- Conference
- 2008 National LGBT Conference
- Date
- 23 July 2008
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference notes with concern that in the 2008 local elections the British National Party (BNP) made a net gain of 10 seats in England and Wales, bringing their total number of seats to 55. In London the British National Party (BNP) crossed the 5% hurdle needed to get a “party list” seat on the Assembly.
Nonetheless, these results were significantly below the BNP’s own forecasts. Conference salutes anti-fascist groups such as Unite Against Fascism (UAF) and Searchlight, in addition to the work of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), UNISON, and our regional lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups – including Greater London’s work with the Southern and Eastern Region of the TUC (SERTUC) LGBT Network to produce and distribute anti-BNP leaflets specifically targeted at LGBT communities.
Conference believes that UNISON has a crucial role to play in fighting the far right.
Conference notes that the 2009 European elections will be another battleground for the BNP, but acknowledges that whilst short-term and reactive election focused work can produce some positive results, only long-term, sustained and proactive strategies will ensure the far right is comprehensively beaten.
Conference further notes with disgust that – on the very date of the annual UK Black Pride festival – the BNP hosted a (much smaller) ‘red, white and blue’ event.
Conference therefore calls on all regional groups to include an anti-far right campaigning action plan in their annual work plans and to include anti-far right campaigning as a standing item on their agendas, and instructs the National Committee to:
1.Develop a comprehensive long-term and proactive strategy for campaigning against the far right and to report on this (and processes for monitoring progress) to LGBT Conference 2009;
2.Promote increased coordination and sharing of good practice by requiring regional representatives to the National Committee to provide an update on anti-far right activity and campaigning in their regular regional reports to the National Committee;
3.Encourage regional groups to include an anti-far right campaigning action plan in their annual work plans and to include anti-far right campaigning as a standing item on their agendas;
4.Continue to work with the Labour Link and the General Political Fund, in liaison with the other national self organised groups, to explore further ways of joint working on a long-term proactive basis, including looking at how anti-far right education and campaigning can be mainstreamed;
5.Continue to work with the Trades Union Congress, Unite Against Fascism, Lesbian and Gay Coalition Against Racism, Searchlight and LGBT Labour and to explore further ways of joint working on a long-term proactive basis.
6.Work with local activists to campaign against BNP events and activities, and to continue to support UK Black Pride.