Today, as in the past, the fight against the far right has to be taken to small towns as well as to city streets. Back in 1971, the town of Hitchin in Hertfordshire was one such place. On this occasion the openly racist National Front had been refused permission for a rally in London's Trafalgar Square so they landed 40 miles north in Hitchin instead. On 27 March 1971 around 400 NF supporters from around the country took part, countered by between 1,000 and 2,000 anti-racists mobilised by Hitchin Indian Workers Association and other groups. The NF were led by a pipe band from Wolverhampton (something the local Wolverhampton seemed almost proud of - see below!). Smoke bombs were thrown into their ranks as they passed.
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| 'Let us uphold human dignity' - Hitchin IWA placard |
Socialist Worker, 3 April 1971
(photos from there too)
Update July 2026:
Hertfordshire Archives have added some interesting material about anti-racism in the county, and comments include a couple of accounts of the Hitchin demo in 1971. Susan Cummins recalled:
'The National Front planned a march in Hitchin in 1971. The Indian Association called a meeting which drew a big audience. There was a lot of discussion about how to respond and many people said that , a confrontation should be avoided. There was reference to the street fighting that had occurred in Hitchin and Luton before WW2 and this should not be repeated. If my memory is correct Shirley Williams, then the Labour MP, endorsed the call for people to congregate in places of worship on the day of the demonstration.
That position was accepted by the majority but a representative of an Afro-Caribbean group – from the local black community – said they would not tolerate the NF marching in their area. A member of the Young Socialists (then part of the Labour Party) spoke and said the YS would stand with anyone from the black community against the fascists. Afterwards IWA members said this swayed them into backing a counter demonstration. My sister who was 8 at the time insisted on joining the protest. There was a steel band from London, the local Asian community came out in force, trade union banners abounded. For my friends in the young socialists and young communists, it was a memorable event although we didn’t organise the demonstration several local activists in the IWA acknowledged that they had been hesitant about protesting until they saw white groups would support them. It is a sad reflection on predominantly white organisations that many are not more proactive on race-related issues.
A North Herts Anti-Racialst Group was set up as a result of the meeting called by the Hitchin Indian Workers’ Association. Letchworth and Stevenage Trades Councils, the Letchworth and Hitchin branches of the Indian Workers’ Association, the local Action Group against racism, the Hitchin Council of Churches, the Labour Party Young Socialists, the Young Communist ‘League were all present along with many people from local churches, the British Council of Churches, the Labour and Communist Parties and the anti-apartheid movement. Sadly the cooperation between the black, Asian and white communities was not maintained. I have no photos of the event and after 50 years memories fade, but the sense of achievement of vastly outnumbering the racists and claiming the streets as ours remains'.
Michael Walker commented:
'1971 – When I was 11 years old, I attended with my parents the protest in Hitchin against the National Front (NF) . It was a day that left a lasting impression on me. The Quakers, along with members of other religious organisations, had spent weeks discussing how best to respond to the planned NF march. As pacifist many were genuinely fearful of potential violence, but in the end, they decided that a silent protest would be the most powerful statement we could make.
On the day of the protest, around 50 to 70 Quakers gathered and stood silently on the boundary wall of the meeting house, which was on higher ground, overlooking the handful of fascists below. As we stood there, the NF members hurled vile abuse at us. I remember being shocked, as were many of the Quakers, by the crude and hateful language they used. They shouted things like, “You wouldn’t want a [racial slur] as a neighbour” and “Marry your daughter ?” I distinctly recall someone quietly responding, “Yes, we would,” only to be hushed by others who were determined to maintain the silence.
The tension was palpable, and the atmosphere was full of apprehension. Despite the brief duration of the encounter—it was over in minutes—the impact was profound. The shocking language and hate of the NF left a lasting mark on me. But in that moment, standing together in silence, we felt that we had made our stance against racism clear. I recall the church to the north of the meeting house in Bedford Street also had a silent protest (Christchurch ?) which we also rejoiced at'.
(I grew up not far away in Luton and at the end of the 1970s got involved in countering the National Front there - see earlier post)
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