Now to win hearts and minds

posted by: Nick Lowles | on: Saturday, 25 September 2010, 13:18

Leicester City Council yesterday formally asked the Home Secretary to ban the English Defence League protest on 9 October. The decision was taken following an request and risk assessment from Leicestershire Police. The Home Secretary is due to give her answer early next week.

However, even if the ban is made the EDL is still likely to have a static demonstration in the city so there is still work to be done.

Now the job of anti-fascists is to win the hearts and minds of local people in Leicester. We need to explain why the EDL's racism is a threat to the city and how its attack on the Muslim is an attack on all of us. This means talking to real people in real communities. That is now our priority. Over the next two weeks the HOPE not hate campaign will be taking the campaign to the streets, places of worship and the doorstep in a similar manner to that done in Bradford in August.