By Make no mistake about it, the English Defence League, whether linked directly to the BNP or not, are a racist organisation whose attempts at stirring up hatred in communities must be halted before a tragedy occurs.
In a week where Manchester has become the centre of the political landscape with the Tory conference and running battles in fringe meetings about discussions about homophobia and anti semitism occupying much of the blogosphere, it is appalling about how little the upcoming protest in Manchester on Saturday appears to have been discussed. Not just on the right but the left.
With much discussion and planning taking place in preparation for the Unite Against Fascism demo at Question Time in the coming weeks when Nick Griffin will almost undoubtedly shoot himself repeatedly in the foot as he defends indefensible policies, counter protests against the EDL in Manchester seem to be an afterthought.
In 2001, when communities in Bradford, Oldham and Burnley were ripped apart by race riots, the undercurrents of racial hatred and fractured communities shocked the public. 8 years on, sadly it doesn’t seem much has changed. The far-right still appear to have a hold on communities that feel let down by a Labour government who never ask them how they are. That’s why the BNP and groups such as the EDL are growing in popularity. They take advantage of unrest in communities and prey on a fear of being forgotten by the political class.
It is crucial that we rise to this challenge. We need to combat the lies of the BNP and the EDL with direct engagement by senior politicians with those who feel forgotten. No area of the UK should be bypassed just because “they won’t vote” or “they won’t be interested.” If we start to engage, conversations will begin and misunderstandings about race, religion can be tackled. It’s a long process but one that must start now before the situation gets worse and before groups such as the EDL become the adopted voice for divided communities.
If we wake up on Sunday and the front pages of the newspapers are full of photos of Islamaphobic thugs and violent protests, it will be partly the fault of the political class and our own government for not listening to the rumblings within our communities.
“We tried our best” can no longer be a good enough answer.
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