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''Searchlight'' is a British magazine, founded in 1975 by
Gerry Gable Gerry Gable (born 27 January 1937) is a British political activist. He was a long-serving editor of the anti-fascist ''Searchlight'' magazine. Background The son of a Jewish woman and an Anglican father, Gable grew up in post-war east London ide ...
, which publishes exposés about
racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagoni ...
,
antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...
and
fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and t ...
in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
and elsewhere. ''Searchlights main focus is on the
far right in the United Kingdom Far-right politics in the United Kingdom have existed since at least the 1930s, with the formation of Nazi, fascist and anti-semitic movements. It went on to acquire more explicitly racial connotations, being dominated in the 1960s and 1970s by se ...
, as well as covering similar entities in other countries. The magazine is published and edited by Gerry Gable. An archive of historical materials associated with the magazine, The Searchlight Archive, is housed at the University of Northampton.


History

The current ''Searchlight'' magazine was preceded by a newspaper of the same name, which was founded in 1964 by left-wing Labour Party Members of Parliament
Reg Freeson Reginald Yarnitz Freeson (24 February 1926 – 9 October 2006) was a British Labour politician. He was a Member of Parliament for 23 years, from 1964 to 1987, for Willesden East and later Brent East, with 14 years on the front bench. He be ...
and
Joan Lestor Joan Lestor, Baroness Lestor of Eccles (13 November 1931 – 27 March 1998) was a British Labour politician. Early life Lestor was educated at Blaenavon Secondary School, Monmouth; William Morris High School, Walthamstow and the University o ...
with Gerry Gable as "research director".Jones, Daniel
"Searchlight: Archiving the Extreme." ''Political Extremism and Radicalism in the Twentieth Century''.
Cengage/Gale.
It ceased publication in 1967 after 4 issues, but Gable, Maurice Ludmer and others stayed together as Searchlight Associates. In 1974 they published the pamphlet 'A Well Oiled Nazi Machine', in response to the rise of the National Front. This brought renewed attention to the group, and helped raise funds to establish a monthly magazine in 1975. The pilot issue of the new Searchlight appeared in February 1975, with Ludmer as Managing Editor and Gable as Editor. Ludmer and Gable were also amongst the first sponsors of the Anti-Nazi League, with Ludmer sitting on its first steering group. In the Ludmer years, ''Searchlight'' had a close relationship with ''CARF'', the
Campaign Against Racism and Fascism Campaign Against Racism and Fascism (CARF) was an anti-racist group and publication based in London which originated in the mid 1970s as an anti-racist/anti-fascist paper published by the federation of Anti-Fascist Committees in Greater London (An ...
, a magazine published by the (London) Anti Racist-Anti Fascist Co-ordinating Committee (a Federation of the Anti-Fascist Committees that had sprung up all over London in the mid-1970s). ''CARF'' merged with ''Searchlight'' in 1979, becoming an insert (with separate editorial control) at the back of the magazine, but this arrangement ended following disagreements in the early 1990s over allegations that ''Searchlight'' was promoting pro-Zionist/pro-Israeli groups, whom the CARF Collective regarded as racists. After Ludmer's early death in 1981, British academic
Vron Ware Vron Ware is a British academic and visiting professor at the Gender Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Science. She was previously a Professor at Kingston University editor of ''Searchlight'' magazine from 1981 to 1983, a ...
briefly took over the editorial role until 1983. Following this Gable returned as editor, in a role he held until 1999. The
British National Party The British National Party (BNP) is a far-right, fascist political party in the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Wigton, Cumbria, and its leader is Adam Walker. A minor party, it has no elected representatives at any level of UK gover ...
made a complaint to the
Charity Commission , type = Non-ministerial government department , seal = , seal_caption = , logo = Charity Commission for England and Wales logo.svg , logo_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , ...
of England and Wales about ''Searchlight'' and the associated
Searchlight Educational Trust A searchlight (or spotlight) is an apparatus that combines an extremely bright source (traditionally a carbon arc lamp) with a mirrored parabolic reflector to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular dire ...
. The two anti-fascist bodies were investigated as it had been 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. The charity agreed to follow the Commission's recommendations after the complaint was upheld in 2003 with the Commission deciding that there was a need for a greater distinction between the public activities of ''Searchlight'' magazine and the educational trust. No action was taken against Searchlight. Searchlight was, consequently, divided into three main bodies: ''Searchlight'' magazine, the monthly anti-fascist and anti-racist magazine; Searchlight Information Services (SIS), a research and investigatory body which briefs governments, politicians, journalists, and the police; and, finally, Searchlight Educational Trust (SET), a charity devoted to challenging and defeating the extremism, racism and fascism. SIS and SET later joined the Hope not Hate campaign, and are no longer associated with ''Searchlight'' magazine. Since ''Searchlight'' split with Hope not Hate in September 2011, ''Searchlight'' has opposed co-operation with the state. Larry O'Hara commented in a book on political organisations published in 1994:


