- Searchlight (magazine)
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Searchlight Editor Nick Lowles Categories Politics Frequency Monthly Publisher Gerry Gable First issue 1975 Country United Kingdom Language English Website http://www.searchlightmagazine.com/ Searchlight is a British anti-fascist magazine, founded in 1975 by Gerry Gable, which publishes exposés about racism, antisemitism, and fascism in the UK.
Searchlight's main focus is on the British National Party (BNP), Combat 18, the English Defence League (EDL) and other sections of the far right. The magazine is published by Gerry Gable and edited by Nick Lowles, and was founded by Maurice Ludmer.
Contents
Early history
The current Searchlight magazine was preceded in the early 1960s by a magazine of the same name, edited by left-wing Labour Party Members of Parliament Reg Freeson and Joan Lestor with Gerry Gable as "research director". It ceased publication in 1967, but Gable, Ludmer and others stayed together as Searchlight Associates before re-launching a regular journal. The pilot issue of the new Searchlight appeared in February 1975, with Maurice Ludmer as its editor.[1]
Ludmer and Gable were also amongst the first sponsors of the Anti-Nazi League, with Ludmer sitting on its first steering group.[2]
In the Ludmer years, Searchlight had a close relationship with CARF, the Campaign Against Racism and Fascism, whose magazine was published as an insert from 1979.
After Ludmer's early death in 1981, British academic Vron Ware briefly took over the editorial role until 1983.[3]
State Links
Publisher Gerry Gable is known to have links with MI5. His leaked 1977 London Weekend Television Memo stated that he had "given names I have acquired to be checked out by British/French security services".[4] A 1987 profile referred to Gable's "wide range of contacts, including people in the secret services."[5]
Charitable status
At the insistence of the British National Party, Searchlight and the associated Searchlight Educational Trust were investigated by the British Charity Commission of England and Wales as a result of a complaint that claimed that the Educational Trust had been engaging in political activity incompatible with its charitable status.
The Commission's report stated that, in its opinion, the Searchlight Educational Trust had gone beyond the Commission's guidelines on political activities, and found there was a need for a greater distinction between the public activities of Searchlight Magazine and the educational trust. No action was taken as the charity agreed to follow the Commission's recommendations.[6] Searchlight is now divided into three main bodies; Searchlight magazine, the monthly anti-fascist and anti-racist magazine, Searchlight Information Services, a research and investigatory body which briefs governments, politicians, journalists and the police, and finally Searchlight Educational Trust, a charity devoted to teaching the dangers of racism and fascism.[7]
Relations with other anti-fascist groups
The magazine has hostile relations with some other anti-fascist groups in Britain. The magazine group was original part of the steering committee of Unite Against Fascism, but resigned their position after differences over tactics.[8]
Despite this however, Searchlight magazine maintains friendly relationships with other groups, such as Australia's FightDemBack and some other groups.
Informants
Searchlight relies for its material on those involved in the far-right. This includes a range of infiltrators, defectors and casual informers.
Its most famous defectors have been Ray Hill[9] and Sonia Hochfelder. Most of its material, however, comes from informers, who do so because of feuds with their fellow right-wingers and not from any conviction of Searchlight's cause.
Campaigns
In the early years of the 21st century, Searchlight launched two interlinked anti-BNP and anti-racism campaigns, Stop the BNP and Hope not Hate. Hope not Hate has received endorsement and national publicity from the Daily Mirror newspaper, and revolves around an annual two week bus tour in the run-up to local elections.[10][11]
In the 2010 general election campaign Searchlight spent in excess of £319,000, primarily targeting the BNP.[12]
See also
Further reading
- White Noise by Nick Lowles, 96 pages (November 13, 1998), Publisher: Searchlight Magazine Ltd. ISBN 0-9522038-3-9.
- Searchlight for Beginners by Larry O'Hara, 30 pages (June 1996), Publisher: Phoenix Press. ISBN 0-948984-33-3.
- From Cable Street to Oldham-70 Years of Community Resistance edited by Nick Lowles, 165 pages (October 2007), Publisher: Searchlight Magazine Ltd. ISBN 0-9522038-7-1.
References
- ^ Searchlight and the State
- ^ David Renton, “The Anti-Nazi League as social movement” Paper at the New Socialist Approaches to History seminar at the Institute of Historical Research, 6th June 2005
- ^ Arcadia Books
- ^ First published in the New Statesman 15th February 1980, reproduced in Lobster Magazine issue 24 December 1992
- ^ Jewish Chronicle 23 October 1987
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200203/ldselect/ldrelof/95/95w73.htm
- ^ Silver, Steve (July 2005). "Letter of resignation to UAF". Searchlight. http://www.searchlightmagazine.com/index.php?link=template&story=135. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
- ^ R. Hill & A. Bell, The Other Face of Terror- Inside Europe’s Neo-Nazi Network, London: Collins, 1988
- ^ Ross Wynne-Jones (2008-04-30). "Our two-week grand tour to beat racism". Daily Mirror. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/hopenothate/2008/04/30/our-two-week-grand-tour-to-beat-racism-89520-20399443/. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
- ^ Nick Lowles (2008-04-17). "Hope not Hate bus tour 2008: The day before". Searchlight. http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/bus_tour_2008/index.php?getPage=day0. Retrieved 2008-07-04.[dead link]
- ^ The Electoral Commission (2011). "Controlled expenditure by registered third parties at the 2010 UK Parliament election". http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/party-finance/party-finance-analysis/campaign-expenditure/uk-parliamentary-general-election-campaign-expenditure#GB%20parties%20CE. Retrieved 15/02/2011.
External links
- Searchlight magazine website
- Searchlight Information Services Press Pack
- Stop the BNP Searchlight's anti-BNP website
- Operation Wedge: Protecting and educating youth against racism
- The fight against Racism:Searchlight Article on Searchlight by the Connections history project.
Public statements
- Select Committee on Religious Offences in England and Wales Written Evidence Submission from Searchlight Information Services by Gerry Gable, vice chair of the Independent Advisory Group to the Diversity Directorate of the Metropolitan Police Service at Scotland Yard.
Anti-fascist criticism of Searchlight
- An article critical of Searchlight from the magazine Green Anarchist
- Searchlight and the State, Anarchy 36, 1983 - the first article alleging Searchlight editor Gerry Gable's links with British intelligence (also reprinted in KSL Bulletin 28, 2001)
- Albert Meltzer "Two Fascisms; Anti-Fascist Fascism" in I Couldn't Paint Golden Angels, AK Press
Categories:- Anti-fascism
- Anti-neo-Nazi activism
- Anti-neo-Nazi organizations
- Anti-fascist organizations
- British political magazines
- Monthly magazines
- Publications established in 1975
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