Why Vote?

Of course I'm not the first, nor will I be the last Black man or woman to be subject to these types of threats. I remember some years ago that the Far Right Group Combat 18 had targeted a large number of Black people including Frank Bruno's mother. Sadly for all of us Combat 18 and other groups such as the National Front are still plying their campaign of violence and intimidation.

Their website 'Redwatch' testifies to that. The site, which targets anti-racist activist, publishes photos, names and home addresses with the chilling heading: "Remember places, traitors' faces, they'll all pay for their crimes".

What is alarming but not all together surprising is the link between the overtly violent Far Right groups and the British National Party. For a few years now their leader Nick Griffin has attempted, with some success, to re-brand the party away from its thuggish persona to one that is dealing with the every day issues of unemployment, housing and education. The result has been an unprecedented number of local election victories both in the north and the south. But behind the cloak of democracy the race hatred discourse and links with the violent groups are never too far behind. A discourse that seeks to blame society's ills either on those seeking Asylum seekers or long established Asian and Black communities.

To ignore the threat is to allow the BNP to legitimise their racism through the back door. If Black and white voters stay away in the forthcoming Mayoral Assembly elections here in London and the European elections on the same day the British National Party will, due to the proportional representation, gain a seat on the London Assembly and in the European parliament. They can be easily beaten. But it means an unprecedented campaign to ensure the Black electorate votes. Let the main stream parties know your views, hold them to account, but we must vote. We Black people up and down the country do not have the luxury to be apathetic. In many respects our lives depend and our dignity upon us being active.

For more information about the Mayoral and EU elections contact us