Glenys Kinnock: Staunch anti-fascist and friend of Searchlight

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Glenys Kinnock: Staunch anti-fascist and friend of Searchlight

NOTE: This article was published on 4 December 2023 Glenys Kinnock, 3rd from left, alongside Joan Lestor MP, a former editor of Searchlight in the 1960s, at an ANC ‘Year of the Woman’ meeting, London 1984 Searchlight is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Glenys Kinnock, Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead, a long-time friend…

4 December 2023

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NOTE: This article was published on 4 December 2023

Glenys Kinnock, 3^rd from left, alongside Joan Lestor MP, a former editor of Searchlight in the 1960s, at an ANC ‘Year of the Woman’ meeting, London 1984

Searchlight is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Glenys Kinnock, Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead, a long-time friend and supporter of Searchlight who worked with us on a number of occasions to tackle fascist activity in South Wales.

Glenys was for many years a patron of Searchlight Research Associates and in 2011 joined in a call for support for the magazine saying that: “I have read Searchlight for the past 24 years. I find its illumination of the issues essential to my work as an MEP”. With her husband, former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, Glenys was also a long time and firm supporter of the Anti-Nazi League.

In 1997, as MEP for Wales south-east, Glenys joined with us to put pressure on the authorities and the local police to shut down a planned ‘International Aryan’ music festival being organised by Rock Against Communism. At the time, RAC was trying to take over control of the highly lucrative neo-nazi music scene from the Combat 18-run Blood and Honour. Together, we devastated their scheme: nazis planning to attend were physically stopped and turned back by Welsh police as they travelled to the event and some American nazis were picked up at Heathrow and immediately deported. The festival was eventually cancelled, and a much smaller event later held in Coventry, but it effectively destroyed RAC as a force on the far right.

Then, in 2011, Glenys helped us throw another spanner in the nazi music scene works when we discovered that neo-nazi CDs including the vile ‘Barbecue in Rostock’, were being pressed by a respectable CD company in Wales. At first the company, Nimbus, insisted that it was purely a commercial arrangement but soon backed down when confronted with their legal liabilities once the nature of the CDs was drawn to their attention. They then called in the police.

Searchlight salutes a staunch anti-fascist and offers its deepest condolences to her family and friends.

Category: Anti-fascism, News

Professor Colin Holmes

Everyone who wants to understand contemporary racism and its historical background needs to read Searchlight.

Professor Colin Holmes

University of Sheffield

Nick Davies

To investigate fascists takes real courage and unusual commitment. The government, police, mainstream media occasionally take a look, but in the UK only Searchlight have kept at it, relentlessly and admirably, regardless of threat or obstacle. It’s journalism that matters. A rare thing.

Nick Davies

Multi-award-winning investigative journalist and writer

Paul Holborow

In the campaign against the National Front, Searchlight provided a rich and utterly reliable basis for much ANL propaganda – particularly with reference to the two leading NF figures, John Tyndall and Martin Webster. The appearance of Tyndall in full nazi uniform, drawn from the archives of Searchlight, was a key part of ANL propaganda, coupled with deeply damaging nazi quotes from Webster.

Paul Holborow

Founding member of the ANL and National Organiser 1977-81

Alf Dubs

Searchlight’s voice is more important than ever, and I am delighted that it will now be available to a wider audience than ever before in its new incarnation online. Searchlight has been extremely helpful over the years in exposing the far right, corruption, criminality and the murky links between organised crime and powerful interests in the UK and abroad. I wish Searchlight the very best.

Alf Dubs

Labour peer, former MP and Cabinet Minister, and Kindertransport child

Paul Nowak

The essence of trade unionism is solidarity, fairness and equality – for all workers – from all backgrounds. That’s why our fight against the far-right has always been part of our movement’s DNA. Searchlight is an incredibly important resource for trade unions and members to understand the contemporary tactics of far-right activity. Their work and intelligence gathering over the years have been incredibly insightful for the work we do, and how we fight the scourge of fascism.

Paul Nowak

TUC General Secretary

Peter Hain

British Jews have been persecuted over the centuries; British blacks since the Windrush generation of the 1950s; British Muslims, especially after the Islamist 9/11 and then 7/7 terrorist attacks in New York 2001 and London 2005. But until the last few years there has not been a simultaneous threat against all three British communities of Jewish, Black and Muslim Britons – meaning the need for Searchlight has never been greater.

Peter Hain

Labour peer, former MP and Cabinet Minster