UAF National Response

Demonstrate in London outside the BBC on Thursday 22 October! The BBC has confirmed that it is inviting Nick Griffin, leader of the fascist British National Party and a man with a criminal conviction for denying Hitler's Holocaust, onto its flagship Question Time programme on Thursday 22 October in London.

Unite Against Fascism condemns the BBC for extending an invitation to a Nazi. We are calling a demonstration outside Question Time to show our opposition to Griffin and to the BBC's shameful decision to grant him a platform.

We encourage all anti-fascists in the London area to come to the demonstration and to apply for tickets to the Question Time audience. We are also encouraging people around the country to organise protests on the day outside their local BBC offices.

Weyman Bennett, joint secretary of UAF, said: "The BNP is not a normal, democratic party. It is a Nazi party whose political agenda is to destroy democracy and wipe out ethnic minorities in Britain. By granting Griffin a primetime platform the BBC is in practice helping to legitimise the BNP and its politics of race hatred."

Sabby Dhalu, joint secretary of UAF, said: "We unequivocally oppose the BBC's decision to invite the fascist BNP onto Question Time. Giving fascists a prominent platform simply encourages their thugs on the streets to engage in racist, Islamophobic and homophobic violence."

Leeds UAF will shortly post details about a protest in Leeds against the decision of the BBC.

Leeds Unite Against Fascism is holding a rally to celebrate multicultural Leeds on Saturday 31st October outside the Art Gallery on the Headrow at midday. We are also calling for the banning of the anti-Muslim protest planned by racist bigots, including the English Defence League (EDL) in Leeds city centre on the same day.

There are four immediate steps you can take:

1. Circulate the statement below condemning the EDL and email Leeds Unite Against Fascism to add your name as a supporter of the statement.

"We the undersigned strongly oppose plans by the 'English Defence League' - a group linked to the fascist BNP - to demonstrate in Leeds city centre. The EDL is a racist group dedicated to attacking Asian people and Muslims. Islamophobia - bigotry against Muslims - is as unacceptable as any other form of racism. Its aim is to divide us by making scapegoats of one community, just as the Nazis did with the Jews in the 1930s.

Today they threaten the mosque, tomorrow it could be a synagogue, temple or church. Today they threaten Muslims, tomorrow it could be Jewish people, Hindus, Sikhs, black people, lesbians & gay men, travellers or Eastern Europeans. There is no place for Nazis, racists or the BNP in Leeds multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious community.

We call on the Home Secretary and the police to ban the EDL action.

We also urge people to attend the peaceful ‘Celebrate and defend multicultural Leeds’ rally to be held outside the Art Gallery on Saturday 31st October at midday."

2. Publicise and attend the rally called by Leeds UAF on Saturday 31st October in the city centre outside the Art Gallery on the Headrow at midday.

3. Please write to the Home Secretary, the local council and police calling for a ban of the EDL racist action.

The Home Secretary, The Home Office, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF

Cllr Richard Brett, Leader, Leeds City Council, Civic Hall, Calverley Street, Leeds, LS1 1UR Email: richard.brett@leeds.gov.uk

Chief Constable West Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Police Headquarters, PO Box 9, Laburnum Road, Wakefield, WF1 3PE

4. Invite a speaker from Leeds Unite Against Fascism to your trade union, community or faith group. Please email info@leedsuaf.org.uk

Leeds UAF will be organising a wide range of activities over the coming months. Please see the website for regular updates and email info@leedsuaf.org.uk for further information and to offer support.

1 October at 7pm - Love Music Hate Racism - A meeting for teachers/workers in schools to organise events/interest among pupils in schools at the West Park Centre on Spen Lane, Leeds.

6 October - Student meeting at Leeds Met - further details to follow.

11 October - Support Barnsley UAF campaign against the BNP in the crucial upcoming by-election. Please email info@leedsuaf.org.uk if you would like to share transport to Barnsley from Leeds.

16 October - "Celebrate and Defend multicultural Leeds" leafletting in Harehill (meeting outside the Atma Centre on Hares View at 13:30.)

19 October - leaflet Elland Road at the Leeds v Norwich City football match (meet outside the co-op on Beeston Road at 18:30)

22 October - Protest against the BBC inviting the BNP onto Question Time (From 5pm outside the BBC at 2 St Peter's Square, Leeds, LS9 8AH)

23 October - "Celebrate and Defend multicultural Leeds" leafletting in Harehill (meeting outside the Atma Centre on Hares View at 13:30.)

