31 July Waltham Forest, a north east London borough, saw a victory for working class unity against division on Saturday 30 July. Waltham Forest Anti-Cuts Union (WFACU) and other local groups were out in force in Walthamstow town square in a show of strength and unity against cuts but also against attempts to divide our movement. Campaigners from Youth Fight for Jobs, the Trades Council, the National Shop Stewards Network, the Socialist Party, Tamil Solidarity, UAF and the SWP were out. Trade unionists from the RMT, Unison, Unite, NUJ and other unions participated.

Rumours of a march by the divisive Muslims Against Crusades (MAC) and of a counter march by the racist English Defence League (EDL) prompted local activists to organise a more prominent campaigning event.

The MAC and EDL were due to come to the square at midday but the only groups who dared to enter the area in an organised way were those who stand for unity of all working class people against the enormous cuts to jobs, services and living standards.

In the end it seems that a small group of MAC supporters managed to attempt a march and that a few EDL members sat in some of the local pubs but their initial plans were not carried through.

Neither the EDL or MAC offer any solution to the problems faced by working class people living in Waltham Forest, such as cuts to much-needed services such as libraries and to benefits like the EMA payments to college students, as well as overcrowding and lack of jobs. In March of this year there were 18 JSA claimants for every vacancy in Waltham Forest. We need investment in job creation and in the services that people need � not cuts.

The widely distributed WFACU leaflet pointed out that while we, workers and young people of all backgrounds, are expected to pay for the economic crisis, the rich get richer � the richest 1,000 people in Britain are �77 billion richer than they were two years ago!

Waltham Forest has a strong history of united struggle. One of the first anti-poll tax groups was established in the borough uniting working class people in a successful organised mass campaign against Thatcher's hated and unfair tax. Thousands of young people of all backgrounds defied head teachers and joined the huge school student protests against the war in Iraq. And recently we have seen the magnificent actions of 26 March and 30 June against the brutal cuts of the Con-Dem government and the local cuts carried through by the Labour-led council.

Our leaflet explained that: �Waltham Forest Anti-Cuts Union fights all cuts. We oppose all those forces that create divisions in the fight-back against cuts, and point the finger at the real culprits - the bankers, the bond traders, speculators and global finance companies.

�We stand for working class solidarity in Waltham Forest against any demands that workers pay for bankers� greed, and we will not allow our neighbourhood and our fight-back to be divided along racist or religious lines.

�The best way to fight racism and fascism is to get rid of the problems that breed them � unemployment, low pay, housing shortages, public service cuts. We can have no faith in any of the main political parties to do this. Young people and workers need to join together to fight for ourselves - join our campaign!�

Campaign diary:

• 4 August: Next WFACU meeting: Thursday 4 August, 7.30pm at the William Morris Community Centre on Greenleaf Road, Walthamstow, E17 6QQ

• 13 August: Love libraries! Event in Walthamstow Square to say no to library cuts. From 4pm

• 3 September: Stop the EDL getting into Tower Hamlets: Saturday 3 September

• 11 September: Demand that the trade union leaders escalate the action after 30 June to defend our pensions, jobs and services � join the NSSN-called lobby of the TUC on Sunday 11 September. A pre-lobby rally will start at 1.30pm at Friends Meeting House on Euston Road, opposite Euston Station, Speakers will include PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka and Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT transport union.