'United We Stand'Unite Against Fascism Wales Newsletter Summer 2014

email: secretary@uafwales.com web: uaf.org.uk tel: 07704 356894

➥page 2supported by:

Islamic Societyfor Wales

Thankyou & GoodNight: Griffin loses page 2

➢➢➢page 2➢➢➢Elections 2014: The

Analysis of the Results

Standup toUKIP racismAfter theelections:

KIP was formally launched in 1993. To join it you needed to agree to thefollowing statement:“It is a non-sectarian, non-racist party with no prejudices against foreigners orlawful minorities of any kind. It does not recognise the legitimacy of the EuropeanParliament and will send representatives only to the British Parliament inWestminster.”

After Farage took control in 1999 this pledge was dropped. Why would a politicalparty, late in the 20th Century, drop a commitment to anti-racism and a pledge tooppose prejudice? Because it had been hijacked by racists.

Farage and the NF

Prior to the 1997 General Election nazi National Front (NF) members were notallowed to join UKIP. On Farage's watch they were welcomed. His election agentin the 2005 election was Martin Neale, formally NF organiser in Hammersmith.

And, as for “not recognising the legitimacy of the European Parliament”? Farageand his mates are wallowing in it.. He boasted to European journalists that he'dalready claimed £2 million in expenses from Brussels.

Man of the people?

He is not, as the press tries to present him, a “man of the people” just becausehe knows which way up to hold a pint of beer. He is, and always has been,entrenched in the British political elite. Public school. Oxford University. A careeras a stock-broker. Long-term member of the Tory Party, which he left becausehe thought the Tories too left wing.

The day after the Euro elections of 2014 Ed Milliband was quoted in the pressclaiming that Farage was not a racist. He must have been talking about adifferent Nigel Farage of his acquaintance. Alan Sked, the original founder ofUKIP, recalls discussing the type of candidates UKIP needed to stand in the1997 General Election. Farage was in favour of standing hard-line NF members.Sked disagreed, and quotes Farage's counter-argument: “There's no need to

U

Nigel Farage: leader of UKIP

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2 unite against fascism wales

After the electionsworry about the nigger vote. The nig-nogs will nevervote for us.”

In the Euro elections UKIP came either first orsecond in every Council area in Wales. They are notgoing to evaporate. They could well also concentratethe fragmented fascist groups in Wales, give them asafe haven and provide them with a ready audience.

Tax-rises under UKIP

Many voters don't realise that UKIP stands for a flat-rate income tax for all tax-payers of 31%. A massivetax hike for workers and a huge bonus for the rich if itwas implemented. Farage's own wealth, according toa Daily Mail enquiry, is in an off-shore account, toavoid paying British taxes.

UKIP believes in smashing workers' rights, such asmaternity leave,. It believes in stemming immigrationfrom the EU, yet Farage's' wife is an immigrant fromthe EU (she's German). Farage himself is descendedfrom immigrants. Is Farage a common name in yourcycling club or your trade union?

UKIP & austerity

In Wales the principal officers of UKIP are all whitemen. Apart from two, all are small businessmen .They are not 'Ordinary Joes'. Crucially for Wales,where the public sector employs so many, UKIPwants public sector workers sacked.

Lastly, on the NHS. Farage was disappointed thatOsborne's budget in 2013 didn't use “shock and awecuts” in the public sector. Yet this is the creature whoclaims that shortfalls in the NHS, and in socialhousing, are created by immigrants.

Please sign and circulate the statement issued bySUTU.

““public sector jobs are takingmoney out of the economy...Ihope hundreds, thousands ofjobs will be lost...You will neverunderstand UKIP until youunderstand this point.Former investment-banker and UKIP economicspokesperson Geoffrey Bloom

Fascists booted outUnite Against Fascism is celebrating the news thatNick Griffin and the British National Party (BNP)lost their only European Parliamentary seat. Thisdefeat shows that the majority of people in theNorth West rejected the BNP's message of hate.

We do not believe that the defeat of the BNP wasprimarily down to people shifting their vote to UKIP.The BNP saw its first major electoral setbacks in2010, well before we saw the electoral rise of UKIP.The fascist BNP was defeated by countlessnumbers of anti-racist and anti-fascist activistsdelivering hundreds of thousands of leaflets door todoor exposing the BNP and their message of hate.

Both the BNP and Britain First (a fascistorganisation that split from the BNP) stoodcandidates in Wales and over 14,000 people votedfor them. Although this is well down on the 43,000votes they got last time we cannot be complacent.Meanwhile the Nazi British Movement is targetingyoung people in the South Wales valleys anddrawing them towards racism and fascism. UAF willcontinue to be vigilant and to mount protestsagainst Nazi organisations wherever they try toorganise in Wales.