24 October - Leaflet Leeds City Centre - 11am-1pm

26 October - Local meeting in the Bangledeshi Centre in Harehills at 7pm.

30 October - "Celebrate and Defend multicultural Leeds" leafletting in Harehill (meeting outside the Atma Centre on Hares View at 13:30.)

31 October “Defending multicultural Leeds from the racist EDL” – Meet outside the Art Gallery on The Headrow at 12pm

Further stalls to held in Harehills, Headingley, Chapletown and Beeston. Please check the website regularly for further details and email info@leedsuaf.org.uk for further information and to offer support.

We are appalled by the BBC's decision to invite Nick Griffin, leader of the fascist British National Party, onto its flagship Question Time programme. Griffin is a noxious racist and neo-Nazi. He has a criminal conviction for incitement to racial hatred for publishing an antisemitic magazine that denied the Holocaust.

The BBC justifies its actions by claiming that the BNP should be treated just like any other party. But no other party has a "whites only" membership policy. No other party burns golliwogs at its "family festivals". No other party has a history of deep involvement in Nazi politics and supporters with a record of organising racist violence against minorities.

The BNP is not a democratic political party. It is a fascist organisation that should be shunned by wider civil society. As a publicly funded body, the BBC in particular has a duty to oppose racism. Black, Asian, Jewish and LGBT people pay the licence fee too. It is their rights to live free of hate that the BBC should be protecting, not those of BNP bigots.

Like all fascist organisations the BNP craves respectability and pretends to be democratic in order to further its real agenda of attacking democracy and spreading bigotry. By inviting Griffin onto Question Time the BBC is playing into the BNP's hands and thereby, however unintentionally, aiding the fascists.

We call on the BBC to stop rolling out the red carpet to racists and stop giving succour to the BNP by inviting its bigots on to our airwaves. The BBC should reverse its decision to invite Griffin onto Question Time – and start taking a robust stand against racism and fascism.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Sign this statement by sending an email marked "Question Time" to unite@ucu.org.uk

Complain to the BBC by phoning 03700 100 222 or the BBC's online form

Join the Facebook group protesting at the BBC decision

Take the UAF petition round your workplace or community

Make a donation to Unite Against Fascism

Anti-fascists were jubilant after over 2,000 protesters marched and rallied in Codnor, Derbyshire, against the British National Party's "Red, White & Blue" rally being held in area that weekend. A full coach travelled from Leeds to join other UAF groups from around the country in Codnar.

The main body of the protests involved a 1,500 strong march from Codnor Market Place up to the site of the BNP's festival of race hate. A separate group of 500 anti-fascists occupied road a junction in the nearby village of Denby, causing severe disruption to the fascist event and at some points blockading it completely.

The two groups of demonstrators joined together in the afternoon outside Crosshill Church in Codnor for a united march back to the market place.

One of the favourite chants on the day captured the spirit of unity against the BNP: "We are black, white, Asian and we're Jew / And they're many, many more of us than you."

Earlier in the day there were sets of protesters occupying both ends of Codnor-Denby Lane, thereby "kettling" the BNP rally and preventing any BNP members or their guests from getting to the event. Protesters came in coaches from across the country, from Glasgow to Portsmouth.

There were angry scenes at the entrance to the "Red, White & Blue" as the anti-fascist march was prevented from marching past the site by lines of police vans, officers and horses. But by and large the protesters were confident and good-humoured but resolute in their opposition to the fascists.

Unite Against Fascism is aware of around a dozen anti-fascists arrested on the day, mostly those involved in occupying road junctions. We believe that such tactics of non-violent direct action are a legitimate response to the BNP's racist thuggery and we do not believe anyone should be arrested for such actions.

Weyman Bennett, joint secretary of Unite Against Fascism, said: "This was a great day for anti-fascists. We brought more protesters to Codnor this year than the numbers the BNP managed to attract to its 'festival' of race hatred. They had fewer people attending this year because the protests drove away their softer supporters.

"Protesters also managed to cause real disruption to the event by making it difficult if not impossible for the BNP's supporters and guest speakers to get into the event.

"Today we saw what can happen when black and white, young and old, Muslim and Jew, gay and straight, come together in unity to fight the fascist BNP. We now need to build this anti-fascist movement in every locality where the Nazis are active – and drive the BNP out of town."