news
27th February 2010
Unite to defeat the BNP in the 2010 elections
The key priorities for the anti fascist movement
The election of the two BNP candidates in the June elections to the European Parliament was the first national election success for fascists in British history, and provided a major boost for the BNP’s attempt to be seen as a legitimate political party.
The BNP cannot be appeased. If we are to succeed in isolating and defeating it we have to build a united, mass anti-fascist movement which confronts head on the racism and Islamophobia that has fuelled its growth. That means consistently exposing the racist lies put out by the BNP whether they be about council house allocation, crime or whatever.
We must also do all we can to oppose every step to normalise the BNP’s role in politics and challenge the its attempt to advance by using the economic crisis to whip up racism and divide communities.
This year we also need to stop the BNP taking advantage of its June breakthrough in the Parliamentary & local elections. In our region that means decisively defeating the BNP in their Morley & Outwood target seat, and crushing Mark Collett in Sheffield. It is also vital that BNP councillors up for election are defeated and the steady creep of the fascist vote in a number of wards is reversed.
The recent defeat of the BNP in Barnsley provides a text book model for the anti fascist movement. The decisive factor was the big increase in turnout from 2008 to 2009. There was a massive campaign by the anti fascist and labour movements and also the political stakes
were high as control of the council rested on the outcome.
Turnout was boosted by nearly 450 and the anti-BNP vote coalesced around the party best placed to defeat them. This ensured that the BNP were soundly defeated, even though their vote fell by only 45.
We must also continue to oppose any moves by the media to treat the BNP as a normal political party. It was correct to oppose Nick Griffin’s appearance on Question Time and other BNP leaders on Radio One. Such coverage does not undermine the BNP, it only solidifies its core support.
A successful anti fascist movement must unite the trade unions with the Black, Asian, Muslim, Jewish and other minority ethnic communities alongside all other opponents of fascism, including political parties, religious groups, the lesbian and gay communities and sections of the media.
What is needed is a real movement organised on the ground. The fascists are not primarily a parliamentary party. They seek to impose their views by force — intimidating communities and if they ever come to power eradicating their opponents by force. It is therefore essential to build a movement of mass action against the fascists, capable of mobilising to defend communities under attack.
The movement’s tactics must be flexible ranging from mass leafleting in elections,
briefing the media, using the internet, organising festivals, through to mass mobilisations to stop the BNP trying to terrorise particular communities and showing that they have vocal opponents, because they are not a normal party, wherever they appear.
Alongside this the anti-fascist movement should positively support the benefits of a
multi-cultural society, through encouraging local and national governments to take the kind of approach of Ken Livingstone at the GLA, Love Music, Hate Racism, the campaigns against racial and religious discrimination, festivals and the kind of One Society, Many Cultures approach to bring communities together to celebrate and enjoy the
contributions of every culture to our society.
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