HOPE not hate blog: A multi-pronged strategy

A multi-pronged strategy

posted by: Nick Lowles | on: Saturday, 13 June 2009, 10:44

Yesterday the HOPE not hate campaign received its 100,000th online supporter. An incredible achievement in fairly depressing political circumstances. In addition, over 66,500 people have signed our online petition.

Now we are turning our attention to the task ahead. We will be following a multi-pronged strategy. Firstly, we'll be looking into the BNP vote. Unless we understand how and why people are voting for the BNP then we'll not be in a position to oppose them successfully.

Our second job is to turn our online support into offline activism so we're in a position to defeat the BNP next time. During the recent elections the HOPE not hate campaign delivered over three million newspapers and leaflets - by far the biggest anti-fascist campaign in British history. Now we need to build an even bigger movement and this must be directed at the communities where the BNP polled its biggest votes. There is a temptation to chase the BNP about but we cannot let them set our agenda. City centre activities, pickets and demonstrations will have little if any influence on the views of those communities where BNP support is strong. Delivering regular and localised material in those communities is essential.

Finally we'll be trying to influence public policy. As was clearly evident in these recent elections there is a limit to what anti-fascist campaigns can achieve. The reasons for the BNP vote need to be addressed and that involves public policy. Part of this will be trying to debunk the myth that the BNP vote is a protest vote - as too many politicians like to believe (or like us to believe).

I'll be spelling out our strategy in far more detail in the July issue of Searchlight. However, drop me a line if you have any thoughts about what we should be doing.

Posted: 13 Jun 2009 | There are 3 comments

Comments

Comment 1 | From: ESLaPorte | Date: 13 June 2009, 12:29

Do not become divided over tactics. Sure - some people will throw eggs and you cannot control individuals. Do not let that divide you! We all have a common cause here - as the BNP DO have admirers here in the US and this threat affects all of us on both sides of the Atlantic.

Comment 2 | From: Epping Forest BNP Watch | Date: 13 June 2009, 12:39

1. The juvenile egg throwing pseudo-militancy has to stop and greater efforts should be directed towards getting sensible figures speaking to the television media; any use of anti-fascist groups for other political ends or party recruitment should be strongly discouraged as it alienates people. 2. Serious efforts must be used to set up seed groups in every constituency and supported with information and Word document templates, including article suggestions, they can adapt and use for their own locally-based campaigns and leafletting. We need to also share information on how local groups have succeeded in rolling back the BNP. 3. When the BNP comes out with some lies about non-white people getting preferential treatment for housing or the amount of money actually spent on diversity programmes, there should be a rapid response and refutation with facts - in my experience, the BNP has won the propaganda battle because the mainstream has ignored their lies rather than challenge them.

Comment 3 | From: Steve | Date: 14 June 2009, 19:30

Although I didn't agree with their aims we need to take a leaf out of the book of the Israeli propaganda machine. During the attack on Gaza there were committed articulate activists bombarding radio and tv talk shows with a consistent line ad naseum, at the moment there are a stream of racist lunatics having a field day on talksport, any answers etc without much challenge.

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