Protestors tell the BNP they are not welcome during town centre rally

Protestors held a town centre rally urging people not to vote for British National Party at the local council elections.

A crowd of more than 120 people marched from Hastings Pier to Robertson Street on Saturday handing out leaflets and waving banners as they went. When the march reached the town centre organisers Hastings Against Fascism invited a host of local political figures to address the crowd, which by that time had swollen to more than 200.

Among those who spoke was Hastings and Rye MP Michael Foster. He told the crowd: "The British National Party is not wanted in Hastings. Their message is one of hate and intolerance."

LibDem parliamentary candidate Nick Perry was another who spoke out against the BNP - as did borough councillors Peter Chowney, Trevor Webb and a representative of the Public and Commercial Services Union. Labour leader cllr Jeremy Birch was another who voiced strong opinions.

He told the gathering that the issue of the BNP in Hastings would have a negative impact on the future of the town.

He said: "How can a town like ours which welcomes thousands of foreign students each year and visitors from every corner of the globe afford to get a reputation for intolerance and discrimination. Those visitors will just go somewhere else. Just as we are regenerating the town and trying to attract in investment and jobs how can we afford to get a reputation of intolerance. Those investors will just go somewhere else with more harmonious and peaceable."

The event had been quickly organised by concerned local residents after the Observer broke the news that the BNP would be standing four candidates in tomorrow's borough council elections.

A spokesman for Hastings Against Fascism said: "It was a successful day and it certainly got our message across. Hastings Against Fascism is here to stay and will continue to organise anti BNP events to raise awareness about the racism and hate it is trying to spread."

Despite the protest the BNP was confident of making major inroads in tomorrow's elections and no less a figure than national leader Nick Griffin has identified Hastings as one of the party's main electoral targets.

Hastings and St Leornards Observer