Our friends in Moscow have asked us to pass on their sincere thanks to everyone who supported our recent fundraiser in memory of Ivan Khutorskoy. After costs, we were able to send £300 to Ivan's family. They have been deeply touched by the solidarity shown by anti-fascists around the world who, while maybe not knowing them or Ivan personally, have given them emotional and practical aid when they've most needed it.

We'd also like to pass on our respect to everyone who played, helped out, turned up on the night or donated to the cause. Without you, we wouldn't have been able to do this.

Bristol Radical History Group are holding the following event, and we'd highly recommend it.

Morris Beckman, The 43 Group

Date: Monday, 01 March 2010
Time: 19:30
Venue:The Cube

After World War II a group of demobbed British Jewish servicemen were shocked to find that Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists was operating openly in the streets of Britain. They began to wonder what they had been fighting for and also wondered what they could do to halt the increase in anti-Semitic attacks.

In 1946 a group of ex-servicemen and women met in a room to discuss what course of action should be taken, there were 43 at that this first meeting and so they became known as the 43 Group. In a short time they had recruited about 1000 street fighters ready to beat fascism from the streets of Britain.

Morris Beckman, now 89, is the author of The 43 Group, a thrilling account of the post-war fight against fascism in Britain. Beckman served in the Navy during World War II and was torpedoed twice during the Battle of the Atlantic. He went on to serve on board ships in the Bay of Bengal, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. In 1946 Beckman was a founder member of the 43 Group: "The authorities were doing nothing; we were seeing newsreels of Auschwitz. We decided that as trained troops we would 'out-fascist the fascists'".

In association with Bristol Indymedia.