On Saturday 23rd February, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (a.k.a. Tommy Robinson) and his supporters will be attempting to demonstrate outside the BBC in Salford Quays. This is apparently in response to a Panorama episode that has been made, which Robinson feels paints him in a bad light.
Our UNISON Branch has a proud history of standing up the Far Right in Salford. You may remember our successful efforts to prevent the BNP from ever meeting in any of our Council buildings, while they were equally unsuccessfully trying to win seats on the Council.
Protesting against the Far Right is not about attacking free speech. It is about recognising that wherever they go, their actions cause violence and division. If those of us who oppose racism and bigotry, don’t turn up to at least oppose the racists, it sends a message to our colleagues and neighbours who may not fit into the Far Right’s narrow view of what the country should look like, that they are on their own and will have to face such attacks on their own.
Challenging the Far Right has always been a duty of trade unionists, especially as now they are starting to attack workers’’ picket lines, as with the RMT in Manchester a couple of weeks ago.
Below is flyer for the counter-protest next Saturday. Please make every effort to attend and please spread the word amongst your friends, family and colleagues. We want to present a Salford that is very different from the one the likes of “Tommy Robinson” would like to see. We will be looking to do some leafleting to build for the counter-protest next week, so if you think you could help out, please let us know.