'Stop the fascist BNP' Protest - friday, Bath

bristol | protests | announcement Tuesday May 19, 2009 12:45 by Matt Banning - Bath Activist Network bathactivistnet at yahoo dot co dot uk www.bathactivistnetwork.blogspot.com

A call out for all groups and individuals opposed to the BNP to join a protest in Bath this Friday

SMASH THE FASCIST BNP!

FRIDAY 22ND MAY, 6PM, QUEENS SQUARE, BATH

This friday (22/05) sees the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution play host to local fascist and BNP candidate Jeremy Wotherspoon. As a result, Bath Activist Network and other local groups are calling for the largest possible demonstration to oppose this. We are calling for everyone who is disgusted by the fascist policies of the BNP to meet at 6pm on Friday the 22nd in Queens square, Bath to oppose the spread of the fascist lies and hatred propogated by the BNP.
Bath Activist Network is an umbrella group and hope to make the protest as inclusive as possible, providing a space for people of all political backgrounds and tactical preference.
many of us in BAN hold a 'no platform' position. This means that we do not believe that the BNP should be given the chance to spread their hatred and lies. We believe in peoples right to say and do what they like, until those words of actions are designed to infringe on the freedom of somebody else to do the same. In the case of the BNP, their freedom of speech is used to spread racial hatred, encourage racial violence, deny the holocaust and preach for a society of racial division and white supremacy. Wherever the BNP gain a foothold, racially motivated attacks, vandalism and abuse skyrocket - this is what the nazi BNP hope to achieve with their 'freedom of speech'. We are not willing to sit back and allow this. We also want to spread the message that in these hard times of lying and corrupt politicians and greedy banks and bosses, a vote for the BNP is not a 'protest vote' - its is a vote for fascists, plain and simple. If we want to change
society for the better, we cannot rely on scumbags like the BNP, Labour or Tories, we must do it ourselves.
The last time the BNP held a meeting in bath, it ended in shambles, with the Bath Uni students passing a 'no platform' motion. Banned from the campus, the BNP tried to hold a 'secret' meeting in town which ended with Nick Griffin and 10 hangers on being chased from pub to pub before being allowed a five minute speech in an empty park!
It is vital that we continue this resistance to fascism and the BNP and hope you will join us on friday to continue this tradition and join together with people from all backgrounds to demand an end to the nazi BNP.

Please help to build this protest by passing this callout on and spreading information to friends and collegues.

For more information, please contact Bath Activist Network on bathactivistnet@yahoo.co.uk, or by calling us on 07794774938