Latest anti-Nazi news from Jarrow

The BNP “Truth Bus” was outside Morrisons this morning, parked illegally on a double yellow line! It was in fact a transit van with a poster on the side (Bring our troops home) and a loud hailer on the top. And it was very loud – so we dutifully phoned the police to report this nuisance.

They had a stall again but there were more of us than them, so we had a successful couple of hours leafletting and got a mostly positive response, with many people saying they were relieved we were there and weren’t letting the BNP have the whole public space to themselves. Today’s action was called by Tyne and Wear Left Unity and we were giving out leaflets from Unite Against Fascism North East and Hope Not Hate.

Unfortunately though we are hearing that canvassers are finding a fair amount of support on the doorstep for the BNP. The BNP have been making an impact as they have been bringing in people from Co. Durham and Tessside to work in the ward. And many people feel betrayed by Labour. But we are asking people to vote tactically to keep the BNP out.

One of the Hope Not Hate leaflets has a chilling piece on what Nick Griffin has been saying about Haiti “Sending aid to rioting ingrates while our own people die is stinking elite hypocrisy.”

Contrast that with the call for solidarity on the Luna 17 blog and the evidence of media distortion and hyping up of the level of violence.

And as Peter Cranie asks

“What kind of appalling international economic system leaves people in continued poverty in large sections of the world? We know the answer…”

The BNP must not win their first council seat in the North East, in Jarrow of all places. The Jarrow marchers must be turning in their graves…

Never again….

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day and a group of children from my school went to take part in the local event. This day always brings me back to being 15 and meeting my school friend’s dad, who was a holocaust survivor. I have just found his testimony on the Holocaust Memorial Trust website. Roman Halter had become an artist and architect, and showed me his studio with haunting pictures. He lost all his family and it had such a huge effect on me to hear his story, to meet someone who had lived through these unimaginably horrific events.

Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) commemorates the tragic loss of life in the genocides of World War II, in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur. HMD is held on 27 January, the anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT) exists so that we learn the lessons of the past to build a better future now.

Light the virtual candle on their website and become part of The Legacy of Hope.

And let’s redouble our efforts to defeat the threat of fascism now, we cannot allow the BNP, a party of holocaust deniers, to win a council seat in our neighbourhood.

Anti-Nazi action today

The campaign against the BNP in Primrose began today with a street stall in Jarrow outside Morrisons. Called by Unite Against Fascism North East, a dozen of us turned out to run it. We gave out UAF and Hope Not Hate leaflets, and Show Racism the Red Card football posters (which were very popular!).

The BNP were also there with a stall, some in bomber jackets but some in suits, including their candidate. The suits disappeared after a while and we then heard from people arriving to do their shopping that they were out leafleting the ward.

This ward is a key target for the BNP – they got 32.9% at the last elections there in 2008, coming second to Labour by only 324 votes.

UAF will be running street stalls regularly and leafleting the ward. Supporters are asked to give time and/or money to this urgent campaign.

Contact UAF NE to get involved: uafnortheast@gmail.com

Donations to UAF North East c/o Newcastle and Gateshead Unemployed Workers’ Centre, 4 Cloth Market Newcastle NE1 1EE

By-election forced

So there will be a by-election in Primrose, forced no doubt by the BNP, but all of us who oppose their racist, fascist ideology must now work together to prevent them winning. It is clear that people angry and disillusioned with Labour, who really have failed the North East, will want to protest. But we must make it clear that a vote for the BNP will not bring any real change for the better. On the contrary, the evidence is clear that whenever the BNP have won a council seat, racist violence goes up in that area.

We must urge voters in Primrose to cast their vote for people who offer hope not hate. There will be candidates other than Labour and Tory to choose from. Our Green candidate will be officially selected on Monday, so more news then.

There will be crucial work done in this by-election by Unite Against Fascism, Hope Not Hate and Tyne and Wear Anti-Fascist Action TWAFA.

No pasaran! We must not let the BNP win their first council seat in the North East!

“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing” Edmund Burke

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out.

Pastor Martin Niemoller

Sunshine after the rain (and snow)

The sunshine today was a very welcome chance to get out into the garden. I wanted to see how things have fared through the arctic spell of weather, especially in our  mini-allotment in the front garden (created as our first transition town project). Amazingly the onions and the strawberry plant have survived fine, perhaps being blanketed in snow protected them. We had eaten the kale and cabbage before the snow arrived – and they tasted great – as had the sprouts which we harvested on the second workday and shared with Anna and Tony.

Terry, my supportive (including technical support) husband, has almost finished editing the video footage of the first workday, but in the meantime here’s some photos of the second workday.

