Let’s chase the racist EDL out of east London

It was standing room only as activists came
together at the anti-EDL rally (Pic: Kelvin Williams)

Activists are ready for a huge march to confront the English Defence League (EDL) when it tries to come to east London on 3 September.

That was the clear message as some 600 people crammed into the London Muslim Centre in east London for a rally against the racists on Friday of last week. The meeting was organised by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) and United East End.

Roses were handed out to people as they came into the room and held aloft during a minute’s silence in solidarity with the people of Norway. Three trade unionists and socialists travelled from Norway to address the meeting. They got huge applause.

Randi, a public sector worker, told the meeting, “People immediately tried to blame Islam for the attacks in Norway. This attack is an attack on us all—the working class and the labour movement.”

The speakers on the platform reflected the meeting itself. There were experienced and first time activists, Muslims, Jews, Christians and socialists, LGBT people, disabled people and others.

Former London mayor Ken Livingstone said, “Londoners came together 75 years ago to stop the fascists in what was then a predominantly Jewish area. We must come together to stop their successors now.”

Leon Silver, from the local Nelson Street Synagogue, was defiant.

“The fascists don’t get it,” he said. “We are united in our diversity and mutual respect.”

Tazmin Ali, a school student in the borough, added, “Growing up in Tower Hamlets, I’ve never faced major racism. People here are accepting of other people.”

Rebecca Shaw from the LGBT group Rainbow Hamlets, which works closely with the East London mosque, told the meeting, “I say to the EDL: LGBT people may be part of your agenda—but you are not part of ours.”

While a number of speakers spoke in favour of banning the EDL march, everyone agreed to march against the EDL.

Socialist Worker says we must confront fascism on the streets, not rely on the state.http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=25575

Martin Smith from UAF and Love Music Hate Racism agrees. He said, “They say Breivik is the devil’s spawn. But where did that spawn grow? In Angela Merkel’s attack on multiculturalism, in Sarkozy banning the veil in France, and when David Cameron said Muslims have failed to integrate here. I don’t want to upset the meeting — but I don’t trust Theresa May.”

Omer Ahmed from the Council of Somali Organisations, said, “Somali immigrants have been fighting racists since the race riots of 1919. It is outrageous that the prime minister has not said a word about this EDL march.”

Adrian Newman, Bishop of Stepney, added, “Martin Luther King said, ‘Our lives begin to end when we stay silent about things that matter’. This matters.”

The EDL must be confronted on 3 September, and not be allowed to rampage through the heart of the East End.

National demonstration against the racist EDL: Assemble from 11am at Weavers Fields, Bethnal Green, London, E2 6HW. Go to www.uaf.org.uk for transport details.

Socialist Worker

Thanks to NewsHound for the heads-up

Livingstone turns spotlight on BNP 'threat'

Ken Livingstone’s campaign today turned the spotlight on the threat of the British National Party gaining a seat on the London Assembly.

The Mayor was out campaigning in Holloway to draw Londoners’ attention to the BNP threat. The BNP needs just five per cent of the vote to gain representation on the 25-member Assembly.

Ken Livingstone’s campaign said: "One of the things at stake in this election is London's future as a united diverse city, where all communities and individuals feel they belong. The British National Party is a direct threat to that unity. There are some policies where it is easy to see the BNP's fascist roots – the ban on building mosques, the wearing of the veil in public and housing allocation based on racial discrimination.

"They try to combine this bigotry with more mainstream-sounding policies to try to win votes but the true character of the BNP is extreme right wing politics. Like all fascist parties the BNP seek power with populist policies but their aim is to divide communities and foster hatred and violence.

"London's diversity is a major strength in the modern globalised world. Any kind of electoral success for the BNP would be a blow to London's economic future as well as to the harmony of our communities. We have to get across one simple fact: there's only one way to stop the BNP, which is by actually going out to vote against them. A low voter turnout will help the BNP get elected. For the fascists, success means getting a five per cent of the total London vote. The higher the turnout the harder it is for them jump the five per cent hurdle."

Singer Billy Bragg said: "The BNP will be relying on two things on election day: the anger of their supporters to propel them into the voting booth and the complacency of those who feel comfortable with a diverse London. Although small, the presence of the BNP on the London Assembly would give legitimacy to racists in the capital. Every vote cast for Ken Livingstone helps keep the BNP out."

At his campaign launch, Ken Livingstone was joined by Doreen Lawrence, the mother of murder teenager Stephen Lawrence who said: "Ken has fostered a culture where London's communities are treated with respect. The clearest sign of that is that racist attacks have fallen by over 50% since Ken has become Mayor despite going up in the rest of the country. That makes a real difference to the lives of many, many Londoners."

