A DFLA march in London on Saturday was attended by around 1,500 DFLA supporters, outnumbered by 2,000 counter-protestersYoutube/Ruptly

Far-right group, the Democratic Football Lads Alliance (DFLA), announced on Saturday that they are planning to come to Cambridge next month to protest what national media has construed as attempts by Cambridge students to erase the sacrifices of British war veterans.

A member of the group told a crowd at a violent DFLA march in London that they would be coming to Cambridge, and was met with loud cheers.

On Monday last week, a motion was submitted to CUSU Council by two Cambridge University Conservative Association (CUCA) members to “encourage the commemoration of British war veterans on Remembrance Day across the University of Cambridge.” Both the motion, and a proposed amendment to broaden the commemoration to “all those whose lives have been affected by war across the University of Cambridge”, were rejected.

A media storm followed, with coverage in The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Telegraph, The Times, Metro, Express and The Independent. Cambridge students involved have since been subjected to targeted online abuse, trolling and death threats.

18 Cambridge student activist groups publicly condemned the national media coverage on Saturday.

“I would not assume that merely because some members of the DFLA are saying that they will protest that this will actually happen”

The DFLA march in London was attended by around 1,500 DFLA supporters, outnumbered by 2,000 counter-protesters. It quickly turned violent when some DFLA supporters began fighting with police officers.

The DFLA was founded in 2017 and states that its purpose is to “oppose all extremism [wherever] it stems from”. The group has been associated with racist and fascist stances. It has previously worked with Tommy Robinson, founder of the far-right English Defence League.

A Facebook event for the DFLA march in London said they were protesting against “returning jihadists”, “thousands of Awol migrants”, “rape gangs and groomers” and “veterans treated like traitors”.

David Renton, a barrister and historian who specialises in the history of the British far right, told Varsity that the announcement does not mean the march will definitely take place. He said that the “organisation is in a state of crisis with its events shrinking rapidly and much of its membership demoralised.”

“On the other hand, if the DFLA do march, their recent protests have seen widespread drunkenness and repeated attacks on the police… It is likely that any DFLA demonstration in Cambridge would see similar violence.”

A spokesperson for activist group Common Cambridge pledged that they will view CUCA as responsible for having contributed to a media storm “if this devolves into any violence,” criticising CUCA members’ public statements on the debate and their subsequent appearance in the national media.

In a statement to Varsity, CUCA Chairman Timur Coskun said repeatedly: “It’s not a CUCA matter,” and that this has “nothing to do with CUCA.”

Coskun discussed the controversy on Good Morning Britain yesterday, during which he said: “We’re completely against student individuals being targeted.”

“Cambridge has a long history of building successful mobilisations against the far right”

Renton criticised their recent appearance in the national press amid the media storm: “If CUCA are serious about disavowing the violence, they need to turn off their mobiles, stop giving quotes to the right wing press, and start behaving as if they understood their obligations to their fellow students.”

A DFLA march next month would be the second far-right march in Cambridge in less than six months. A far-right march took place in Cambridge in July to support EFL founder Tommy Robinson, which was met with a counter-protest organised by Cambridge Stand Up To Racism and Unite Against Fascism.

Anne Alexander, UCU activist and member of anti-racist activist group Stand Up To Racism in Cambridge, commented: “Cambridge has a long history of building successful mobilisations against the far-right. When the English Defence League tried to march here in 2011 and 2013 hundreds of local people came out to oppose them in protests backed by the trade unions, local MPs, community organisations and faith groups.


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“The recent wave of far-right activity has a more international flavour and it is clear that the rise of the far right in Europe and particularly in the US is attracting some people who want to spread the kind of vile racism and violence [we] have seen on display at the Charlottesville rally in the US, in this country.”

A spokesperson from the national Stand Up To Racism campaign said: “Stand Up to Racism will take no lessons in honouring those who fought the Nazis from groups who regularly have supporters Seig Heiling at their events, some sporting Hitler tattoos and idolising the Waffen SS.”

They added: “If the DFLA turn up in Cambridge again, we will oppose them by calling our own counter protest. By working with the vast diverse, multicultural anti racist majority of the City, we will show, as we did so clearly in July, that the DFLA are not welcome here.”