Campaign to create anti-racism group

May 8 2009 by Kieran Westbrook, Dumfries Standard Friday

AN ANTI-RACISM action group is being set up amid fears of the British Nationalist Party getting a foothold in the region.

Cumbrian group Cumbria Against Racism is coming to Dumfries to speak about the problems being experienced in its area.

Cumbria has seen a 600 per cent rise in race-hate crimes in eight years, according to Cumbria Against Racism chairman Brent Kennedy, who will speak at the meeting on Monday night.

He believes the recession is making extreme ideas more attractive to some.

Mr Kennedy said: “Racism is being used to divert people away from the real reasons for the recession.

“They are using scapegoats to direct attention away from the real culprits.

“The BNP has been particularly active in our area over the last few years.

“In that time race-hate crimes have risen by 600 per cent, from 45 racist incidents in 1999 to 324 in 2006.

“I am not saying that the BNP as a party is doing this, but the leaflets scapegoating immigrants and Poles, and their opinions are legitimised violence against these people.”

The event has been arranged by Dumfries Trades Union Council who hope to set up a similar group in Dumfries and Galloway to that in Cumbria, under the name of “Fighting the Racist Threat”.

John Dennis, Secretary of the Dumfries TUC said: “The aim of the meeting is to launch a local campaigning group to confront and defeat racist ideas wherever we encounter them.

“We know that the BNP has been active in our area and we want to set up a group to promote diverse ideas and to prevent it being established here.”

A BNP spokesman said: “The Cumbria Against Racism is just a Labour-front group.

“They are passing themselves off as local people in opposition to us.

“They are trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes and pass themselves off as the public’s opinion.

“Most people are perfectly happy with us and simply vote for or against us.”

The event is being held in the upstairs lounge of the Coach and Horses pub in Dumfries on Monday night.