BNP make Barking racist Capital of UK

OBV with a national, black and anti-racist coalition including the National Assembly against Racism, the 1990 Trust, Unite against Fascism and local groups in Barking will now call a crisis summit meeting in the borough.

The summit will call for an unprecedented show of unity of Barking and Dagenham's diverse communities. The summit will call Black and white communities to fight the scourge of injustice, inequality and poverty that affect all sections of the community, and on which the BNP and their racism thrive.

The BNP won 11 seats on the council out of a total of 51. They now make up the official opposition on the Council. OBV and the anti-racist coalition will be writing to the Council requesting to send a delegation to the first formal Council meeting. It will also be monitoring the situation in terms of the rise in racist attacks and the delivery of services to black communities.

OBV warned major political parties to accept their culpability in making the BNP appear a more credible and respectable party by creating a political vacuum for the BNP to occupy. The BNP also received free National publicity when Government ministers including the local MP Margaret Hodge played up their chances.

Simon Woolley, Director of Operation Black Vote said: "The UK elections have provided a devastating blow proving the dangers of complacency and the need to stand up and be counted. There were many good people who stayed at home today because they didn't think it made a difference. Now we know that every single vote counts. This lesson has had to be learnt the hard way. It is also a warning to major political parties to temper their language and not feed the vitriol that has legitimised the racists. One BNP MP is one too many."

Ashok Viswanathan, OBV Assistant Director said: "The BNP have made Barking the pariah borough of the Capital and the racist Capital of the UK. Racist attacks will increase, businesses will leave and a dead zone will be created if black communities do not fight back. We will mobilise a wide coalition that will forever ensure the BNP do not get further up the political ladder. They won't last long if we make an unprecedented fight back starting today."