Stopping the fascist BNPThe upward trend in the electoral gains of the BNP accelerated at the May local elections.

They saw the fascist British Na-tional Party (BNP) win 32 council seats, 11 of them in Barking & Dagenham, bringing their total to 48 councillors around the country. They now hold 49 seats in total after the defection of a Lincolnshire Tory councillor to the BNP following the local elections.

It is important to understand the reasons for the rise of the BNP if the anti-fascist movement is to devise an effective strategy to defeat the BNP.

Several factors influenced the results in May. First, the BNP re-ceived unprecedented media cover-age which by and large treated them as an ordinary political party. The fascists celebrated this on their web-site: “We have now transcended the cordon sanitaire that the media have placed upon us for decades.”

The exaggeration of the support for the BNP by some politicians – in particular Barking MP Margaret Hodge and the publication of a re-port which claimed that 23 percent of respondents “might vote” for the BNP – were all used to give daily coverage to the BNP across of the media. It is absolutely clear that any political party with such uncritical media coverage would have mas-sively benefited in the ballot box.

Every day the mainstream press painted an apocalyptic scenario of swathes of disaffected white working

by Weyman Bennettjoint national secretary, Unite Against Fascism

continued on page 2 >>>

Bradford BNP councillor ruled against by Court of AppealUnite Against Fascism has welcomed the Court of Appeal’s decision overturning the Employment Appeals Tribunal contro-versial decision which ruled in favour of BNP councillor Arthur Redfearn, following his dismissal from his job as a bus driver for people with special needs in 2004 after winning a seat on Bradford Council.

The Court of Appeal held that Red-fearn’s complaint did not fall within the Race Relations Act 1976 and that it was wrong to say that he had been dismissed on racial grounds. The Judge said that Redfearn’s claim of race discrimination would “cover cases that would produce consequences at odds with the legislative aim” and “turn the policy of race relations legislation upside down.”

The TUC welcomed the Court of Appeal ruling that the BNP councillor was rightly sacked. Commenting on the Court of Ap-peal ruling that SERCO could dismiss him because of the health and safety threat posed to the vulnerable adults and chil-dren he was employed to transport, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

‘We welcome this clear and robust ruling today. SERCO were right to say that BNP activists should not hold this kind of job, and deserve credit for taking on this case that has now established this impor-tant precedent.’

Dagenham & Stoke events announced Following the BNP’s gains made in May’s local elections, LMHR is planning sustained long-term campaigning, concentrating on those areas afflicted with BNP councillors.

We are now able to announce our first post-election events in Barking & Dagenham and Stoke-on-Trent, with major gigs and schools initiatives…contact us wherever you are to get involved in stopping the racists and Nazis.

On Friday 14th July, longtime Unite supporter Ms Dynamite will be visiting a school in the heart of Dagenham to introduce a showing of the “education version” of the LMHR film Who Shot the Sheriff? and talk to students there about why we need to unite to stop racism and fascism. She will be joined by UAF campaigners, students and staff from other Barking & Dagenham schools, and teaching union officers in the first of a whole series of LMHR events in schools across the borough.

On Thursday 27 July, there’ll be a major event at Stoke-on-Trent’s 2,000-capacity Club Liquid.

The BNP now have 5 councillors in Stoke – the fightback starts here. Three of the city’s biggest promoters have come together in the city’s biggest venue which will have a huge UAF/ LMHR banner on its city-centre outside wall for weeks before the event. Top artists will be joined by local sports stars and local anti-fascist campaigners to speak at the event on the need to get the BNP out of Stoke.

BNP exposed as fascist thugsThe fascist BNP have once again shown that they are unfit for public office.

In June Burnley BNP councillor Brian Turner escaped a jail sentence and was instead ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work in the community, after he was found guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence.

Many anti-fascists believe the sentence was too lenient given that Turner has previous convictions of common assault and police assault after he was convicted of beating up his wife Melanie Turner.

Mohammed Azam, a member of the Labour Party NEC said “Both of these cases show the true nature of the BNP: a violent, racist and fascist organisation that is not fit for public office. Given the history of violence and previous convictions, this is a very lenient sentence. The BNP is not an ordinary political party it is a fascist organisiation. Councils also have a legal duty to promote anti-racism and this is undermined by BNP councillors.”

