Fighting the far right

Love Music Hate Racism

ON A wet Sunday afternoon tens of thousands of people turned out for the Love Music Hate Racism Carnival (LMHR) in east London’s Victoria Park.

Neil Cafferky

The free music festival marked the 30th anniversary of Rock Against Racism that organised in 1978 at a time when the neo-Nazi National Front were gaining support throughout Britain.

This year LMHR took place at a time when the far-right British National Party (BNP) are trying to win a seat on the Greater London Assembly (GLA) on 1 May.

Unsurprisingly most people seemed to have little interest in the GLA elections but a significant minority were keen to get involved in campaigns against racism and the BNP.

The large crowds illustrate the anti-racist majority that exists nationally but a political movement that can tackle the root causes of racism like poverty and inequality is urgently needed. A mass party of the working class with socialist policies would be the best weapon against the BNP and their ilk.

Socialist Party members distributed a leaflet calling for a protest if the BNP get a seat on the GLA. Check the news on the evening of Friday 2 May and if they have won any seats assemble outside City Hall on the South Bank near Tower Bridge at 3pm on Saturday 3 May. We demand jobs, homes and services not racism!