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BNP told to stop publishing 'The Londoner' leaflets or face possible legal action

The Mayor Ken Livingstone has told the British National Party it could face legal action if it continues to publish leaflets called ‘The Londoner’.

The British National Party is distributing a leaflet across London, misleadingly titled ‘The Londoner’. The front cover features the headline ‘The changing face of London’ with a photograph of Asian women and the words ‘Is this what you really want?’

The Mayor publishes a monthly newspaper called ‘The Londoner’ which is distributed to homes throughout London. The Greater London Authority has been the registered owner of ‘The Londoner’ trademark since 2002 and the British National Party has blatantly disregarded the rights of the GLA.

A legal letter to the British National Party states: “The GLA believes that you are intentionally trading on the goodwill of the GLA in the trademark of ‘The Londoner’ by using a trademark which is confusingly similar to ‘The Londoner’ and that the use of the trademark, does, or is intended to, confuse or mislead members of the public.”

The letter demands that the British National Party cease and desist from using the trademark and remove from circulation any publication using ‘The Londoner’.

The Mayor Ken Livingstone said: “The Londoner has been published for eight years and is a well-known newspaper across the capital. It is a disgrace that the BNP has deliberately chosen to trade on our good name by calling its outrageous propaganda The Londoner. Londoners should be clear that there is absolutely no link between the newspaper they receive each month and this offensive BNP leaflet.”

London

Mayor slams Hitler t-shirt

London Mayor Ken Livingstone joined with Holocaust survivors this week to condemn t-shirts glorifying Hitler on sale in Camden Market. The garment, being sold in Camden Market Hall, displays a picture of Hitler performing a Nazi salute above a list of countries he invaded, describing the war as a “European Tour.”

Livingstone said the t-shirt gives a bad impression of London. He told TJ: “There is no case for selling these t-shirts, which aim to make money by exploiting the horror of Nazism, under which millions were killed.”

Holocaust survivor Roman Halter added: “It is terrible that people find this sort of thing appealing. Holocaust survivors felt the memory of Hitler was buried with his death, but nowadays fame is equated with infamy.”

Gerry Gable, editor of anti-fascist magazine Searchlight, said: “This kind of money making out of a war that killed more than 30 million people is appalling. What kind of impression must it make not only to Londoners but the hundreds of thousands of tourist who visit that market every year.”

But Myles Parker, manager of Camden Market Hall insisted that the t-shirt was not offensive or in bad taste. He said: “I think it is satirical. People may also be offended by some pro-Israel t-shirts on sale or items with Che Guevara. It’s a sensitive subject but where do I draw the line, these t-shirts are clearly geared at adolescents, they can be notoriously cruel and heavy handed.

“The person with the stall has only been there for 3 or 4 weeks, he is not a political person. I don’t find that particularly offensive, but if somebody has an objection they should raise it with the trader. I can empathise with people’s viewpoints but it is not breaking any laws.”

Totally Jewish

Anti-racism music festival moves to Finsbury Park

The anti-racism music festival, 'Rise: London United', which going to take place on Clapham Common in South London on Sunday July 15, will now take place in Finsbury Park, North London.

The decision to the change the venue was taken in order to ensure the scale and range of activities at Europe's largest anti-racist festival could be maintained.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone said: "Although we wanted Clapham Common to host this year's Rise: London United, it would have been necessary to reduce the number of stages and the event would have been smaller.

"I hope we can stage the festival on Clapham Common in the future. In the meantime, in a period when even greater numbers need to show they are opposed to racism, I would like to invite people living in south London, as well as across London to come Finsbury Park on 15 July, to reinforce the message that all Londoners stand together and will not accept racism in the most diverse city in the world."

Cllr Lib Peck, Cabinet member for environment and culture on Lambeth Council, said: "We fully endorse the Rise festival and while it is a shame that it’s not possible to hold it in Lambeth this year, the council supports the decision to move it to Finsbury Park.

"It became clear that the festival was too large to be held safely on Clapham Common without scaling it down, so the decision to move it was sensible and the right one.

"I hope as many people as possible from Lambeth will still attend the festival to show, as Londoners, their support for harmony and diversity and abhorrence of racism in all its forms."

Rise: London United is a free event backed by the Mayor of London, Trades Union Congress, National Assembly Against Racism and diverse community organisations.

This year's festival will feature a wide range of music, performance and other activities. Past performers include De La Soul, Graham Coxon, Common, Buzzcocks, Roy Ayers, Sway and the Wailers, with stages featuring African, Asian and Cuban music, Dub and hip hop DJs, comedy acts and the annual Poetry Slam organised in conjunction with the Poetry Society.

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