See below for details of Unite Against Fascism's annual conference, to be
held Saturday February 18th, London:
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Stopping the rise of the BNP
Unite Against Fascism national conference, Saturday 18 Feb 2006
TUC Conference Centre, Great Russell Street, London WC1
Speakers include: Ken Livingstone Billy Hayes CWU General Secretary
Keith Sonnet UNISON Deputy General Secretary Dominque Walker Anthony
Walker family Kat Fletcher NUS President Mick Connolly SERTUC Regional
Secretary Iqbal Sacranie MCB Secretary General Henry Guterman MBE
Holocaust survivor Linda Riordan MP Lee Jasper NAAR Weyman Bennett
UAF Mohammed Azam Labour Party NEC member Glyn Ford MEP Leon
Greenman OBE Holocaust survivor Michael Meacher MP Ben Summerskill
Stonewall Chief Executive Sadiq Khan MP Mark Meredith Mayor of Stoke
Jackie Lewis ILGA Europe Chair
This year the BNP saved its deposits in 34 constituencies in the general
election, compared to only 5 in 2001. In 2004 the BNP missed getting
elected to the London Assembly and European Parliament by a hairs breadth.
The BNP currently have 21 local councillors and will be using their high
votes as a launch pad to gain several more council seats in the 2006 local
elections.Where the BNP has council seats,incidents of racism and
homophobia have risen.
If the BNPs vote trend continues upwards they will be on course to make a
national breakthrough.However,the BNP can be stopped if we mount the
biggest possible campaign against them.
The next step towards stopping the BNP will be preventing them gaining
more council seats in 2006.Campaigning has raised awareness and denied the
BNP breakthroughs in some of its key target areas. In Oldham, having
received their highest vote in 2001,the BNP suffered their biggest setback
in the 2005 general election.
Unite Against Fascism is organising this conference to discuss why the
BNPs vote has grown,effective strategies in stopping the BNP,and to bring
together the different sections of the anti-fascist movement including
the trade unions, Muslim, Jewish, Christian and other faith, black, Asian,
lesbian and gay communities and disabled peoples organisations.
http://www.uaf.org.uk/news.asp?choice=88888
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