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news item
 14/02/07
Jerry Dammers, Babyshambles, Peter Hain MP join trade unions, faith leaders and MPs at anti-BNP conference
Unite Against Fascism is launching this year's campaign against the BNP at a national conference this Saturday. The conference will bring together musicians, politicians, trade unions, Jewish and Muslim communities, lesbian and gay, black community representatives and many others campaigning against the BNP around the country.
In recent years the BNP has gained the largest votes for a fascist party in British history, polling over 230,000 votes in last May's elections, compared to 3000 votes in 2000. It now has an unprecedented 49 councillors around the country. Areas that the BNP have targeted have seen a rise in racist attacks and other hate crimes. The BNP will be targeting the local elections in England and Wales and the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections, with the aim of making further gains.
Key themes of the conference include:
- Examining the BNP's vote trend and effective strategies for stopping them
- Defending multiculturalism - challenging racism and Islamophobia
- Music's contribution to the campaign against racism
- Fascism and its historical record
- Why communities including, Jewish, Muslim other faith communities, trade unions, students, black and Asian communities and others must unite against the BNP
- Challenging homophobia
- No platform for the BNP in media and education
Keith Sonnet, UNISON Deputy General Secretary, said: "The success of the BNP in places as far apart as Barking, Bradford and Burnley, in last year's local government elections, underlines why trade unions must stand together against the racist threat. The BNP's presence throws a shadow over our democracy. It masquerades as a legitimate political party, but it preys on fear and ignorance and promotes hate. We must reject those politics of hate and division. The fascists and their parties have to be stopped in their tracks. As a nation, we should be ashamed of the growth of far right politics. It should never have been allowed to happen. And we must shake the mainstream political parties out of their complacency. Trade unions have always fought for freedom, equality and tolerance. It is an absolute duty for unions to fight racism in our society - the spawning ground of ultra right wing politics. We've had our wake up call. We must pledge to step up our campaign against racism and fascism. UNISON will fight racism wherever it rears its ugly head."
Peter Hain MP said: "Progressives have a moral duty to fight fascism wherever it rears its ugly head. The Anti-Nazi League played a leading role in helping to end the evil of the National Front. Now we must unite to combat the BNP racists and their ideology of hate - that's why it's important that we build Unite Against Fascism today."
Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary, said: "It is important that everyone who believes in democracy and equal rights for all unites to show extremists that there is no place in our society for those that seek to stir up tensions between our many diverse communities. Whether at work or in the community, people need to be able to live their lives free from discrimination and prejudice. By working together we will ensure that the attempts of those on the far right to create hatred and division in towns and cities across the UK will never succeed."
Dr. Mohammed Abdul Bari, Secretary General of Muslim Council of Britain, said: "The increasing electoral gain of the BNP, and the erroneous comparisons made between it and Muslim organisations by some politicians, demonstrates the mounting problem of fascism in UK politics and the extent to which its growing threat is misunderstood. This xenophobic climate in which victims are portrayed as perpetrators and perpetrators are dignified must be challenged and arrested by those that understand all too clearly the threat fascism poses to our democracy."
Jerry Dammers, musician, writer of anti-racist classic "Free Nelson Mandela", formerly of The Specials & Special AKA, said: "The BNP are like the Daleks; no matter how many times they're defeated they don't get the message. But they're not from a fantasy and we can't be complacent and relax the struggle against them. It's when they're at their most boring and tedious that they are at their most dangerous. Everyone should do everything they can to counteract them, and I urge anyone who can to attend this weekends UAF conference in London."
Dr. Edie Friedman, Director of Jewish Council for Racial Equality, said: "The electoral successes of the BNP have occurred in an environment where multiculturalism is attacked in an indiscriminate manner so that it becomes a scapegoat for many of society's ills. This creates a climate which allows groups like the BNP to claim that they are simply reflecting what 'ordinary people' think but are afraid to say. We know from history that fascism grows when minority groups are stigmatised. UAF must bring together all communities so that we will be more effective in combating racism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. This is critical if we are to stop the BNP making further gains in 2007."
Gemma Tumelty, President of the National Union of Students, said: "The fascist BNP are targeting students with the aim of recruiting young people to their politics of hatred. I am proud to bring the full weight of NUS into the alliance that UAF represents, so that we can stand squarely with all communities that are being targeted by the BNP. The NUS has a proud history of preventing fascism from gaining a foothold within the student movement. We will be doing everything in our power to ensure that the student vote is fully mobilised to help stop the BNP from making further gains in this May's elections."
Alan Wardle Stonewall Director of Parliamentary & Public Affairs, said: "The BNP routinely incites hatred towards lesbian, gay and bisexual people, as well as targeting people on racial and religious grounds. We welcome this conference as an opportunity to bring minority communities together, to challenge the politics of hatred whatever their motivation."
Weyman Bennett, Joint Secretary of Unite Against Fascism, said: "The BNP remains a Nazi organisation; its members are involved in violent racist attacks. It craves respectability to extend this terrorism to the whole of society; it remains a clear and present danger to a democratic society."
Conference details:
ACT NOW - Stop the Fascist BNP National Conference
Saturday 17 February 2007 9.30am-5pm
TUC Conference Centre, Great Russell St, London WC1B 3LS
Nearest tube: Tottenham Court Road
Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary
Jerry Dammers, ex-The Specials
Grime star Lethal Bizzle
Peter Hain MP
Jeremy Corbyn MP
Mary Senior, STUC Assistant General Secretary
Drew McConnell, Babyshambles
Billy Hayes CWU General Secretary
Paul Mackney, UCU Joint General Secretary
Keith Sonnet, Unison Dep General Secretary
Gemma Tumelty, NUS President
Dr Mohammed Abdul Bari, MCB General Secretary
Alan Wardle, Director Public and Parliamentary Affairs Stonewall
Henry Guterman MBE, refugee from the Holocaust
Dr. Edie Friedman Director, Jewish Council For Racial Equality
Maleiha Malik, Kings College London
Glyn Ford MEP
Representatives of Imaan - the Muslim LGBT support group - and a representative of NUS LGBT Campaign
Ian Pace, classical pianist
Hardkaur, UK's first Asian female rapper
Sam Duckworth, aka Get Cape Wear Cape Fly
Kirsten Hearn, disability rights campaigner
Martin Smith, Love Music Hate Racism
Lee Jasper, National Assembly Against Racism Secretary
Mohammed Azam, North West Unite Against Fascism
Sabby Dhalu and Weyman Bennett, Unite Against Fascism
For interviews and further information please contact 020 7833 4916 Weyman Bennett on 07734 032 314 or Sabby Dhalu 07980 921 076
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