In my (admittedly very limited) experience of fascist demos their opponents caused more trouble than the fascists. The reason was that having discovered that there would be opposition the fascists were too scared to attend, leaving the anti-fascists to get bored and have a go at the police.
The incident I alluded to was when the National Front planned to demonstrate near where I lived, and in addition to the local protest a large number of outsiders who were clearly looking for trouble turned up.
I've stewarded on a couple of demonstrations and on both occasions the police were very well-behaved and there was no violence. On the other hand, things would tend to kick off when our opponents were the ones demonstrating. On one notable occasion the police agreed to a route on the condition that there was no trouble, but the lead demonstrator gave a speech at the start that sounded very much like an incitement to violence*. The police then changed their minds and diverted the route, and as you might expect a fight broke out. I am not sure who is really to blame in such circumstances.
* "Normally at this time I'd call for a peaceful demonstration, but not this time. I want to see anger. I want to see hatred. &c. &c.", IIRC.
My experience involved the police hemming peaceful demonstrators into a narrow space bordered on one side by a steep bank, the other the sea and at either end aggressive mounted police who made it very clear that any opportunity to ride down the crowd would be welcome. All this to 'protect' a couple of bus loads of fascists.
My experience is very limited, too, but the one time I went to an anti-fascist demo (this asshole (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Barrett_%28lawyer%29) was coming to South Boston in the midst of the "should St. Patrick's Day parades be allowed to exclude gay groups?" crap, in 1995), there were around 2000 demonstrators, 20 fascists, and 500 cops, including helicopters, etc. The cops did, ultimately, okay. But I actually didn't see the people we were protesting, given that the cops were several layers deep between us and them.
(I did have an interesting conversation with one of these charming people (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maoist_International_Movement)...)
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2008-08-17 08:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-17 10:15 am (UTC)As opposed to the Fascists themselves....
no subject
Date: 2008-08-17 03:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-17 04:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-17 05:05 pm (UTC)I've stewarded on a couple of demonstrations and on both occasions the police were very well-behaved and there was no violence. On the other hand, things would tend to kick off when our opponents were the ones demonstrating. On one notable occasion the police agreed to a route on the condition that there was no trouble, but the lead demonstrator gave a speech at the start that sounded very much like an incitement to violence*. The police then changed their minds and diverted the route, and as you might expect a fight broke out. I am not sure who is really to blame in such circumstances.
* "Normally at this time I'd call for a peaceful demonstration, but not this time. I want to see anger. I want to see hatred. &c. &c.", IIRC.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-17 05:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-17 05:58 pm (UTC)(I did have an interesting conversation with one of these charming people (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maoist_International_Movement)...)