Battle of Lewisham - Far-Right National Front Clash with Anti-Fascists (1977)

On 18 August 1977, ITN broadcast a special report entitled "Lewisham and Ladywood: The Dilemma Before Us". Covering the 13 August violent clashes between far-right National Front demonstrators and anti-fascist protesters in Lewisham (known as the Battle of Lewisham) and a similar instance of unrest in the Birmingham's Ladywood division two days later, the programme sought to explore the issue of political violence on Britain's streets. Interviewing John Tyndall, leader of the National Front, and Duncan Hallas, chairman of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), ITN's Alastair Burnet examined footage of the riots. Burnet asked Tyndall why the National Front chose to march through Lewisham, a decision which many observers saw as a deliberate effort to intimidate the local Black immigrant population. And Burnet questioned Hallas on the evident willingness of anti-fascist demonstrators to use violence in their efforts to oppose far-right marches.