Criticism

In his history of
Anti-Fascist Action Anti-Fascist Action (AFA) was a militant anti-fascist organisation, founded in the UK in 1985 by a wide range of anti-racist and anti-fascist organisations. It was active in fighting far-right organisations, particularly the National Front and ...
(AFA), author Sean Birchall includes several instances of unreliability and questionable tactics by ''Searchlight''. In the 1990s, Direct Action Movement, which worked with the AFA, was among the first to criticise ''Searchlights motives and tactics. Also, in 1984, editor Gerry Gable was commissioned by the BBC to provide research materials for a ''
Panorama A panorama (formed from Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film, seismic images, or 3D modeling. The word was originally coined i ...
'' programme, "
Maggie's Militant Tendency This article outlines, in chronological order, the various controversies surrounding or involving the BBC. Early years 1926 General Strike In 1926, the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) called a General Strike to prevent wage re ...
". The episode was to focus on a claim of right-wing extremism in the
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
. Gable asserted that his research drew upon the information previously published in ''Searchlight''. In response to the claims by Gable that two Conservative Party figures, Neil Hamilton and
Gerald Howarth Sir James Gerald Douglas Howarth (born 12 September 1947) is a British Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aldershot from 1997 until 2017, having been the MP for Cannock and Burntwood from 1983 to 1992. He w ...
, were secret extremist Nazi supporters, actions for libel were brought against the BBC and Gable. The programme had alleged (not admitted as evidence in court) that Hamilton gave a Nazi salute in Berlin while 'messing around' on a Parliamentary visit in August 1983. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'' reported that "Writing for
the Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
after the collapse of the case, he admitted he did give a little salute with two fingers to his nose to give the impression of a toothbrush moustache. "Somebody on the trip clearly did not share our sense of humour," he wrote." The BBC capitulated on 21 October, and paid the pair's legal costs. Hamilton and Howarth were awarded £20,000 each, and in the next edition of ''Panorama'', on 27 October, the BBC made an unreserved apology to both. The case against Gable was dropped. Publisher Gerry Gable is known to have links with
MI5 The Security Service, also known as MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), G ...
. His leaked 1977
London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 un ...
memo stated that he had "given names I have acquired to be checked out by British/French security services". A 1987 profile referred to Gable's "wide range of contacts, including people in the secret services".


Relations with other anti-fascist groups

The magazine has hostile relations with some other anti-fascist groups in Britain. The magazine group was originally part of the steering committee of
Unite Against Fascism Unite Against Fascism (UAF) is a British anti-fascist group. Its joint secretaries are Weyman Bennett and Sabby Dhalu, formerly of the National Assembly Against Racism (NAAR). Its chair is Steve Hart of Unite the Union and its assistant secre ...
and resigned their position after differences over tactics. Sonia Gable wrote critical articles on her blog about ''Searchlight's'' former creation, Hope not Hate, a highly visible civil rights campaign from which it split in late 2011. 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. The best known defectors were Ray Hill, and Matthew Collins, now of the Hope not Hate campaign. In 2013 it was revealed that BNP member Duncan Robertson had been a ''Searchlight'' informer, in particular of the New Right group.


