"Conspiracy Theories, the Far Right, and The Light" - footage from our first public meeting
Channel: Community Solidarity Stroud District
Date: 2023-10-23

On 4th October 2023, we held a public meeting titled 'Conspiracy Theories, the Far Right, and The Light' at The Trinity Rooms in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Here we present a film which collates the footage we have from the event. Sadly, due to technical issues, we do not have complete footage of the whole event. Included in this 37 minutes film are:

Approximately half of the speech by CSSD representatives, James Beecher and Emma Calcutt

Approximately half of the speech by David Renton

A couple of questions and answers.

We apologise that more footage from the 2 hour event isn't available, but the full text of the speeches can be read on our website communitysolidaritystrouddistrict.org, where as soon as possible we will also publish a Frequently Asked Questions page which will cover the questions and answers from the public meeting and others.

Biographies of our three speakers:

David Renton has written several books on the far right, including “Fascism: History and Theory” republished for it’s twentieth anniversary in 2020, “Horatio Bottomley and the Far Right Before Fascism” published in 2022, and “The New Authoritarians: Convergence on the Right” published in 2019. Renton received a PhD for his thesis on fascism and anti-fascism in Britain after the second world war.

Emma Calcutt is originally from the West Midlands, Emma studied Development Studies, Politics & Arabic at SOAS, spent 5 years in Syria and 2 years in Indonesia.
She has had a life long interest in anti-racism, and as well as Community Solidarity Stroud District, also works with Stroud Against Racism.

James Beecher has lived in Stroud for almost his entire life. In 2011-12 he was the Chair of Stroud Against the Cuts when it ran a successful campaign to keep health clinics and district hospitals like Stroud’s across Gloucestershire from being moved out of the NHS. He works at a local community bike workshop, has been involved in a variety of direct action anti-war, environmental and social justice movements, and is a founder member of Community Solidarity Stroud District.