The committee organising a call for a peaceful celebration of Aylesbury’s diverse community on May 1st to challenge the ideas of the EDL condemned Aylesbury District Council’s lack of support for the event.

The planned carnival against racism, a music event with speakers from across Aylesbury’s diverse community, had received backing from Aylesbury’s town mayor, the Bishop of Buckingham, the Rabbi of South Bucks Jewish Community, the Racial Equality Council plus PCS, CWU, NUT and UNISON union branches. Organisers have been trying to negotiate a venue in Aylesbury town centre but have been denied council permission.

Julie Simmons of Love Music Hate Racism who has been booking rap artists, bands and DJs to play for free said: “We first approached the council nearly two weeks ago and it has been like getting blood out of a stone in terms of what we needed to do to hold our event – we have organised an event in this time and yet have hardly heard anything in response, though the council has not held back in telling everyone to stay at home.

“We found we had to ask exactly the right question to get an idea as to the process we had to follow. Absolutely nothing was volunteered. Today the Safety Advisory Group made it clear they would not be happy with our plans for a modest event, demanding a level of organisation more suggestive of Glastonbury. It was clear they don’t want the event to go ahead. Meanwhile a gang of known racist thugs can waltz into town and hold their event in Market Square without any objection.”

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Support grows for Aylesbury May Day carnival against racism

Aylesbury May Day Carnival Against Racism Organising Committee press release, 16 April 2010

Support for the Aylesbury Carnival Against Racism to be held on May 1st to challenge the ideas of the English Defence League received a boost in support this week when Cllr Ranjula Takodra, Aylesbury’s Town Mayor, Rt Revd Alan Wilson Bishop of Buckingham and Rabbi Rachel Benjamin joined the growing list of supporters.

The numbers involved in organising the carnival has also grown, with more individuals from Aylesbury’s Muslim and youth communities joining with delegates from the Aylesbury Interfaith Group, Justice4Paps and civil servant (PCS), shop workers (USDAW), teaching (NUT) and postal (CWU) unions who have also brought substantial financial support to the campaign launched by Bucks health branch of UNISON that represents healthworkers.

It was clear at last night’s organising committee that many people in Aylesbury oppose the English Defence League descending on the town to promote their racist views and want to take action against this. The carnival is aimed to focus this opposition in a peaceful celebration of international diversity with a clear message that racism in Aylesbury will not go unchallenged and that the EDL’s ideas are not representative of Bucks people.

Kate Douglas, branch secretary of Oxon and Bucks PCS (DWP) who chaired the meeting said: “We do not believe people should be intimidated off the streets of Aylesbury by the EDL on May Day. We want to see an outpouring of support from the local community with schools, youth groups, campaigns and trade unions making and bring their banners with their messages of solidarity and slogans against racism. Trade unions especially should come out as it is also International Workers Day when unions traditionally stand in solidarity with the oppressed.”

An indication of the growing support in the local community was also seen last Saturday when thousands of leaflets were handed out to a welcoming public with people taking bundles to hand out in their communities. Volunteers at last night’s meeting took on to approach local MPs and councillors and to leaflet youth groups, colleges, community centres and workplaces calling for them to speak out against racism.

Organisers plan the for day to be a colourful contrast to the EDL’s march. Julie Simmons from Love Music Hate Racism said: “We have rap artists, DJs, MCs, bands and solo artists performing for free because they believe passionately that racism must never go unchallenged. We are confident our event will be a vibrant celebration of our many cultures through the fusion of many types of music with speeches from community representatives.”

One area of contention is whether the EDL or the Carnival Against Racism will go ahead in market Square. Carnival organisers have rejected the police suggestion that both events be held in the same place for safety reasons. Yet the carnival organisers do not see why the unrepresentative EDL should be given the keys to the town while Aylesbury people opposed to racism are denied a licence.

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Expose the BNP has the details, and photos.

Salma Yaqoob on the English Defence League:

“Yesterday’s EDL protest in Dudley exposed their true face. Tired of political speeches, many of the racists turned to fighting each other, then the police, before breaking through police lines and heading towards the Unite Against Fascism event. Fortunately the police were able to contain the rampaging thugs before they were able to cause serious damage or injury.

“The EDL mobilised at least 1,000 people in support of a hate-filled agenda of attacks on Islam and Muslims. They carried Islamaphobic placards and chanted ‘If they build a f**g mosque, burn it down’. This is a direct call for racist violence.

“I am quite sure that if gangs of Muslims were maurading through our town centres threatening to burn down churches that special laws would be passed, task forces established, and people prosecuted.

“Let us not have double standards. The EDL are seeking to incite violence against the Muslim community and undermine community relations. They should feel the full force of the law for so doing.”

Over 1,000 people gathered in Dudley town centre on Saturday to attend Unite Against Fascism’s “One Dudley Many Cultures” carnival against racism. The event was set up to celebrate Dudley’s multi-racial society and oppose the presence of the racist English Defence League who had threatened to descend on the town for an anti-Muslim rally that day.

The UAF event was a great success, featuring speakers including the Bishop of Dudley, local Muslim activists, trade unionists and anti-racists. People from all Dudley’s communities attended, together with people from around the country who had come to show their solidarity with Dudley’s Muslim population and their opposition to the EDL’s thugs and bigots.

In contrast, the EDL were marched to a disused car park on the edge of town. There were several violent clashes as they attempted to break through police lines to run riot through the town. Witnesses describe hearing several vile anti-Muslim chants from the EDL, including: “If you build your f—king mosque, we’ll burn it down.”

Sabby Dhalu, joint secretary of UAF, said: “Today’s events in Dudley showed the real face of the EDL. They are a group of organised fascist football hooligans looking for trouble, who broke past heavily policed lines. This was is in contrast to the peaceful celebration organised by UAF, the Dudley Borough Interfaith Network and local communities.

“The EDL were trying to provoke a reaction. They didn’t get one. Over a hundred of them were contained by riot police in the vicinity of the UAF event in order to prevent them from attacking people leaving the antifascist rally. It is high time these fascist demonstrations were banned, and if the law prevents that then the goverment must take action to introduce new legislation.”

Weyman Bennett, joint secretary of UAF, said: “Today was a success for anti-racists and anti-fascists. The EDL were forced to huddle in a car park on the edge of town. They showed their true colours when they unsuccessfully tried to break out and run riot. In contrast UAF and local anti-racist groups mounted a powerful show of unity against the EDL and their friends in the Nazi BNP.

“The policing of today’s events in Dudley stands in sharp contrast to tactics used in Bolton two weeks ago. There the police marched the EDL into the centre of town and attacked the anti-racist protest. In Dudley the EDL were not allowed into the town centre and the anti-racist protest was allowed to go ahead unmolested. The authorities should take note when policing future such events.”

UAF press release, 3 April 2010

Update:  See also Birmingham Mail, 4 April 2010