Author: By Nick Lowles | Date: July 2010

Bradford Together A community campaign to stop the EDL

HOPE not hate Yorkshire is leading a campaign against a planned English Defence League protest in the city over the August Bank holiday. Called “Bradford Together”, it seeks to force the Home Secretary to block attempts by the EDL to invade the city and in the process build better community relations.

Organising around a simple petition, the campaign has already won the support of leading figures in all the political parties, the Bishop of Bradford, the Muslim and Sikh communities, leaders of the Chambers of Commerce and trade unions.

The determination to stop the EDL protest has been heightened because of the events of July 2001, when a small fascist incursion into the city centre led directly to riots, the scars of which continue to haunt the city today.

“We simply cannot afford to allow a repeat,” says Paul Meszaros, of HOPE not hate Yorkshire. “Our city suffered for years and another disturbance could be even more damaging.

“That is why we have to act.”

The campaign aims to demonstrate a huge public rejection of the politics of hate. “We want to build a really cross-community campaign,” adds Paul. “We want 25,000 people signing the petition. We want to show that the people of Bradford – white, Asian, Christian, Muslim, young and old – want hope not hate. We want to unite the whole civic society in opposition to the EDL plans.

“How can the Home Secretary ignore the wishes of a whole city? We simply do not believe that Government cannot act. There are some who talk about the protesters’ human rights and freedom of speech, but what about the human rights of the people of Bradford not to live in fear?”

The campaign organisers also see the Bradford Together initiative as an opportunity to bring the city together, to develop better relationships and understanding between groups.

“We all live in this city so let us find what unites us rather than divides us.”

The campaign will be taken into the local community through a roadshow, the local media and faith networks. “We want to involve ordinary people in this campaign. If we are to have any chance of forcing the Home Secretary to act it will be through a massive show of our strength of feeling. How can they ignore tens of thousands of people?”

Several trade unions have already agreed to distribute campaign material to all their members in the city, faith groups have committed themselves to speak to their congregations and local action teams will take the petition to shopping centres and estates.

However, organisers are also conscious of their own responsibility to defend the city. “We don’t want to hear talk of counter demonstrations or confrontations. People who live in the city remember what happened before and know that we cannot afford a repeat of 2001.

“But more importantly, we are not considering counter-demonstrations because we are confident that we can build such a huge campaign, involving so many people, that the EDL will not be coming to Bradford in late August.”

Click here to sign the petition to stop the hate march in Bradford

> Home < | > Print friendly < | > back < | > top < |