BNP - Red, White & Blue Festival
I was proud to be part of the Stop the BNP march and rally that took place last weekend in protest against the “Red, White and Blue Festival” that was being held in our village (Denby) for the second year. Last year those living nearby didn’t want any fuss in the hope that the BNP would just go away. They didn’t. To all our dying shames last year only one protestor turned up. Ignoring the BNP and hoping they will go away was a tactic that didn’t and clearly doesn’t work. So when they announced their plan to return, it was important to send a message – especially from us locals - that they were very unwelcome.It was important that the demonstration was a peaceful protest against the BNP - as epitomised by Notts Stop the BNP and Love Music, Hate Racism. And while it was pleasing that many other organisations sent representatives in solidarity, any hopes of it remaining a single issue event was inevitably lost as party-agendas reared their heads, paper sellers went into overdrive, collection tins rattled, petitions thrusted and all socialist-linked organisations showed again how it is so adept at repeatedly shooting itself in the (left) foot.
The militant anti-fascist activists from Antifa who were seemingly intent on physical confrontation with the BNP but found it only with police as they ran across land next to the festival site and for which they were arrested seems to have played straight into the BNP’s hands who could look all hurt and intimidated and point the finger at the REAL (always in caps for some reason) troublemakers. And, unsurprisingly, any media coverage that was going – concentrated on the clash between police and protestors. Although it was interesting that the Daily Star on Sunday photographer – by luck or by tip-off? -just happened to be in the vicinity when it all kicked off.
On a less violent level but equally irritating, The Socialist Workers Party were up to their usual hi-jacking-any-event-going tricks and, as for the Amber Valley Revolutionary Communist Party, well he was getting on everybody’s nerves. But at least the anarchists looked good in black (if somewhat out of sorts with the early start).
I was particularly proud of my children who made up their own placards the night before: my six year old deciding that she wanted to come along because she thought it was unfair that the BNP were unkind about non-white people – and decided that BNP stood for “Bad Nasty Pooheads” – and put that on her own placard – adding that they should be “banned forever – definitely!” - much to the delight of almost everyone we met on the march. My other daughter, eight years older, was equally well-received within the rally with her home-made version of what she felt the letters BNP should stand for: “Ban Nasty People”. Even our dog, a four month old wire-haired dachshund, came along proudly leading the “German Dogs Against Nazis” section.
I was also delighted that the group Chumbawamba (now in an acoustic folk guise) turned up at the march – on their way back to Leeds from a gig in Shrewsbury. It’s a sad reflection on our society that their song The Day the Nazi Died about the memorial marches that take place on the anniversary of Rudolf Hess's death in 1987 is still a necessary - and albeit brilliant - part of the band’s live playlist.
However, despite some fun and comraderie, any locals that did join the march were left bewildered by the occasional calls (or shouts) by mostly white, middle class men for revolution, smashing the Labour Party and building a united (a word used without a slither of irony) party for the disenfranchised working classes. Those locals that had come were for the most part just wanting to say they didn't really want racists celebrating their communal hate in our village, thanks; not itching to sign up to a party to dismantle the imperialist state.
Annoyingly, it meant that the BNP were getting, as far as they were concerned, some good coverage. The local paper, the Ripley and Heanor News, on its website proudly boasted an exclusive video interview with BNP leader and holocaust denier Nick Griffin. As “Chairman” he wields complete organisational authority having “the final decision on all matters” – an odd state of affairs for a supposed democratic party you might think. The thoughts of Chairman Nick went unchallenged by the reporter (in the interests of balance, no doubt) as the supreme leader explained that this event is something they all look forward to - “especially the kids”. It makes your blood chill.
The biggest local paper, the Derby Evening Telegraph, gave the event front page coverage along with two more inside pages. The paper was refused access to the site because, says BNP’s deputy chairman, Simon Darby, of “their inability to report accurately”.
In its coverage of the rally - Left Wing Activists Clash with Riot Police – the Evening Telegraph’s reporter did speak to me and I was quoted in the article. However, the quote selected made me appear something of a Nimby; which wasn’t the main reason I was there – as I told the reporter at the time: “Geographically the event may well be in my back yard but morally it’s in all our backyards”.
The most important lesson for me from the day was that nobody should be fooled by the BNP’s veneer of respectability or its family-friendly (“the kids especially”) public image. When it refers to its support and defence of the “indigenous” population of this country – it means the white population. Its entire reason for being in existence is based on race – and its claim to be “non-racist” is dangerously misleading.
It seeks to feed on genuine widespread concern about jobs, homes and law and order – and land the “blame” for these in the lap of ethnic minorities (who despite only making up less than 8% of the UK population at the time of the 2001 census are, according to the BNP manifesto, set to make white British people “an ethnic minority in our own country”). Indeed, on the BNP website there is the suggestion that protestors’ banners should not have read “Jobs and Houses – not Racism” but “Immigrants = No Houses”.
The Red, White and Blue festival is not about celebrating Britishness, it’s about celebrating a BNP vision of Britishness: one that is marinated in racism and hate. The Britain I celebrate is a Britain that is based on equality and respect. For that reason I did not and do not want to see the festival in a field in my village; and nor do I want to see it anywhere else.
20 Aug, 2008 | graham | Leave comment - 1404 -
Welcome to Do The Right Thing
Hello and welcomeIt is with delight, excitement and unprocessed anxiety - in roughly equal measure - that I greet the arrival of our brand new website.
I want to thank all those people involved in making it happen (which in truth is just me and our designer Jude). So, thanks everyone!
I intend to use my blog to talk about the joys, despairs, highs and lows of running my own company: number of employees: 1 (me); and to pontificate imperiously on not just the areas that Do The Right Thing covers (domestic violence, the use of the arts in social and health care, communication, and regulation) but on social care in general. Hopefully it won't sound too much like "grumpy old social worker" but I fear it might.
Hey ho.
12 Jul, 2008 | graham | Leave comment - 1343 -