Green Candidates Condemn BNP's Wembey Video

Following the BNP's posting of a racist video filmed in Wembley High Road and Ealing Road, we have sent the following letter to to the local press. Postings on the issue are availableon the Wembley Matters blog.

LETTER TO LOCAL PRESS
"We write to express our disgust at the latest tactics of the BNP, to target the diverse community of Wembley in a campaign video aimed at fomenting racism and fuelling discontent. The BNP is using football as an emblem for racism when the Football Association and the football supporters' organisations are amongst the most stalwart opponents of racism in British society.

The video sought to depict the local multi-ethnic population as alien and foreign and their presence in Wembley as somehow sinister. Instead we say that the people shown represent the lively and diverse population of modern Wembley who live, work, learn, shop, eat, relax and debate together. They include bus drivers, builders, nurses, doctors, chefs, councillors, teachers, shopkeepers, school governors and others; all from many different backgrounds, who contribute to our community and participate in efforts to improve it.

The school children shown do argue vociferously about differences, but not about race or religion as the BNP might hope, but like children around the country do, usually about their allegiance to Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United or Liverpool; or about who should win the X Factor! Anyone who knows our community will realise that the BNP's efforts to divide us will not succeed and will be treated with the contempt they deserve.

As Green Party general election candidates covering Wembley and the wider environs, we will take every opportunity to confront and expose racial hatred and bigotry in politics and society."

Martin Francis, Green parliamentary candidate for Brent North
Shahrar Ali, Green parliamentary candidate for Brent Central
Beatrix Campbell, Green parliamentary candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn
Sarah Kersey, Green parliamentary candidate for Harrow East
Rowan Langley, Green parliamentary candidate for Harrow West

Published in Harrow Times 26 Nov edition [page 18 on-line]

Campaigning for the Welsh Harp Open Space - Wembley and Willesden Observer

Click on image to enlarge

Campaigning for the Welsh Harp Open Space - Willesden and Brent Times

Tackling the Allotment Waiting List -Wembley and Willesden Observer

Bea Campbell to contest Hampstead and Kilburn for Greens

Brent Green Party has today proudly announced that Beatrix Campbell has been selected to contest the Hampstead and Kilburn constitutency in the upcoming general election.

Launching her campaign alongside Shahrar Ali outside the West Hampstead Women's Centre, the well-known writer and broadcaster said: "This venue was chosen to highlight one of the chief differences between the Green Party and the other major parties: we put at the absolute centre of our policies the sustainability of social relationships and the need for a fundamentally fair society."

"We stand for social justice, respect and equality between the genders and the generations. And we don't think that slicing public services to ribbons can be the way forward for British society."

"I've spent my life campaigning for the disadvantaged women and men, who need services and support in their lives, as do we all at some time or another. Taking that away will cause irreparable damage to our society."

Beatrix said that voters were increasingly recognising that investing in sustainable economies demands radical reform of the way we do housing, transport, urban planning, farming and shopping.

"This electorate, Hampstead and Kilburn, I know contains many voters who recognise this fact. The electoral system must change to adequately reflect the spectrum of opinion in British society."

"Until it does, voters can express their concerns about the "grey" parties who have dominated British politics in recent years by supporting candidates, such as I, who offer hope that politics could be different - better and braver about climate change, the conflict zones ravaging the world and the inequalities and injustices makes millions of lives a misery."

Shahrar Ali, Green Parliamentary candidate for Brent Central, said: "I am absolutely delighted to see Bea standing, as my neighbour, in the new Hampstead and Kilburn constituency, which includes parts of Brent where we have campaigned hard and polled consistently well over the past few years."

Update: Press coverage in Camden New Journal, "Greens author goes for Glenda's seat", and Brent Times, "Beatrix Campbell throws hat in ring" (page 2).