Calls for Turner to resign are also mounting. According to existing

legislation councilors sentenced to three months or over automatically lose their seat. Kitty Ussher MP for Burnley said: “I think the facts speak for themselves. This is just the latest in a string of embarrassments for Burnley BNP. In addition to his latest conviction for racially aggravated assault, Brian Turner has also been convicted of beating up his wife, assaulting a Police officer and last September received a three-year football banning order. He should resign immediately.”

Keith Sonnet, UNISON Deputy General Secretary also added “There are many UNISON members working in local government with BNP councillors, and many working for Burnley Borough Council. With this sort of criminal record it is a disgrace that Brian Turner has not resigned.”

Further highlighting the racist and violent nature of the BNP, Kevin Hughes the agent for the BNP councillor in Redditch in the West Midlands, was sentenced to three months in prison for racially aggravated common assault.

Two reported racist attacks have occurred in Barking since the local elections.

An Afghan man was stabbed outside Barking tube station in May and the victim could have died if he did not receive urgent medical attention. In the same week an Asian man was attacked on a bus.

Twelve BNP councillors were elected to Barking and Dagenham Council in

May. Racist attacks have occurred in other areas around the country that the BNP has targeted. In 2004, the year one BNP councillor was elected in Barking, racist attacks increased by 18%. (Source: www.thisislondon.co.uk, 23 November 2004).

Ms Dynamite who is a keen supporter of Love Music Hate Racism work said: “I am so saddened and disgusted that in this day and age, in a country that calls itself the ‘United’ Kingdom, a party that clearly stands for hate, discrimination

and inequality, could gain the right to even exist. My heart goes out to the families of the victims but I fear that whilst the likes of the BNP

are able to promote their narrow minded fascism, that this will not be the last racist

attack or crime of hate. “I urge anyone and

everyone to take a stand and speak out against this evil and senseless behaviour. The bottom line is tomorrow that could be your child.”

Ms Dynamite condemns racist attack in Barking

Printed and published by Unite Against Fascism, PO Box 36871, London WC1X 9XT

unite against fascismSummer 2006 newsletter

020 7833 4916 www.uaf .org.uk

UAF_summer06.ind 29/6/06, 7:34 pm4-1

class voters switching from Labour to the fascist BNP. The result was a media fest the likes of which the Nazis in Britain have never enjoyed before.

As early as three months before the poll, the fascists announced their intention to make the local elections a “referendum on Islam”. Their lo-cal campaigns in many areas used the racist images of the cartoons first published in Denmark, equating all Muslims with terrorism. The fascists sickeningly claimed they were cham-pions of “free speech”, particularly during the trials of Nick Griffin and Mark Collett for incitement to racial hatred, but also for publish-ing the infamous cartoons on their website and their election materials. The truth is that they represent the greatest threat to all freedoms and democracy in Britain today.

The pattern of racist lies in order to make electoral gains was replicat-ed during these elections. In Barking where they made their biggest gains, the BNP spread the racist lie that government grants worth £50.000 were being given to African families to move to the borough. In Stoke-on-Trent, they claimed a mosque was being constructed with public money – another outright lie. Cou-pled with unprecedented positive media coverage, these local myths the BNP perpetrated created the per-fect opportunity for their advances.

LeafletsUnite Against Fascism (UAF), Brit-ain’s biggest anti-fascist organisa-tion, and Love Music Hate Racism (LHMR) opposed the BNP through-out the country, distributing tens of thousands of leaflets.

UAF also helped organise the magnificent anti-Nazi carnival in Trafalgar Square, filling the square with young people from across the capital, sending a very strong mes-sage of opposition to the fascists – which sections of the mainstream media ignored.

UAF was able to push the fas-cists back in some areas. One of the BNP’s targets was Wakefield in West Yorkshire. A broad-based coalition involving trade unionists, students and community activists stopped the BNP making a gain in the town.

