The election of two members of the fascist British National Party to the
European parliament marks a turning point in British politics.
Their presence threatens to normalise the BNP within the political mainstream.
The fascists will use their electoral foothold to promote their bigotry in the
media and whip up race hatred on our streets..
The BNP will also use its European gains as a springboard for next year's local
elections and for the next general election. Neverthless, it is clear that the
BNP's electoral breakthrough was acheived on the basis of low voter turnout.
A huge amount of anti-fascist activity took place in the run-up to the election
and the fascist vote was held back in many areas of the country. The majority of
ordinary people do not want to see racism used to divide our society. The vast
majority of people are totally opposed to the fascist politics of the BNP.
We need to bring these people together and draw them into active anti-fascism
in ever greater numbers. And we need to root anti-BNP activity in communities
across the country, in particular Yorkshire & the Humber and the North West of
England, with a view to building a campaign base in advance of next year's
elections.
It is for these reasons that Unite Against Fascism and Love Music Hate Racism
have called an emergency national conference in Manchester on Saturday 18 July.
There will be speakers, discussion, ideas for action and a number of workshops,
including ones on countering racist myths and on the media and anti-fascism.
If you are a student, trade unionist, faith group member or anti-racist of any kind,
please come along or get yourself delegated from your branch or organisation.