UKIP and the move to the rightThe shock results for UKIP in both the localelections in England and in the EuropeanParliament elections, where they came 2nd inWales, with 28% of the vote, mark a dangerousshift to the right in British politics. UAF does notbelieve that UKIP is a fascist party, but it is a racistparty and one that has to be challenged. UAFWales supports the setting up of the Stand Up toUKIP campaign and urges all members to set up orget involved with local groups campaigning againstUKIP's racist and anti-working class agenda.

The turn out for the Euro elections was low - only32% in Wales. UKIP's vote only represents 8-9% ofthe electorate as a whole, so we shouldn't blowthings out of proportion, but we do need to tackletheir racist agenda head-on if we are to ensure thatthey don't win seats at the general election.

Who voted for UKIP?A poll just after the elections showed that just overhalf of UKIP voters had voted Tory in 2010, whilenearly a fifth had voted Lib Dem. Around 15% hadvoted Labour in 2010. Of course some voters also

switched from BNP, althoabove, this was not the mof the BNP.

Of course, many people selections as a chance to creturn their allegiance to tgeneral election 2015. Buexpose UKIP for their racpolicies (flat rate incomematernity pay, scrappingto mention a few) to ensuelectoral increase.

The response of the maThe fall-out from UKIP's sdestabilisation of the mainsearch for an effective resparties have rushed to claon immigration - a definite

A new wave of IslamophAnti-racists should be verlevel of islamophobia beinTories and the press ovehorse' affair in Birminghamand their friends in Fleet Son how racist they can becommunity demonised as

Down and out: Nazi Nickseat as an MEP thanks tocampaigning by UAF and

Julian Goss

unite against fascism wales 3

s: a dangerous shift to the right

ough as is pointed outmain reason for the defeat

see local and Europeancast a protest vote and willthe main parties in theut we need to work hard tocist and anti-working classtax of 30%, scrappingsick leave and holiday payure we begin to halt their

ainstream partiessuccess has been thenstream parties as theysponse. All three mainaim that they will be hardere shift rightwards.

hobiary concerned about theng whipped up by ther the so-called 'Trojanm's schools. As the ToriesStreet try to out-do UKIPe, we are seeing a wholes 'extremist', with

'extremism' being conflated with terrorism. There isno evidence of any plot to take-over schools, yetschools with a high proportion of Muslim pupils inother areas of the country are now coming underscrutiny. As MP Diane Abbot pointed out at UAFnational conference on 14th June, if it's a goodthing for white middle-class parents in London totake an interest in their children's schools bybecoming school governors, why is it a bad thingfor working-class Muslim parents to do so?

Disgraceful coverage, such as the front page of theSpectator magazine, is adding to the portrayal ofMuslims as outsiders.

UAF Wales totally condemns the demonization ofour Muslim brothers and sisters and recognises thedangers of allowing myths about the nature of Islamand the behaviour of Muslim pupils, teachers,parents and school governors to go unchallenged.We recognise that the attack on the Muslimcommunity in Birmingham is racism, pure andsimple, and we will not allow these lies to gounchallenged.

The build-up to the General Election - what canyou do?

Join UAF Wales and get involved in your localUAF groupUKIP topping the polls and the government attackon schools in Birmingham could embolden fascist

groups to use racism and islamophobia to rebuildhate campaigns. That's why UAF is important. JoinUAF and get involved in your local group.

Stand Up to UKIPUKIP will be trying to win its first MP in parliament.We must stop them! There will be a demonstrationin Doncaster outside UKIP's party conference inSeptember. For details visitwww.standuptoukip.org.uk

Build 21 March 2015 UN anti-racism daydemonstrationFollowing the success of #M22 2014, next year'sUN anti-racism demonstration, scheduled only 7weeks before the general election needs to send astrong anti-racist demonstration to the politicalparties.

Organise a local public meeting and contact UAFWales secretary@uafwales.com

Organise in your workplace, trade union andcommunity to come to next year's demonstration.

No to a racist general election campaign!Unfortunately in response to UKIP topping the pollin the Euro elections, many politicians are arguingthat we need to restrict immigration and some havesuggested withdrawing child benefit from migrantworkers. Therefore it is likely that political partieswill be out-bidding one another in attacks onimmigrants in the general election campaign.

Do not let your MP get away with this! Write to yourMP and complain his/her party's position onimmigration. For details of campaigns visitwww.standuptoracism.org.uk.

