Paul Fromm's Meeting Shut Down Twice in One Night
Report-back from yet another Alternative Forum meeting (repeatedly) shut down. January 18th, 2007

Tonight over a dozen anti-fascist youth from various locations in southern Ontario joined together after receiving a last minute notice about a far-right meeting happening in Toronto. The purpose was to expose and shut down the gathering of Paul Fromm's inappropriately named neo-nazi group, CAFE (Canadian Association for Free Expression).

ARA Toronto had obtained information on short notice about the planned coming together of elderly German, eastern European and other fascists and fascist sympathizers, to listen to the ramblings of neo-nazi leader Paul Fromm. The theme of the night's meeting was supposed to be "Richard Warman Exposed", featuring a talk by none other than longtime white supremacist webmaster, Marc Lemire. Warman is a prominent Ottawa-based human rights lawyer, who is famous for his human rights complaints against individuals and groups in the far-right.

Upon receipt of the information about the meeting, which was initially set to take place at the Quality Hotel and Suites (located at 2180 Islington Ave North), a phone campaign was initiated to persuade management to cancel the event. The entire hotel was also flyered, to ensure that all guests were well aware of the event (many of whom placed complaints with the front desk). After receiving a high volume of phone calls, management decided to cancel the meeting out of concerns for the safety of their guests given the fact that white supremacists were planning to congregate on their premises.

At this stage, the location was monitored in order to ensure that the meeting was actually cancelled. Reports had it that about 15 elderly bigots showed up, only to have hotel staff inform them of the meeting's cancellation. Arguments began between the bigots and management. No one could manage to get Fromm on the phone to figure out what was going on, so the white power wankers ambled aimlessly around the hotel lobby disturbing the paying clientele while muttering about "the Jews" and awaiting instructions from their absent fuhrer on where to go next. Shortly after 8pm, the hotel's manager, saying they had a respectable family establishment, vowed never to allow Fromm and his crowd access to the hotel again and ordered the assembled rabble of fascists to leave the premises immediately.

When their caravan began to leave, we followed closely behind, expecting to arrive at another hotel conference room or other fairly formal establishment. But alas, we arrived at a Tim Horton's coffee shop, which was heavily populated with Fromm fans. We exited our vehicles and brought more literature into the Timmy's. We informed staff of who the fascists were, and they were thankful for the information and said we could do as we liked to make it uncomfortable for the racist scumbags.

Shortly after we arrived, Marc Lemire instructed a man of about 80-years-old to begin filming us. An irate Tim Horton's manager marched over to the Fromm supporter and demanded he immediately stop filming while on the premises. The elderly fascist protested that he was filming people who he believed were communists, but the manager would hear none of it. Turning the camera off, the old man sulked and went outside where he paced and sought comfort from his friends.

Paul Fromm anxiously looked over his shoulder to see a long line of anti-fascists streaming into the coffee shop. Marc Lemire isolated himself by the washroom, strategically shielding himself behind two senior citizens. Fromm did the same, and huddled himself within a group of elderly women. Before getting up, and heading straight to the arms of Lemire. They spoke for a few moments, and as they noticed anti-fascists heading towards them, they bolted for their cars. In brave Nordic fashion, and reminiscent of Nazi leaders at the end of World War II, they abandoned all their supporters without notice and fled in terror of the anti-racists who were doing nothing more menacing than sipping coffee. What courage! What leadership qualities! How like Jack Astor's when Fromm ran from ARA at a breakneck speed to a hiding place in the pantry.

After 10 minutes had gone by with still no word from their fearless leader, Fromm's supporters were visibly worried and upset, repeatedly asked "Where did Paul go?" and "Why did he leave us here with them?" They also asked one another why he didn't say anything before leaving, and why he hadn't called them since. One woman with an eastern Europe accent was heard to remark "This is ridiculous! Why are we here?" The supporters were getting antsy and some swore at us and expressed their seething anger at having their meeting cancelled. However, several laughed when we phoned Fromm and asked him to return rather than act like a coward.

From that point on the fascists sat with perplexed scowls, while we mingled with them and plunked ourselves down to have some interesting conversations about Hitler's early career as an artist of pornographic postcards, and about the best recipes we got from synagogues for potato latkes. This created an atmosphere rife with frustration and stammering, as the Hitler fans got up, wandered around, and eventually went out to their cars to leave. While their followers sat around complaining and in dismay that they were left behind "at the mercy of the Jews", Fromm and Lemire were nowhere to be seen. As the last frustrated fascist left, members of the general public at Tim's burst into applause as did the staff who offered the anti-fascists free coffee for "cleaning" the coffee shop of the racist filth.

Tonight's successful opposition to Fromm's meeting was yet another step forward for anti-fascists in southern Ontario, and once (actually, twice in one night) again a humiliating defeat for Paul Fromm and his neo-nazi front group. Previously, Fromm had lost his "right" to hold meetings at the Hungarian House after an anti-fascist protest outside one of his events. Now, he's lost the Quality Inn. No matter where Fromm and his freakish followers set up shop next, anti-fascists will be there to expose him and send him packing. The protracted campaign to expose, oppose, and confront Fromm and his fellow fascists continues unabated. He, and his efforts to organize white supremacist activities will, be shut down every time he crawls out from beneath his rock.

ˇAntifascismo para siempre!