Far right skins attack Scritti Politti at Rock Against Racism gig in Hitchin, 1979

In July 1979 Scritti Politti played a benefit for Stevenage Rock Against Racism at Hitchin College, supported by Acme Sewage Company (a punk band from Welwyn Garden City)

Advert for the gig, from NME, 7 July 1979

As reported in the local paper, the Stevenage Comet, a gang of skindeads 'attacked members of the crowd, charged the band and tried to smash up their equipment'. The trouble apparently started during Scritti's second number and the paper reports that 'lead singer Tom was cut on the head when he appealed to the skinheads to behave'. I assume this refers to Scritti drummer Tom Morley, rather than the singer Green Gartside. Not a great night for the band as their transit van was in an accident on the way home.  The report also mentions that jazz saxophonist Lol Coxhill was playing with the band.

'Skinheads attack crowd at rock dance' - report from the Stevenage Comet, 11 July 1979 and follow up letter. From Hertfordshire Archives.

Gareth Dent from Stevenage RAR wrote to complain about the paper's coverage, not denying what had happened but stating that it only involved 5 or 6 skinheads, and not all the skinheads present joined in. I assume Gareth also wrote the article in local zine Tooth and Nail which makes similar points and mentions  that 'a fight took place between members of the band, Stevenage RAR, the person handling the PA and about five skinheads', after which Scritti completed their set.

Tooth and Nail, 1979

Further background on Stevenage RAR, which included legendary Hertfordshire underground figure Mark Astronaut,  is given in Marcus Blakeston's excellent book 'Survivors: 45 year of the Astronauts': 

'The Stevenage branch of Rock Against Racism was formed by husband and wife David and Janice Tittle, who began by handing out flyers around the town inviting people to attend a meeting at the Red Lion, a pub on the High Street. From this they recruited Jeremy Wiltshire, Shaun and Christine Manning, and Gareth Dent. Gareth worked for The Guardian in London, so he became the local branch's main contact with RAR head office, while Jeremy had some accounting experience so he was a natural choice as treasurer. Despite having no formal training in graphic design, Gareth also created all their promotional material and, with help from Shaun and Christine, liaised with venues and booked bands to play at their events.

Stevenage's main live music venue at the time was the council-run youth club at Bowes Lyon House, but due to a media-induced fear of 'punk riots' they refused to allow the newly established Stevenage Rock Against Racism to host any gigs there. Instead, they were forced to turn to Hitchin College seven miles away. This was a venue Mark Astronaut frequented on a regular basis, and during the inaugural RAR event there a mutual friend introduced him to Gareth and Christine. Sharing their antiracist views and keen to help out in any way he could, Mark then started attending RAR branch meetings in Stevenage and got to know the other committee members.

While most of the gigs held at Hitchin College went smoothly, playing under a Rock Against Racism banner inevitably attracted attention from the far-right from time to time. When they booked the unashamedly Marxist band Scritti Politti one night the venue was invaded by racist skinheads who gave Nazi salutes while the band played. "There was loads of them at the front," Mark remembers, "going 'Sieg heil, Sieg heil,' and the singer said something like 'All you skinheads think you're so hard, we can have you any time!' -which I thought probably wasn't the best thing to say under the circumstances, considering how many of them were there. Then of course it all erupted and there was a big fight."'

[I have to say that Mark's recollection many years after the event may not be completely accurate - the Tooth and Nail report states that a member of Scritti appealed for the skinheads to stop rather than inviting them for a fight. The band were more inclined to the intellectual side of Marxism than to streetfighting, but I stand to be corrected.

Mark Astronaut later contributed to a track on a Stevenage Rock Against Racism EP.

See previously:

Hitchin demonstration against the National Front 1971

Far right skinheads attack Redskins at GLC gig 1984.

Opposing the National Front in Hitchin, 1971

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.

 

'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)

Farewell Mark Astronaut

photo from Astronauts on facebook

Sad to hear of the death this week of Mark Astronaut (Mark Wilkins). I saw his band The Astronauts a number of times in the mid-1980s playing at anarcho-punk gigs, I believe for the first time at the Blockers Arms in Luton in February 1985 which I noted in my diary: 'really good, songs a bit like the early Bowie meets The Mob with a sense of humour, e.g. 'this one's about urban disintegration - it's also about darts'.  Also remember a gig in Mark's home town of Welwyn Garden City, again with Karma and Hertford indie-poppers The McTells and at various squat gigs in London. 

The Astronauts kept at it with various line ups from the later 1970s through to this year, to those in the know Mark was one of the great lost songwriters but they were perhaps too unique to fit in with any particular scene.  On the anarcho-punk scene for instance their folky melodies were a bit of an anomaly, though All the Madmen records did release their great 'It's All Done by Mirrors' album in 1983. 

image from discogs

Like many bands in that period they played various benefit gigs including one  with the Redskins for striking miners at  Welwyn's Woodhall Community Centre in 1984. Earlier in 1979, under the name Restricted Hours, they had contributed to a Stevenage Rock Against Racism EP

image from Discogs

Last year in November I went to one of my first post-Covid gigs at the New Cross Inn in SE London, to see another set of anarcho-punk survivors Zounds supported by Hagar the Womb. I saw a long haired figure with a covid mask on and immediately recognised Mark Astronaut who I hadn't seen for 30 years. He joined Zounds on stage for a guest vocal on You Can't Cheat Karma, and I chatted to him briefly afterwards before he headed off to get his train back to Welwyn. He told me that the Astronauts had some gigs coming up and that a book about him was coming out soon - I haven't got round to getting a copy yet of Survivors - 45 years of the Astronauts, but by all accounts its a great history not just of the band but of the punk/alternative scenes around his part of the world. 

Mark Astronaut with Zounds at New Cross Inn in November 2021

I went to see The Astronauts at Club 85 in Hitchin only a few weeks ago, playing with Blyth Power and Pog. They were great, nobody knew then that would be one of his last gigs. So long and thank you Peter Pan of the suburbs.

The Astronauts at Club 85 in Hitchin in May 2022

 

See also

https://thehippiesnowwearblack.org.uk/2022/07/11/mark-wilkins-founder-member-and-frontman-of-the-astronauts-dies/