Some reminders for the next couple of weeks:

1.
Its local elections on May 1st.  Its important to vote anyway, but if you are in one of the 10 wards in Reigate & Banstead or Crawley with a BNP candidate it is especially important to go out and vote for any other candidate.  Every voter who stays at home makes the BNP proportion of the vote look higher!

2.
Love Music Hate Racism are holding their free carnival in Victoria Park, London on Sunday, April 27th. Full details at www.lovemusichateracism.com.  It should be a great day out and its only a short train ride from the Wealden area.

3.
If you can't get to the carnival you can still show your support by texting LMHR to 84424 which will donate £3 to help meet the costs of holding the carnival.

4.
Its never a bad time to join us and help to keep fascist parties out of the Wealden area.

In case anyone needs reminding, the full line-up on Sunday is:

• The Good The Bad The Queen
• Jerry Dammers & RAR Allstars
• Drew McConnell (Babyshambles) + friends feat v/special guests
• Hard-Fi
• Akala
• Roll Deep presents… inc Wiley, Tinchy Stryder, Jammer
• Jay Sean
• Get Cape Wear Cape Fly
• Poly Styrene (X-ray Specs)
• Bashy
• Natty
• The View
• Patrick Wolf
• Paddingtons
• The Thirst
• The Tribunes
• Rugrats
• Statik
• Target
• Nihal
• Don Letts
• Ace n Vis
• Dennis Bovell's  London Lovers'
• Rock Crew
• London Community Gospel Choir
• Mistajam + PA's tbc
• Aruba Red (PA)
• Tommy Def v King Bats
• Target & Karnage
• Dubstep slot with Skream & Benga
• Old skool jungle with DJ Hype & Daddy Earl
• DJ Nihal
• Heartless Crew
• Adelaide McKenzie
• Hoodstars
• Ny
• Snakeyman / No.Lay / Lil Rascals / Stylo G
• Mecca 2 Medina
• Nathan 'Flutebox' Lee

There are a few interesting late additions to the line-up at the LMHR carnival on April 27th.

• The Good The Bad & The Queen
  (Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon & Tony Allen)
• The View
• Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly

If you can't make it, you can still help out by making a donation to the cause: just text LMHR to 84424 and Love Music Hate Racism will get three quid towards fighting racism.

To mark the 30th anniversary of the first Rock Against Racism festival in 1978 those nice people at Love Music Hate Racism have arranged a carnival in Victoria Park, London on Sunday April 27th.  The event runs from 12 noon until 6pm and entry is free - although donations to support it are obviously welcome.

There will be two outdoor stages and a club marquee in the park.  Activities include speakers, debate and, of course, music.  The full line-up is here and includes Hard-Fi, Jerry Dammers, Poly Styrene, Nihal, Jay Sean, Don Letts, Roll Deep and many, many more including the mysterious "Rock Against Racism All-stars ft very special guests"

Victoria Park is within easy walking distance of many tube stations. 

From Friday's West Sussex County Times:

Anti-BNP initiative

Anti-British National Party campaigners staged a protest in Horsham's Carfax on Saturday.The rally was led by Ray Chapman, Labour candidate for the Holbrook West by-election, and Horsham Labour parliamentary candidate Andrew Skudder.The initiative was backed by local anti-BNP group Wealden Unite against Fascism who campaign against BNP activity in West Sussex.
Mr Chapman said the protest was well received by Horsham residents.
He said he was particularly proud to stand against the BNP in Holbrook, where he has been resident for over 20 years.
"I'm very concerned to see the increased activity by the BNP in Horsham." he added.

While there is, apparently, no such thing as bad publicity there are a few points to note here:

1. It was not a protest
2. It was not a rally
   We were just talking to voters, reminding them of the importance of voting in elections, and letting them take leaflets from us.
3. Andrew Skudder is not the parliamentary candidate for Horsham Labour.
   Until an election is called there are no candidates; only prospective parliamentary candidates, and even that is subject to endorsement by Labour's NEC.
4. The event was not backed by Wealden UAF
   It was organised by us, albeit at the request of Ray Chapman and his colleagues in Horsham LP because they were unable to join in with the UAF's by-election activity on Oct 6th.
5. Wealden UAF does not just campaign against BNP activity in West Sussex
   It only covers the Northern part of West Sussex and, in the absence of any other groups, it also covers parts of Kent, East Sussex and Surrey

The article is unfortunate, in that it gives the false impression that the Wealden UAF is supporting the Labour party.  While many members are indeed Labour members we do support that party, there are members of of other parties and some who belong to no party at all.

The Wealden UAF is scrupulously careful to not promote any one party over the others, regardless of any personal loyalties of individual members.

Following the previous week's sighting of two BNP members trying to drum up support in Horsham, last weekend the Wealden Unite Against Fascism campaign were out in rather larger numbers.

The UAF members spoke to many people in the Carfax and the reception was very positive for the first event organised by the new Wealden UAF.  The BNP thrive when there is no organised opposition and they know it too, if the reaction so far is anything to go by.

Next week there is a by-election in the Holbrook West ward of Horsham and the UAF is asking everybody there to not stay at home, but to get out and use their vote to support any party which supports the UAF's aims to oppose Fascism in all its forms.

Brighton is outside the Wealden UAF aea, and has its own branch of the UAF, but its just down the road and easy enough for anyone in the Wealden area to visit.  What's more, there is a Love Music Hate Racism event in Brighton this weekend, which Wealden UAF members and supporters might fancy going to.

Details from the LMHR website: 

8.30pm-10.30pm, Sunday September 9th
Club Revenge, Old Steine (opposite pier), Brighton.

GET CAPE WEAR CAPE FLY
JERRY DAMMERS
NU-MCs.

This Sunday, September 9th, will see a very special joint LMHR/UAF event, taking place as part of the social events for this year’s Trades Union Congress. The event will feature Get Cape Wear Cape Fly playing live, as well as Specials legend Jerry Dammers DJing, and another liver performance from the excellent Nu-MCs. Trade union leaders and campaigners will be speaking briefly between the acts to outline the UAF & LMHR campaigns to stop the fascist BNP around next year’s Greater London Assembly and local council elections. The event is taking place at Brighton’s Revenge club. Entry is free to TUC delegates, or by donation to everyone else.

The Wealden UAF joined the Crawley Campaign Against Racism to man a stall at the Crawley Mela on July 28th/29th at the Hawth.

The CCAR is an organisation with a long and distinguished history, which has affiliated to the UAF, and which the Wealden UAF actively encourages Crawley-based members to join. Members from both organisations were at the Mela to explain their aims and welcome anyone who wanted to sign up as a new member.

Thank you to the many people who visited our stall at the Crawley Mela. The photographs in the Crawley Observer on August 1st showed how many visitors and participants at the Mela were wearing Unite/UAF badges and stickers.

If anybody has their own photographs of the UAF stall or of people wearing the badges and would be happy for us to use those photographs on this site or in printed material please let us know. We will, of course give full attribution for any photos used if requested.

(Thanks to CCAR for the photo above)