Union support for demo to stop BNP 'festival'

Both the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and the Midlands TUC have given their support to the anti-British National Party (BNP) protest at 9.30pm, 16 August on Denby Lane in Codnor, Derbyshire.

Naomi Byron and Bob Severn

The RMT voted at its 2008 conference to support the mobilisation against the far-right, racist BNP's 'Red, White and Blue' festival being held on farmland near Codnor.

The RMT general secretary, Bob Crow, said the protest against the festival was a "tremendous initiative" and the union agreed to donate to, advertise and encourage the arranging of transport for the protest.

Like last year, the BNP want to use their camp to look like a respectable, family-friendly political party to encourage people to support them. However the leaders of the BNP are convinced neo-Nazis who use racism and many other kinds of prejudice to try to divide working people. It is vital that a movement is built to expose the BNP's divisive, anti-working-class politics and the mobilisation against their camp is an important part of that movement.

The Midlands TUC council has also passed a motion to build for the protest and rally. Speakers at the regional TUC meeting praised the campaign, led by Nottinghamshire Stop the BNP and Nottinghamshire, Mansfield and Nottingham Trades Council, as instrumental in building the pressure that led the local authority and police to oppose the granting of a license for selling alcohol and live music at the BNP event.

However, it was also stressed that it was still necessary to mobilise nationally for the protest. The secretary of the Midlands TUC spoke of an international mobilisation being appropriate, as the BNP 'festival' is held as an international event.