Dear Mr Johnson,

RE: ‘Rise’ Festival and ‘Student Rise’ against racism

We are writing to express our opposition your decision to remove the anti-racist message from the ‘Rise’ festival, held in London since 1996 and supported by the previous Mayor of London.

For a number of years students’ unions in London, supported by NUS, have run ‘Student Rise’ against racism initiatives, bringing together students across London to unite against the serious threat posed by the threat of racism and fascism. We have previously worked closely with a number of partners, including the Mayor of London, to promote events to this effect.

The success of our collective efforts in confronting and eliminating racism in London has seen a marked improvement in race relations in our capital. Where other areas in the country have seen racist attacks increase, London has been successful in reducing such incidents. However, the election of a representative of the British National Party onto the Greater London Assembly and the continuing prevalence of racist incidents ought to serve as a reminder that there is no room for complacency.

We are therefore deeply concerned that the anti-racist theme of the ‘Rise’ festival is to be lost, particularly when this decision has been taken without the consultation or inclusion of stakeholders like NUS and when we have played a proactive role in shaping these events in previous years.

We therefore wish to express the strongest possible opposition to your decision to drop the anti-racist message from Rise and call on you to reverse it.

Yours sincerely,

Wes Streeting - National President

Ruqayyah Collector - National Black Students’ Officer

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