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news
25th March 2008
Stop the BNP in London
Sabby Dhalu, Unite Against Fascism, on the rise of the fascist vote in London and how to oppose it
As this paper goes to press anti-fascists are preparing for a conference launching the campaign against the British National Party (BNP) in this year’s London and local elections, with speakers including Ken Livingstone and TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber.
This year the BNP are campaigning to gain a seat on the London Assembly. Due to the PR list system in the London Assembly elections the BNP require a mere 5 per cent to get elected. In the previous election in 2004 the BNP missed getting elected by only 0.1 per cent.
The last decade has seen racism intensified with attacks on asylum seekers, migrant workers and Muslim communities in particular, accompanied by an ideological campaign attacking multiculturalism. Racism is the cutting edge of the policies of the BNP, underpinning the lies it spreads to gain support. They describe the current ‘debate’ on the Muslim veil, asylum seekers, immigration and multiculuralism as a victory for their agenda. One BNP leaflet depicting Muslim women wearing the veil has been referred to the Metropolitan Police.
In eight years the BNP’s vote has sharply increased from over 3,000 votes in 2000 to almost 300,000 in the 2007 local elections.
Locally the BNP whip up racist lies about local problems in order to divide communities through racism. In Barking and Dagenham the BNP claimed Africans were given £50,000 to move to the borough. This led to racist attacks increasing in the area by 32 per cent between 2002 and 2004.
A cash incentive scheme in housing does exist, however research by Margaret Hodge MP’s office shows that out of over 1,332 people that participated in this in London only 30 moved to Barking and Dagenham and only six were African.
Opposing and challenging racism and celebrating multiculturalism is the only way to stop the rise of the BNP.
In Oldham the BNP’s racist lies were exposed and the BNP systematically driven back.
The agenda set in London on robustly challenging racism and celebrating multiculturalism has helped create an anti-racist climate where 82 per cent of Londoners enjoy London’s diversity and racist attacks have fallen by 55 per cent over the last six years, despite increasing nationally. This refutes the theory that pandering to a racist agenda is beneficial for electoral gain. Anti-racism has been a vote winner in London and can be in other parts of the country.
The UAF campaign until May includes a major Music Festival on 27 April in London’s Victoria Park, and other activities.
- Join Unite Against Fascism’s campaign against the BNP. Visit www.uaf.org.uk.
Taken from Socialist Campaign Group News, March 2008.
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