Campaigns

In the early years of the 21st century, ''Searchlight'' launched two interlinked anti-BNP and
anti-racism Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...
campaigns, Stop the BNP and Hope not Hate. Hope not Hate has received endorsement and national publicity from the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its Masthead (British publishing), masthead was simpl ...
'' newspaper, and revolves around an annual two week bus tour in the run-up to local elections. In the 2010 general election campaign, SIS spent in excess of £319,000, primarily targeting the BNP. Since ''Searchlight'' split from Hope not Hate, it has concentrated on publishing the results of its investigation, research and intelligence gathering and supporting direct action against fascist demonstrations, such as those of the English Defence League in Walthamstow on 1 September 2012 and Chelmsford on 18 August 2012. As well as articles exposing the BNP, EDL and the moves towards the formation of a new party spearheaded by the former BNP MEP and veteran fascist Andrew Brons, ''Searchlight'' has focussed on the areas where the far right and Conservative ultra right meet, such as the Traditional Britain Group, and the New Right, the powerhouse of far-right ideological development.


Arts

''Searchlight'' has a long-standing affiliation with the arts, which was strongly championed by former editor Maurice Ludmer. In the past this included a regular monthly column “What their papers say” which took a satirical look at the current political landscape. ''Searchlight'' runs regular benefit events which feature the work of folk singers,
poets A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writt ...
and other arts professionals. On 6 January 2014 it launched a new arts section on its website. This opened with the fictional diary of Greg Goode, a US national recently moved to London in search of the truth. The column, which runs monthly, features a bizarre blend of rhyming poetry, hyperbolic narrative and song. In the Autumn of 2014 ''Searchlight'' launched a standalone online arts magazine called ''Searchlight Magazine Arts'' The site contains interviews, articles, songs, fiction and documentaries, and celebrates the diverse arts movement in the UK and further afield. The aim of the magazine is to tell the arts stories no one else is telling and to put a wry slant on a range of unusual topics and causes.


Archive

In 2012, ''Searchlight'' magazine partnered with the
University of Northampton , mottoeng = Let us not be ignorant , established = 2005 (gained University status) 1975 (Nene College established) , type = Public , endowment = £0.95 m (2015) , chancellor = Richard Coles , vice_chancellor ...
to create the Searchlight Archive. The archive is "one of the most extensive and significant resources of its type in Europe." Open to the public since 2013, it features a wide range of original source material, including oral histories, back editions of magazines, journals, flyers and other materials from groups on the far-right as well as far-left. The collection's largest section of material is on far right movements, such as the British National Party.


See also

*
Anti-Defamation League The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...
*
Anti-Fascist Action Anti-Fascist Action (AFA) was a militant anti-fascist organisation, founded in the UK in 1985 by a wide range of anti-racist and anti-fascist organisations. It was active in fighting far-right organisations, particularly the National Front and ...
* Maurice Ludmer *
Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white ...


References


Further reading

*''White Noise'' by Nick Lowles, 96 pages (13 November 1998), Publisher: Searchlight Magazine Ltd. . *''Searchlight for Beginners'' by Larry O'Hara, 30 pages (June 1996), Publisher: Phoenix Press. . *''From Cable Street to Oldham-70 Years of Community Resistance'' edited by Nick Lowles, 165 pages (October 2007), Publisher: Searchlight Magazine Ltd. . *''Notes From the Borderland'' no 10, pp34–80, by Larry O'Hara and Heidi Svenson, Publisher: Larry O'Hara. , which explains in detail the split between ''Searchlight'' Magazine and Hope not Hate.


External links

*
Searchlight Magazine Arts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Searchlight 1975 establishments in the United Kingdom Anti-fascism in the United Kingdom Anti-racism in the United Kingdom Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom Political magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines established in 1975 Magazines published in London