HOPE Not Hate in Burton on Trent

Searchlight | Friday, 30 January 2009

Over fifty people attended a HOPE Not Hate public meeting in Burton on Trent last night (Thursday)

An enthusiastic cross-party crowd heard speeches from local MP Janet Dean, PPC Ruth Smeeth, Alan Weaver from the TUC and Searchlight's Matthew Collins.

There was a livey discussion from the floor about migrant workers, with some people agreeing with the panel that migrant workers are being used to undercut local workers and that this is going to become a more testing issue in the months to come. The meeting agreed wholeheartedly that it would not allow these workers to be victimised by the BNP. The fascist party has already put out material attacking migrant workers and this appears to have gone down poorly in the local community.

Matthew Collins from Searchlight told the meeting that "as is their historical wont, the BNP are trying to find mileage in attacking people who are little more than modern-day slaves.

"Decent working conditions and fair pay have never been high on the BNP's agenda for anyone, regardless of their colour or nationality. The issue of class and a united working class working together to overcome injustices in the workplace terrifies the BNP and shows how scant is their regard for British workers."