KEEP THE RACIST EDL OUT OF TOWER HAMLETS

Join the United East End counter-demonstration - Sunday 20th June 12.30pm

Stepney Green Park marching to Altab Ali Park

A victory has been scored in East London as the plan by the racist and hooligan English Defence League (EDL) to "hit" Tower Hamlets on 20th June has been called off.

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They planned to protest against a meeting of the right-wing UK Islamic Conference. This event has now been cancelled, and the EDL have called off their protest.

But there is more to it than this. The EDL have organised marches in different towns and cities over the last year against "militant Islam". While they claim to be non-racist, many of their protests have descended into violent racist and Islamaphobic abuse and attacks. According to an investigation by the Guardian newspaper, they are now targeting Muslim communities deliberately.

The threat to invade Tower Hamlets was a huge provocation and was rejected by the vast majority of the local population. On 20^th June they would have been faced by a big demonstration of the local community. Young people in particular were preparing to make it clear that the EDL were not welcome. It is this that has contributed to the EDL backing out.

Nonetheless the community demonstration on 20th June goes ahead to send a clear message to the EDL and the far-right that they should not dare step foot in Tower Hamlets.

This is the first time for 17 years that any racist or far-right organisation has dared to hold a public event in Tower Hamlets. That was the BNP, who were sent packing by a series of united demos of the local community and trade unions, which occupied the site of their ‘paper sale’ in Brick Lane. Youth against Racism in Europe (YRE – now linked with Youth Fight for Jobs) led that campaign alongside the local community.

We are not prepared to go back to those days, when a series of vicious racist attacks took place, including that on Quddus Ali, which only ended when the BNP were driven out of the borough.

We need a united demo which is well-stewarded to keep people who come to protest safe, and prevent police harassing and arresting local young people. This should be led by local trade union and community bodies, to show how outnumbered and marginalised the EDL are, and keep them out of the borough.

EDL are using anti-Islamic propaganda to try and spread racism and division amongst working class people. Many EDL organisers are not just racists but Nazis, who are against rights for women, LGBT people, trade unionists etc.

But their events attract a small layer of young people who are desperately angry at the conditions they face in life and frustrated that no political party listens to them or offers any answers to their problems.

Britain has been hit by the worst economic crisis since the 1930s. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs, tens of thousands have lost their homes. Youth unemployment is almost one million. Even Tower Hamlets council admits overcrowding in Tower Hamlets has gone back to levels not seen since the 1930s. People cannot get decent homes because of mass privatisation of council housing - carried out by the New Labour council.

Now the new Con-Dem government plans the most savage cuts in our public services ever – this means massively more job losses, and a huge hit on education, training schemes, pay, youth services, and much more. It means privatisation of schools, the Royal Mail, and more. The people of Tower Hamlets - overwhelmingly working class

and young - will need a united campaign to fight these cuts by the trade unions and community campaigns. The EDL and the BNP will actively try to divide opposition to cuts on the basis of race or religious identity. In order to mobilise the biggest and most effective opposition to the EDL we must also take up the broader cuts issue that faces the vast majority of people in this borough.

The demo in Tower Hamlets on 20th June should be around slogans such as "Jobs, Homes and Services – Not Racism" to help cut across any support the EDL may get locally. This is a brilliant first opportunity to hold a united working class demo through the borough against public service cuts and for jobs.

The best way to fight racism and fascism is to get rid of the problems that breed them – unemployment, low pay, housing shortages, public service cuts. We can have no faith in any of the main political parties to do this. Young people and workers need to join together to fight for ourselves - join our campaign and fight for your future!