Campaign against racism in the mediaAre you tired of negative media coverage ofimmigrants and Muslims? Do you think NigelFarage and UKIP receive too much mediacoverage?If the answer is yes - complain! Get details of howto complain from media websites.

k Griffin lost histo years ofd others

The full launch statement and all initialsignatories are available on the Stand UpTo UKIP website. You can add your nameto the statement here:

http://www.petitions24.com/standuptoukip

Kris Hedges

Honorary President: Peter Hain M.PChair: Ali Ahmed Vice-Chair: Maggie Simpson

Treasurer: Amarjite Singh Secretary: Julian Goss Liaison: Kristina Hedges

‘The threat from the BNP and fascist groups in Wales is real and immediate.They bring division to our communitiesand all thinking, compassionate people should oppose them. Now is the time to mobilise on an all-Wales basis, tomeet the threat from these racist, fascist thugs as it arises.’ Peter Hain MP

Name/organisation ................................................................................Email..................................................................Address .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Phone ................................................................................................Union ......................................................................

UAF Wales annual membership fees are: Individuals: £5 and £2 for concessions Organisations: Local £20, Walesunfunded £40, Wales funded £100 Return to: UAF Wales, 271 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff CF51JB

Join UAF Wales!

Over 400 people stand up to UKIP, racism andfascism: a report from the UAF Conference

ver 400 people attended the After the Euro elections:stand up to UKIP, racism and fascism conference. The timelyconference responded to the high vote received by fascistsand far right parties across Europe, in particular Le Pen’sFront National in France and UKIP topping the polls. A packedconference hall heard a broad range of speakers argue thatfar right and fascist organisations should not be conceded towith anti-immigration rhetoric & policies and Islamophobia.

Claude Moraes MEP noted that we have a ‘complex andtough battle ahead’. Of 700 MEPs elected only 7 are blackMEPs but 79 come from fascist or far right parties.

In France the fascist Front National topped the polls, Jobbikthe Hungarian Nazi party came second and Germany electedits first Nazi MEP. Marine Le Pen has established a fascistgroup in the Euro parliament with representatives from 8countries while the Tory party has welcomed MEPs from thefar-right Danish People’s Party and True Finns into its Eurogroup.

The FN now has 24 of the 74 French MEPs which adds to its11 mayors and 5,000 councillors across France. NathalieLevallois, from Partie de Gauche, explained that Marine LePen’s tactic is to make the FN respectable, aiming forgovernment and to rule France. She thought the true nature ofFN would be exposed by actions of local mayors andcouncillors. Habib Gniengue, from the French students’union, reported that recent student anti-fascist demonstrationschallenged the notion that the FN is ‘ordinary’. Every racistpolicy or statement of Le Pen needs to be challenged and theurgent task in France is to organise a consistent anti-racist/anti-fascist campaign.

Petros Constantinou from KEERFA, the Greek anti-fascistcampaign, said that Golden Dawn secured 9.4% of the votebut is a fascist party in crisis with its leader and 6 MPs inprison though GD has financial support from elements of bigbusiness. There has been significant anti-fascist activity - a

general strike against the fascists, a 50,000 demonstration on22 March, intense activity from trade unions to keep fascistsout of schools, hospitals and shipyards and on farms whereBangladeshi workers were shot at by bosses.

Anti–austerity parties in Greece received 34% of Euro votesand also made advances in Spain and Ireland. But Petrosargued that as well as a social alternative to the crisis, a unitedanti-fascist movement is needed to defeat the Nazis.

The defeat of Nick Griffin was welcomed. Tony Kearns,Deputy General Secretary of the CWU, recognised that racismhad been consistently challenged by UAF in the North Westand that the EDL has been defeated by UAF mobilisations onthe streets.

Writer Owen Jones described the rise of UKIP is as ’a greatthreat to an accepting and divergent society.’ Fascist andracist parties in Europe are pushing mainstream parties furtherto the right on racism. The ‘Trojan Horse’ situation inBirmingham expressed ‘real hatred’ that ‘will affect thecommunity for the rest of their lives’ and Talha Ahmad of theMuslim Council of Britain emphasised the ‘need to challengethat kind of bigotry’.

Racism needs to be challenged on every occasion to stopUKIP making it acceptable again. In the coming period weneed to continue to challenge fascists on the streets and at thesame time develop a political analysis and strategy thatrecognises that mainstream governments are being pushed tothe right on racism. We must continue to build on thesuccesses of UAF and work with anti- fascists across Europe.

Owen Jones' speech:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9xTGKdo4nQClaude Moraes MEP speech:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvzpU7ZqLFgJean Lambert MEP speech:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-XaE8Arsqg

O

Maggie Simpson