

Mr Bone is a well-known rabble-rouser who regularly backs anti-establishment protests on his internet blog.

At times he has written in gleeful terms about riots which have crippled parts of the country. His firebrand stance led him to be dubbed by one commentator as ‘the most dangerous man in Britain’. 

He publishes anarchist newspapers such as Class War, which, at its height, sold 15,000 copies a week.


Culled from The Daily Mail UK.

xoxo
Simply Cheska...

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