This nation of tolerance

This is a country of unparalleled tolerance, the envy of many other European countries.

A nation built on difference, where people of all colours and religions rub along together day by day. That’s why today, we are launching the Daily Mirror Hope Not Hate campaign – to celebrate modern Britain.

Over the next fortnight our red double decker bus will be coming to you – bringing a message of Hope to communities across the country.

Travelling from London to Glasgow via Dagenham, Thurrock, Northampton, Leicester, Nottingham, Lincoln, Sheffield, Oldham, Manchester, Liverpool, Wrexham, Dudley, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Blackburn, Burnley, Keighley, Bradford, Leeds, Sunderland and Newcastle – this is a celebration of the Britain we live in.

Just look at the restaurants on any high street – Indian, Chinese and Bengali, Turkish and Thai, fish and chip shops, bagel bakeries, pubs and pie shops, cafes and takeaways. Just look at our vibrant cities – great melting pots of cultures, where you can hear a dozen languages on any street corner.

Look at our schools, where children grow up together unaware of the colour of each other’s skins. Look at our army where black, Asian and white soldiers fight together on the frontlines.

What would London be without the Notting Hill Carnival, Brick Lane’s world class restaurants or Chinatown? Where would Leicester be without it’s Golden Mile or Birmingham without its Baltis?

Imagine Arsenal without Thierry Henry, cricket without Monty Panesar, rugby union without Jason Robinson and British boxing without Amir Khan, Frank Bruno and Errol Bomber Graham. Imagine British high streets without Marks and Spencers

Everything about Britain – our soap operas, our pop charts, our novelists and actors, the men and women who read the news – shows the diversity of our nation. This is the Britain admired by people overseas – a draw for tourists and a huge part of what won our country the Olympics.

We hear a lot about the ways in which multicultural Britain isn’t working – often from extremists who have a vested interest in replacing tolerance with prejudice and violence. At last year’s council elections the BNP doubled the number of council seats it holds by telling carefully placed lies, hiding their message of hate behind a ‘respectable’ veneer.

This May, let’s kick them back out again.

Because the everyday reality is that our multicultural society does actually work. We all know that, because whether we’re looking out of the window or talking to a colleague, eating our dinner or listening to the radio, supporting our favourite football team or watching Coronation Street, we can see it working every day of our lives.

This month sees the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery, the moment when the MP for Hull William Wilberforce led parliament to end a deplorable chapter in our history. Two centuries on, our commemorations of that moment should also include a determination to kick racism out of Britain wherever it raises its ugly head. And at the same time, let’s celebrate just how far we have come.

Mirror

Hope not Hate

More items from Mirror's Hope not Hate supplement

Murders that still haunt Rio

Loyal to the flag

Cheering our great Britons

Future face of Britain

The stars speak out

Footie got kids on side

Way to go

COME along and climb aboard as our Hope Not Hate bus spreads its message of goodwill across the nation. Setting off from Dagenham on Saturday, March 23, it will criss-cross the country until it reaches Glasgow on Good Friday, April 6.

At each stop celebs will be out to show their support and we’ll be holding food festivals, staging concerts and giving out T-shirts, mugs, rosettes and postcards.

Check the newspaper and website every day for details of where we’ll be and bring your friends and family. Look in the paper tomorrow for details of day one in Dagenham and Thurrock and Leicester on Sunday. Thank you for your support.

Bus Tour dates

Saturday, March 24 - Dagenham & Thurrock
Sunday, March 25 - Northampton & Leicester
Monday, March 26 - Nottingham & Lincoln
Tuesday, March 27 - Sheffield
Wednesday, March 28 - Oldham & Manchester
Thursday, March 29 - Liverpool & North Wales
Friday, March 30 - Dudley & Birmingham
Saturday, March 31 - Stoke-on-Trent
Sunday, April 1 - Sandwell
Monday, April 2 - Blackburn & Burnley
Tuesday, April 3 - Keighley, Bradford and Batley
Wednesday, April 4 - Leeds & surrounding area
Thursday, April 5 - Sunderland & Newcastle
Friday, April 6 - Glasgow

The Daily Mirror backs HOPE not hate campaign

We are pleased to announce that the Daily Mirror is supporting the HOPE not Hate campaign. Today's edition carries an 8pp supplement celebrating modern diverse Britain and opposing the politics of hate.

On Saturday a HOPE not Hate bus, organised by Searchlight and the Daily Mirror, will begin a 14-day journey across the country. It will start in Dagenham on Saturday morning and end in Glasgow on Friday 6 April. Along the route we shall be joined by national celebrities and visit local community groups at the forefront of offering a positive alternative to the BNP. Click here to see the route map.

The campaign is being backed by X-Factor winner Leona Lewis, boxer Amir Khan and The Apprentice's Alan Sugar.

You will be able to follow the tour via our Hope not Hate bus tour blog and picture gallery.

Jon Cruddas, MP for Dagenham and joint secretary of the Anti-Fascist Fortnight steering committee, told Searchlight: "This is really exciting news. The support of the Daily Mirror takes our campaign onto a new level. I would urge everyone to get involved."

HOPE not Hate literature

Searchlight has produced a range of HOPE not Hate literature which local groups and unions can distribute. These include newspapers, leaflets, postcards, posters, balloons and badges. View the merchandise here.

Anti-Fascist Fortnight

Over the next two weeks there will be anti-BNP activities across the country. It is really important that we translate opposition to the racist views of the BNP to positive action. If we are going to prevent the BNP from winning council seats then we need to get anti-BNP literature out through doors. Please do you best to spare some time to help out. You can view the activities here.

£8,000 to defeat the BNP: Please support Searchlight

Searchlight still needs to raise £8,000 to fund its campaign. Every penny raised will go straight to our campaign fund. The more money we raise, the more we can do. The more we can do, the more we can stop the BNP. The more we can stop the BNP, the better life will be. It's that simple.

We would like to thank those who have already given generously and we would urge others, especially those who are unable to attend our activities, to support the campaign through a donation.

To donate to the campaign click here

You can download a fundraising leaflet here

Get involved If you would like to get involved in the campaign or want to know what is happening in your area email me at nick@stoprthebnp.org.uk

TOGETHER WE CAN BEAT THE BNP

Hope not Hate