Youth against racism

On Saturday 21 June Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR) has called a national demonstration against the racist British National Party (BNP). Youth against Racism in Europe (YRE) supporters want to ensure that the demonstration is as effective as possible.

All who oppose racism should plan to attend. YRE played a leading role in 1992 in the successful campaign against the BNP's headquarters in Welling, and to stop the BNP's paper sale in Brick Lane. YRE also has sister campaigns across Europe, especially active in Greece, Belgium and Germany.

Below is an extract from a letter sent recently by YRE to LMHR to make proposals to this end.

Contact YRE on yrehq@yahoo.co.uk / 020 8558 7947 / PO Box 858, London, E11 1YG for leaflets, posters and more info.

To: Love Music Hate Racism,

We welcome the call for a national demonstration on Saturday 21 June. It is absolutely vital that the mass opposition that exists to the British National Party and their racist and xenophobic ideas is mobilised. The BNP winning their most prominent position in terms of a seat on the Greater London Authority (GLA) will have angered a lot of trade unionists, young people and others across the country. On the day of the results and outside the first GLA meeting with BNP AM Barnbrook, Youth against Racism in Europe co-organised action which mobilised over 100 people. We contacted Love Music Hate Racism, Unite Against Fascism and others to try and involve them in these protests, in order to build a campaign against the BNP based on united action. [...]

We are therefore writing to formally request that the demonstration on 21 June is a joint event between LMHR and YRE. This demonstration should be organised through democratic coordination, bringing together the trade unions, NUS and campaigning students' unions, and all other anti-BNP and anti-far right campaigns [...]

We propose that one of the main slogans of the demonstration is 'jobs, homes and services, not racism'. We think that this slogan will play a key role in the campaign against the BNP and in halting and reversing their growth in political support.

We look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible,

Yours,

Naomi Byron, England and Wales YRE secretary