Letters (June 2009)
Dear Editor,
On Thursday June 4th residents across the European Union will vote to elect Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). The UK gets 60 MEPs from across our 12 regions to represent us in Europe.
2009 marks 70 years since the beginning of the Second World War, 70 years since we united together as British citizens to fight against European fascism. Unfortunately the battle is not over and we are seeing the rise of the far right and their politics of hate across the country.
The British National Party is contesting these elections in every region, in every corner of the country. We must not forget who the BNP are and what they stand for. They are campaigning hard in these elections and so must we. Now is not the time for apathy.
The BNP have a history of racism and anti-Semitism. Their leader has been arrested and convicted for inciting racial hatred. The rhetoric and views propagated by the BNP promote hatred and disharmony.
The BNP may secure over 1 million votes in these elections and the voting system will allow the BNP to get MEPs for the first time, unless you use your vote to stop them. A vote for any of the mainstream parties will make it harder for the BNP to succeed. For each MEP elected the BNP will get over £250,000, through salaries, allowances and expenses, per annum in additional resources from the UK taxpayer.
The BNP tactics of attempting to divide communities will not work. Their efforts can be seen as nothing more than a sham and a cynical attempt to hide their extremism and anti-Semitism.
All of us working for the aims of The Council of Christians & Jews need to ensure we contribute to the campaign so that the BNP are not successful. The higher the turnout across the country, the harder it will be for the BNP to succeed. Every vote for a mainstream political party is a vote against extremism.
Every vote counts in these elections.
Deanna Van der Velde,
Chairman, North East Council of Christians and Jews