Statement from OBV

It’s a sad fact that until we created this poster, no-one was willing to engage in a debate on the EU Referendum with the BAME community. Is this true?

In fact, politicians have consistently put race on the EU Referendum agenda in a negative way throughout the whole campaign. Whether it’s been Boris Johnson saying that Barack Obama, the US President, is anti-British because of his “part-Kenyan” heritage, or Nigel Farage’s claims that Labour promoted immigration to “to rub our noses in diversity” both camps, ‘In and Out’, have at times descended into gutter politics demonising people from the immigrant population and those who hold a different religion.

Our ad reflects the toxic nature of this anti-ethnic sentiment back onto the politicians that are creating it, we’re just holding a mirror up to a debate that is already in existence. It was never our intention to offend any community, simply to draw attention to the fact that 4 million potential voters are being negatively targeted by the existing political debate.

And as I know from touring the country, the BAME community is completely alienated and disenfranchised by this. Operation Black Vote exists to ensure we have greater racial justice and equality throughout the UK at all times, and to achieve this, it is essential that the BME community gets out and votes in the EU Referendum.

We urge politicians to take the opportunity that has been raised as a result of our campaign, to engage with the BAME community – in a way that gets them to the polls, whichever way they decide to vote.

Simon Woolley