Stop the SDL in Berwick upon Tweed

We the undersigned strongly oppose the proposed march in Berwick upon Tweed on the 5th July 2014 by the racist groups of the Scottish Defence League and the North East Infidels.

The SDL is a racist organisation with an established record of mounting protests which regularly feature racist chanting, placards and Nazi salutes. At their demonstration in Edinburgh last year, the SDL held placards of the ‘Swastika’ emblem of the openly racist and Nazi Greek party, ‘Golden Dawn’.

Earlier this year, SDL member Derek Phin was jailed for threatening to burn down Edinburgh Central Mosque whist an anti-racism meeting was taking place inside. The NEI are a racist and fascist splinter group of the fascist English Defence League, an organization which has a record of attacking meetings of unions and students. Members of the EDL had sympathetic contact with Norwegian mass murderer Anders Brievik and expressed their support for his ideas after his sentencing. The Infidels are however, more openly racist and fascist than the EDL, splitting from the EDL when its leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon allowed Jews to join the EDL.

As their last effort in Berwick showed they bring in members and sympathisers from elsewhere with an intention to promote racial hatred. In particular, we find it abhorrent that such a message of hostility and Islamaphobic scapegoating should be allowed to be paraded though our town. Berwick is a welcoming town with good community relations. We object to the SDL's attempts to disrupt the good community relations in Berwick and to spread racial hatred.

Following the significant gains made by racist and fascist parties across Europe, street thugs like the SDL and NEI will attempt to grow in the wake of these parties’ divisive and racist, scapegoating political agendas. We believe that it is vital that we unite together and act to stop the rise of racist and fascist organisations at home and show solidarity to those opposing fascism elsewhere.

Please join our counter demonstration on the 5th of July.

Initiated by Berwick upon Tweed & District Trades Council, Unite Against Fascism Berwick and RMT Berwick Branch.

Supporting organisations include SACC