From the Searchlight archives, this dispatch by Gerry Gable – originally published in May 2006 – documents a critical period of escalation in the fight against fascism.

As the British National Party attempted to cement its influence across East London and Essex, this report tracks the rapid mobilisation of “Together” groups in which Searchlight played a crucial role in Redbridge, Barking, and Loughton.

It provides a raw, contemporary account of how local activists and journalists organised to block the BNP’s electoral path, offering a stark reminder of the persistent effort required to uproot fascist incursions into local government.

Together groups unite communities to oppose the BNP

The British National Party’s seizure of three council seats in Loughton two years ago prompted a strong broad-based response which continues to lead the fight against the nazi party today.

The BNP is hoping to win four more seats on Epping Forest District Council in this year’s elections. Its 2002 victories were in three of the two-member wards in Debden and the other seat in those wards is up for election this year. The party is also contesting a seat in the fourth Debden ward.

Foul racist letters

Terry Farr, one of the BNP’s councillors in Debden, who was suspended for three months last year for the foul racist letters he sent to Trevor Phillips, chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, and to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, has been telling the local press that the BNP will control the entire council in five to ten years.

This claim has been met with derision by spokespersons from all three major political parties as well as councillors and activists from a wide range of smaller parties.

Community opposition

In the east London borough of Barking and Dagenham too the BNP has high hopes. The party had a councillor in Goresbrook for eight months, came second in some by-elections and in Barking achieved its best result in last year’s general election.

However, the BNP faces firm opposition from community-based groups organised under the Together banner, which have distributed tens of thousands of copies of two local editions of the Searchlight tabloid newspaper and other anti-BNP leaflets in all the BNP’s target wards in Debden, neighbouring Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham.

London’s first Together group started in Redbridge in the wake of the Keighley group set up to defend democracy against the BNP and its attempts to exploit the “grooming” issue in that town. Redbridge Together soon became Redbridge and Epping Forest Together after Loughton community activists joined in.

Another Together group was launched in Barking and Dagenham and quickly expanded to Havering. The groups welcome all who believe in a democratic society and oppose the BNP’s racism and nazism.

Startling stories

Redbridge Together’s first public protest brought together nearly 100 local people, 96 of whom had signed an open letter to the local press. Chris Carter, the editor of the Ilford Recorder, devoted his weekly editorial column to the group’s work. Other local journalists also investigated the BNP, coming up with some startling stories about their hypocrisy and cheating.

Whereas the BNP generally has to bus activists to its election activities from as far away as Northern Ireland, Scotland, the West Country and the Midlands, the Together groups have drawn the support of Londoners and people from East Anglia.

Notable successes

The Together groups have had several notable successes. After Dan Kelley won a by-election in Goresbrook in September 2004, Barking & Dagenham Together took every opportunity to expose his incompetence and the BNP’s lies. After admitting he did not have a clue what he was doing, Kelley resigned eight months after being elected. Barking & Dagenham Together mounted an active campaign in the resultant by-election to ensure the defeat of the BNP’s new candidate, Lawrence Rustem.

Elsewhere in Essex, Nick Geri, who won a seat in a by-election in Thurrock in September 2003, also lasted only eight months before being voted out in the June 2004 election. In two by-elections in Thurrock late last year, the Together groups joined local activists to ensure poor results for both BNP candidates.

One success in Essex has turned into a powerful national weapon. Early last year the BNP held a rally in Brentwood, Essex. All three main parties protested and Gavin Stollar, a Liberal Democrat councillor on Epping Forest District Council and parliamentary candidate for Brentwood, said, “We don’t want Nazis in our town”.

Farr reported Cllr Stollar to the Standards Board, the independent local government watchdog, for “failing to treat others with respect”. Although Stollar’s statement was not directed at any individual, Farr claimed it was an insult to Pat Richardson, another BNP Epping Forest councillor, because she is Jewish.

The Standards Board threw out Farr’s complaint and in a landmark ruling stated that calling the BNP Nazi was:

“within the normal and acceptable limits of political debate.”

Tensions and campaigning

BNP activists in previous election campaigns have ended up resorting to violence out of frustration at the party’s constant failure and the exposure of its lies. There have been violent assaults on several people including a senior citizen in Basildon and a woman councillor in Barking and Dagenham. On at least two occasions the BNP has used tear gas.

BNP activists even threatened a councillor who was a hero of the London terrorist attack of 7 July while he was out canvassing with his wife a few days after the bombings. All these incidents have backfired on them.

Mutual assistance has been the key to success against the BNP so far. On one weekend a massive turnout led by the unions resulted in 51,000 anti-BNP newspapers being delivered right across Barking and Dagenham. Whenever the BNP has distributed its leaflets of lies, the Together groups have told voters the true story in newsletters under titles such as Barking Matters, Loughton Matters and Hainault Matters, and the local authorities themselves have issued official denials of the BNP’s allegations.

Battle lines drawn

On the last Saturday in March, Together activists, trade unionists and members of London Anti-Racist Alliance delivered the Searchlight election special newspaper to all the four Debden wards that the BNP is contesting, and then joined Redbridge activists in Hainault to hand out thousands more copies.

By polling day some form of anti-fascist activity will have taken place in almost every place in London and Essex where BNP candidates are standing, including days of action to distribute newspapers and leaflets, media briefings, participation in meetings and telephone canvassing.

The battle lines have been drawn for a long time and the battlefield is at community level.