Ten Thousand join Un Anti Racism Day Demo

The demonstration was vibrant, positive, diverse and lively with a range

of different communities including EU migrants from Romania, Bulgaria

and Poland to Roma, Gypsy, Kurdish, Muslim, Christian and other faith

communities joining trade unions, anti-racist, anti-fascist and social

movements.

  The event was a magnificent display of Britain's diversity,

multiculturalism and unity against racism and hatred.

Free Nelson Mandela song writer JERRY DAMMERS included powerful

anti-racist messages rebutting myths on immigration in between songs.

Other artists included JAMIE JOSEPH, GHETTS AND MTV'S GEORGE THE POET

who wrote a poem opposing the Government's "Go home" vans.

  Speakers at the event included DIANE ABBOTT MP who said:

"We are here today to say to the Leaders of all the parties,

Conservative, Lib-Democrats and Labour, 'no to racism and fascism'. We

want the political parties to say 'no to anti-immigrant politics'. We

don't want gutter politics in the run up to the election this May. It is

not immigrants that cause low wages, exploitative employers cause low

wages. It is not immigrants that are a drain on the NHS, without

immigrants we would not have an NHS."

MOHAMMAD TAJ, TUC President said:

"I am an internationalist and I welcome all workers to Europe. What we

have is free movement of capital, but workers cannot move around because

they are Black or Asian or they are Bulgarians. I reject that totally.

The European elections are coming up in May, vote for who you choose,

but do not vote for UKIP. I want to pay tribute to two friends we have

lost. We need more Bob Crows and Tony Benns to inspire us all."

NATALIE BENNETT, Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales said:

"I am an immigrant, but oddly enough I'm the sort of immigrant you do

not hear Nigel Farage complain about very much...Nigel Farage says all

sorts of untrue unfair dishonest things about immigrants and is largely

not challenged. Overall, the three largest parties are not saying 'stand

up against racism' and what they are doing is chasing after Nigel Farage

when what they should be doing is challenging him."

TOMMY TOMESCU of Alliance Against Romanian and Bulgarian Discrimination

said:

"As the economy has worsened the rhetoric has increased against East

Europeans and other immigrants. False claims are made that Central and

East European migrants are benefit abusers, when the truth is they

contribute more than non-migrants. No one challenges these false

stories, which have led to violence, with people and their homes being

attacked. We must oppose the vicious campaigns of Nigel Farage, the

Daily Mail and David Cameron against East Europeans. We must stop the

discrimination."

Relatives of black men murdered in police custody including MARK

DUGGAN'S AUNT CAROL DUGGAN, CHRISTOPHER ALDER'S SISTER JANET ALDER AND

SEAN RIGG'S SISTER MARCIA RIGG spoke out against the failure to bring to

justice those responsible for the killing of their loved ones.

MAZ SALEEM, DAUGHTER OF MOHAMMED SALEEM who was murdered by a Ukrainian

fascist last year spoke of how Pavlo Lapshyn was serving 40 years in

prison under the Terrorism Act for her father's murder and three terror

attacks on Mosques, but the media and politicians did not treat him like

other terrorists.

Other speakers included MAURICE WREN REFUGEE COUNCIL CHIEF EXECUTIVE,

EDIE FRIEDMAN FROM THE JEWISH COUNCIL FOR RACIAL EQUALITY and many more.

For more coverage and pictures of the event see twitter feeds:

@antiracismday and @uaf

For interviews and more information :

  Sabby Dhalu 07794 633 097 and Weyman Bennett 07734 032 312

[email protected] www.standuptoracism.org.uk [1]

www.uaf.org.uk [2]