The continued success of the campaign in Oldham represents the model for anti-fascist campaign-ing for the rest of the country. The kind of broad alliance that has been

formed in Oldham, uniting the local Asian communities with the trade union movement, faith groups, mainstream political parties and all others has proved a very effective strategy against the fascists.

Oldham is the only town in the country where the support for the BNP has fallen dramatically, from 4,754 in 2004 to 3,074 in 2006. This strategy, already tried and tested in Millwall in the early 1990s, represents what works against the fascists, and should be replicated around the country, particularly because it is the most hegemonic approach to unity and places those who stand most to lose from the ad-vances by the BNP in the forefront of anti-fascist campaigning.

The local elections also show that once the BNP win council seats in an area it helps in their process of po-litical legitimisation. It takes longer to defeat them and makes it easier for them to gain more councillors. The BNP’s breakthrough in Burnley, Epping Forest, Sandwell, Stoke-on-Trent, Bradford, Kirklees and Cal-derdale, are clear examples of this.

CommentaryThe BNP’s aim is to win seats on the London Assembly in 2008 and the European Parliament in 2009, as their own commentary on their website shows:

“The real target for us now is the European Elections in 2009… The BNP are now poised for a real po-litical breakthrough in the 2009 Eu-ropean Elections. The local elections are important as they reveal that the percentage support we now garner in constituencies is capable of easily translating into MEP seats.”

To prevent this breakthrough re-quires a colossal national campaign waged on the correct startegy.

Such a campaign is being built by UAF which relentlessly brings together the broadest possible alli-ance against the fascists. The impor-tance of this cannot be understated: failure to stop the BNP making a major national breakthrough would see the emulation of the situation in France, Austria, Denmark, Italy and Belgium where fascists have become a permanent feature of the political landscape. This has disastrous im-plications for the politics pursued by the mainstream parties, which have invariably made concessions to the fascists, in a context of rampant racism. We can still prevent such a disaster taking place in Britain.

‘The pattern of racist lies in order to make electoral gains was replicated’

Focus on Wakefield

In the run-up to this year’s local elections, two Love Music Hate Racism events were held in Wakefield. The first was for young people across the Wakefield district and attracted 300 people under the age of eighteen. With a mixture of indie, bangra and hip hop it was probably the most diverse event ever held in Wakefield, attracting youngsters from all communities.

This event not only reinforced the message of unity and enjoying music together, but afterwards gave Wakefield’s campaign a massive boost in the arm, with school students taking the initiative and organising their own UAF street stalls and leafletting events.

The second event, during the last week of the campaign, saw local band The Snapp on stage together with Two Tone legends The Beat. The sold-out event in a working men’s club attracted over 500 people. The audience was predominantly white working class, a mixture of young and not so young ska fans. The tickets were sold from Unison offices at the hospital and local government branches as well as at the club. Local press coverage and word of mouth meant tickets were in high demand.

On the night a mixture people came in groups from workplaces, local trade unions, different communities and scooter clubs. Just like the 70’s some that came were already convinced of the need to oppose the BNP, others were hearing the arguments for the first time or needed reminding about the history of the music they were listening to, and how we Rocked Against Racism to defeat the National Front in the 70’s.

Without Unison branches these events would not have been possible or had the same impact. When the branch secretary from Wakefield & Pontefract Hospitals Branch spoke from the stage, he asked the crowd to imagine the hospital with no Asian doctors, Asian cleaners or Filipino nurses. He informed them that was the reality of Nick Griffins vision of an all-white britain – the argument was won.

Everybody had a story from that night. More importantly, the stories coming back afterwards from the workplaces, pubs and communities were even better. People met like-minded individuals from their area, they had read the leafletts, heard the arguments and were taking the BNP on in places the fascists thought were theirs.

Derek Simpson, leader of trade union sponsor Amicus, addresses the huge crowd at Trafalgar Square (top); Drew McConnell from Babyshambles and DJ Statik show their support for anti-racism; at the front of the massive audience

Stopping the fascist BNP>>> continued from page 1

Pictur

es: S

imon

Clark

www

.eyeb

ox.ne

t //

Jasmi

ne W

orth

/Love

Mus

ic Ha

te Ra

cism

UAF_summer06.ind 29/6/06, 7:34 pm2-3