Diane Stoker and Joe Finnon, two students in Manchester, have declared themselves to be fascist spies. They have posted photos of themselves smiling with Nick Griffin, the BNP’s leader, on their website.

The decision to “break cover” was obviously influenced by an embarrassing BBC undercover operation, which revealed how hollow the BNP’s bid for electoral respectability by downplaying its Nazi street thug tactics was. It showed leading members whipping up race hatred against asylum seekers, organising provocations and physically attacking and harassing Asian and black people.

It is alarming that these two fascists were able to gain influential positions in the left so easily. A year ago, Finnon and Stoker joined Manchester SWSS (the SWP’s student organisation) to undermine the work of Manchester anti-fascists. Within days of entering, the SWP local leadership promoted them to responsible positions. Over the next year they took:

• Important positions within Manchester Against Racism.
• Leadership of SWP student work at Manchester Metropolitan University and Manchester University.
• Delegate positions to the national SWP conference which agreed the Respect turn.
• Leadership of Respect in the North West.
• Charge of Globalise Resistance recruitment at Marxism 2004.

Throughout this time there was no inkling that they were BNP spies. The SWP allowed them unlimited access to membership lists, petitions, email groups and other internal information of all these organisations at quite a high level.

If you have signed a petition, participated in an action or joined Manchester Against Racism, Unite Against Fascism, SWSS, Globalise Resistance or Manchester SWP in the last 12 months be aware the BNP could have your contact details, address, phone and email.

The ease with which these fascists gained access to these positions should raise alarm bells. It seems they were promoted over the existing leaderships because they fulfilled the essential test of SWP membership – a willingness to do exactly what they were told.

Neither was their entry limited to information gathering. They were genuine agent provocateurs who encouraged the arrest of leading Manchester anti-fascists, disrupted and undermined our work.

They were a part of the Manchester Against Racism organising committee, which arranged the stewarding of the launch rally, which was then targeted by 20 or so Nazis; the first public presence of the fascists in Manchester for nearly 20 years. The following week, Diane Stoker rang Workers Power comrades in Manchester to inform them that Tony Wentworth, the BNP youth organiser, was drinking in the main left pub in town. When he was confronted, he was immediately violent. And sure enough, outside the pub, two police officers appeared. With the benefit of hindsight, this was a clear attempt to have our comrades attacked or arrested.

For revolutionary socialist organisations the best defence against fascist and state infiltration lies in spending time with new activists, working with them, making sure they understand and can apply revolutionary Marxist politics. Few fascists can or will be willing to do this for any length of time. In contrast, it appears that Finnon and Stoker were rapidly promoted by the SWP because they were “yes” people.

The SWP leadership has yet to even acknowledge these events in their paper – doing no service to readers of Socialist Worker who might be targeted as a result of this infiltration. We have yet to hear what campaign the SWP proposes to launch against the infiltrators, or an honest account of what went wrong and the extent of the damage.

In the meantime, Manchester Workers Power has already leafleted Finnon’s workplace in a local supermarket, where black and white workers alike were disgusted that they’d been working alongside a fascist.

We have also submitted an emergency resolution to Unite Against Fascism to join us in the fight to get Finnon and Stoker expelled from the NUS and driven off campus. Resolutions should be put through the AUT and Unison branches at the universities, whose members have also been placed at risk. Finnon and Stoker have also contravened the anti-racist and equal opportunities policies of the universities, secretly aiding an organisation dedicated to race hate and violent attacks.

• Kick the fascists out of the students’ unions and off campus!
• Boycott classes if Finnon and Stoker are allowed to attend!
• No platform for fascists to spread their racist filth!