Searchlight magazine

Searchlight is a British publication which describes itself as an "international anti-fascist magazine", and publishes material critical of far-right political parties. It includes as far-right parties groups such as the UK Independence Party and sections of the Conservative Party, which would not see themselves as far-right. However, its main focus is on fascist groups and those such as the British National Party which it describes as fascist.

Searchlight has frequently published exposés of the National Front, the British National Party and their members. These have been heavily criticised by some in those groups who claim such articles were attempts to encourage physical attacks on the individuals concerned. The magazine has also written about organisations such as Combat 18 and the neo-nazi music scene.

Some on the far right have claimed that there are parallels with Redwatch, a far-right website that lists names and address of far-left activists, and which has been alleged to encourage physical attacks on them. The Redwatch website claims that it was started as a result of similar lists in Searchlight, which, it claims, also resulted in physical attacks on right-wing activists. In fact Searchlight has never published such lists nor encouraged physical attacks on fascists.

A major focus of the magazine is in involving trade unions in anti-fascist action. However, it has been criticised by far-left organisations as well far-right ones. Anti-Fascist Action and many anarchist groups refuse to work with it due to its alleged links with the British security forces. Searchlight claims that there is no evidence to suggest it regularly works with the security services. In particular, some on the left accuse it of sharing information with the police and with MI5. Searchlight claims it has only cooperated with the state in a few cases, when laws were being broken. Searchlight is happy to work with any group that opposes the BNP but is critical of those groups whom its percives as using opposition the BNP is a means of promoting their own Trotskyist agenda.

Searchlight has been sued by a plethora of organisations on many occasions, but rarely successfully. As a magazine, it has been noted for its attempts to prevent its sources from being revealed. Amongst those sources have been Ray Hill, Tim Hepple, Matthew Collins, Darren Wells and Andy Sykes. Collins in particular, has proven to be an effective mouthpiece and public front for the organisation since returning from years in hiding in Australia. He has been the subject of two BBC documentaries, "Life Etc," and the award nominated "Dead Man Walking" docurama (details at www.bbc.co.uk)

Like Collins, former C18 leader Darren Wells and BNP organiser Andy Sykes have also defected to Searchlight with considerable effect for the far-right. It is unclear, however, whether Sykes actually defected or was a deliberate infiltrator before he started. Information about both can also be found on the BBC.

Many critics of the Magazine do however question the truth of these types of supposedly "undercover" or "change of faith" conversions. Allegations about an attempted murder by Collins in Australia can be found on google, as can revelations and possible smears about Darren Wells's ongoing criminal activity. In the murky world in which Searchlight would appear to operate they are not too choosy about who they will get into bed with. Collins, like Sykes, however, has appeared credible on television programs and appear to be the biggest victims of smear campaigns.

At the insistence of the British National Party, Searchlight was also investigated by the British Charity Commission as a result of a complaint that claimed it had been breaking the rules governing the conduct of charitable organisation eligable for tax breaks from the Government. The Commission stated that, in its opinion, Searchlight had indeed "overstepped the boundary", but no action was taken against the organisation.

The magazine is published by Gerry Gable, a former member of the Communist Party of Great Britain and militant 62 Group, but has lately moved towards a more centre left-anti Trotskyist position.

See Also

• Anti-Defamation League
• Southern Poverty Law Center

External links

Searchlight Links

• Searchlight (http://www.searchlightmagazine.com) magazine website
• Trade Union Friends of Searchlight (http://www.searchlightmagazine.com/index.php?link=tufs) newsletter
• Searchlight Information Services Press Pack (http://www.s-light.demon.co.uk/presspack/mediaPackFrame1.htm)
• Stop the BNP (http://www.stopthebnp.com) Searchlight's anti-BNP website
• Operation Wedge: Protecting and educating youth against racism (http://www.opwedge.org.uk/index.php)

Public Statements

• Select Committee on Religious Offences in England and Wales Written Evidence Submission from Searchlight Information Services (http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld200203/ldselect/ldrelof/95/95w73.htm) by Gerry Gable, vice chair of the Independent Advisory Group to the Diversity Directorate of the Metropolitan Police Service at Scotland Yard.

Pro-Searchlight Links

• The fight against Racism:Searchlight (http://www.connections-exhibition.org/index.php?xml=parallels/fight_against_racism/searchlight.xml) Article on Searchlight by the Connections history project.

Anti-Searchlight Links

• Far right/facist criticism from "Final Conflict The Nationalist Fanzine" (http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/estate/xcv71/a20-1.html)
• An article critical of Searchlight (http://www.spunk.org/library/antifasc/sp000525.html) from the magazine Green Anarchist
• An article critical of Searchlight (http://www.spearhead-uk.com/0309-ib.html) by the far-right Spearhead (magazine)
• The Searchlight Archive (http://www.searchlightarchive.20m.com/s_a_site_index.html) - articles critical of Searchlight by Alexander Baron, Holocaust revisionist

Further Reading

• White Noise by Nick Lowes, 96 pages (November 13, 1998), Publisher: Searchlight Magazine Ltd. ISBN 0952203839.