Campaigning on every front

posted by: Nick Lowles | on: Friday, 9 October 2009, 13:17

The HOPE not hate campaign is really picking up a momentum at the moment and this weekend our activists will be out across the country. This afternoon we will be holding a vigil at Manchester Cathedral to spread a positive message of unity and tolerance ahead of the EDL protest tomorrow. We've handed out almost 20,000 leaflets across the city in the last three days so a big thank you to everyone who got involved, especially Unison and Thompsons Solicitors.

Nationally almost 7,000 people have signed our letters to the Daily Mirror and the Guardian, which is phenomenal given that our initial sign-up email only went out yesterday afternoon.

There are a number of key council by-elections happening next week. In Cannock, Staffordshire, activists will be out delivering a hardhitting leafleting exposing the BNP candidate as a nazi. In Yorkshire dozens of HOPE not hate activists will be out in Barnsley delivering our final leaflet ahead of Thursday’s crucial by-election. This really has been a model campaign and if we are successful in defeating the BNP, which I hope we will, then we’ll certainly be using it as good practice. Barnsley is one of the BNP’s strongest areas and it has been organisationally weak for us. However, this has changed through the campaign and I’m confident that we’ve got the nucleus of a great group there.

Activists are also delivering leaflets in Barking & Dagenham and in the south London borough of Bexley.

Finally, this weekend sees two more of our Organising Academies, in Liverpool and Preston, which will hopefully result in the establishment of several more HOPE not hate groups and, more importantly, local activity. It is encouraging to see so many new people getting involved via the internet and from new areas for us as well. Due to rising demand we will be putting on a third training event in Manchester in the near future.

Next weekend I’m in the North East so if anyone out there is interested in becoming a local HNH organiser or activist please drop me a line.

Finally, I'm pleased to announce the formation of HOPE not hate Scotland. We are organising a training day up in Glasgow on Saturday 31 October and we have a number of activities already planned.