Digging our second raised bed

Finished and ready for planting

Ready for the dinner plate

Our planning meeting last Sunday at Bede’s World was a bit hampered by the deep snow – we had to postpone the tour of possible sites for a permaculture demonstration. But the six of us who did make it had a productive discussion, with Bill Quay Farm and Groundwork now involved, as well as Bede’s World. Hoping also for involvement of Marine Park park rangers and the libraries. We are planning a skills sharing day soon – we already have skills such as veg growing, pottery, beer-making, rug making and aromatherapy amongst ourselves, and we want to spread the word to see what else we can share. We also want to show films such as the Greenpeace “A time comes” about the Kingsnorth activists. We will be updating our leaflet and producing posters, so if you can distribute or put up any do get in touch.

Oh yes, and we have a website now.

Latest news on the anti-fascist meeting

The Ben Lomond pub has now cancelled our meeting, “shortage of staff” was the reason given. But the BNP were out in force yesterday with a stall in Jarrow and leafletting, and because the meeting was publicised in the Gazette, there may be a connection…

Anyway we will not let them have Jarrow as their territory, so watch this space for news of where the meeting will be!

Update on Jarrow anti-fascist meeting

Doh! Sorry for any confusion caused by lack of date for the meeting in my post last night. Put it down to post-Ofsted inspection exhaustion (we had our grilling Monday and Tuesday this week).  However, I would have had to post an update today anyway because there’s been a change of venue. Jarrow CA have decided the meeting is too political and have cancelled it.

So we will now be at the Ben Lomond pub, Grange Road West, Jarrow (formerly the Viking Bar) – same time 6pm on TUESDAY 19 JANUARY.

Please do pass this info on to any anti-fascists planning to come.

Fascists on the doorstep – again…

The BNP have been active in Primrose ward, where they came second at the last elections in 2008. They have been out leafletting several times since xmas, because unfortunately there will be a by-election there soon.

This is because of the sad news of the death of Councillor Barrie Scorer just before Christmas. This will probably be called at the next full council meeting on February 25th, for 6 weeks after that.

A meeting has been called by South Tyneside Unite Against Fascism to build a broad coalition to stop the BNP being elected onto our council. It will be at Jarrow Community Centre at 6.00pm.

We need to work together to give people positive reasons to vote and use their vote to keep the BNP out.

Peace on earth…..

Happy New Year! Wish it could be a peaceful one too, though that looks even less likely with the latest warmongering about Yemen, and the ongoing war in Afghanistan of course, plus all the other wars, conflicts, occupations….

So a new year’s resolution for me is to be more active again in the anti-war movement this year. With the general election campaign already underway, I will be focusing on holding our MP David Miliband accountable as Foreign Secretary of a government and of a party which once upon a time promised an ethical foreign policy. And indeed I will be standing against him in the election to offer voters the chance to vote for a radically different set of policies.

My lack of posts for the last few weeks was due to a dose of flu followed by a trip for xmas down to Kent to my mum’s, then new year with friends in York.

So just to catch up with what I was up to in December:

We had a successful second workday to construct another raised bed in our Transition Town project – ie my front garden.

The vigils for a real deal in Copenhagen were wonderful events, with over thirty people at each, but the grey politicians failed us, complacently fudging a woefully inadequate deal. So please just vote some Green ones in this year!

I joined a wonderful community choir Making Waves over the river in Cullercoats – very good for the soul.

Plenty going on already this year, with a Keep Metro Public campaign meeting tonight to plan how to continue to work together to monitor the privatised metro and to campaign on wider public transport issues. This is a priority for us as Greens, being both a central part of a real Green New Deal, delivering green jobs, and an issue of social justice.

This Thursday night (7th) there’s a meeting of Tyne and Wear Left Unity looking at the broad range of campaigns in the region, where we have achieved success and what we could all learn about working together more effectively and gathering more people to be involved. It’s open to all, from 7 – 9 pm in St John’s Church Hall, Grainger Street, Newcastle.

On Sunday 10th we are having the next South of the Tyne Transition Town meeting at Bede’s World, Jarrow, from 2pm, starting with a tour of possible plots for permaculture demonstration and other food growing projects, then the meeting from 3pm. We hope to start up a technology and film-making group too.

A busy year ahead – as an optimist, I’m trusting it will be a green one for everyone.

Two vigils this Saturday!

There will now be two vigils as part of a global wave of vigils on Saturday calling for a real deal in Copenhagen. The call has gone out on the global activist network Avaaz. Bring candles or solar/wind up lights and posters. There will be a statement from Avaaz that we can take turns to read out.

The first is the one I signed up to host at 5.30pm at Monument. We will have Green New Deal and local leaflets to hand out too.

The second is organised by another member of Avaaz, Nick Greenwood, at 6.30pm on the Quayside, corner of King Street, in front of the Tyne Bridge. He has suggested that people can then go for a pint or a cup of tea along at Ouseburn afterwards.

Hope to see you at one or both!