On Saturday I went to UAF Conference as I was due to take part in the closing plenary session. I went along with Ama Uzuworu NEC, Stephen Brown National Secretary, Daryn McCombe, President KCLSU and Adam McNicholas, Communications Officer at Liverpool Guild. It was a really good day, with interesting debate and really good sessions about defeating the BNP.

There was debate during the day about who exactly our “No Platform” policy should apply to. I am very clear in this. It should apply to fascists AND racists. I understand the difference in the ideology of fascism as opposed to racism, but I will not allow this National Union to share any platform with ANY Racists whether they are Fascists or not.

Inciting ANY hatred which will leave our members open to abuse, violence and violate their safe space that their students union and their national union is meant to protect is not acceptable under any circumstance or ANY “label”.

Now to those of you who have not been kicking around this debate for a while, this last paragraph will be very confusing. But if you are going to annual conference this debate will definitely play out so listen carefully to the arguments and ask someone if you are not sure of the nuances in what people are saying. But I have no doubt in my mind it would be dangerous to remove Racists from our “No Platform” policy.

However, despite these differences it is vital that all sections of the student community do Unite around a shared aim and goal, stopping the BNP.

My Speech

Thank you for inviting me to be on this panel this afternoon, this conference is vital to involving, engaging and inspiring all sections of society to step up the fight against the fascist British Natioinal Party. Because lets be clear, this is such a crucial time to be mobilising against the BNP up and down the country, with the Scottish and Welsh elections looming, with the gains the BNP have already made in some areas and with a climate of increasing Islamophobia and Anti-semitism the need to unite to drive out these Nazis is ever more apparent.

And the student movement is so important to defeating the BNP, out campaigning on the doorstep, educating young people in our communities, protesting outside the court where BNP leader Nick Griffen was being tried, demanding the fascist ballerina be removed from the English National Ballet and even demonstrating outside channel 4 after the big brother debacle we will as a movement continue to be an integral part of the anti-fascism, anti racism campaign, because there is no way we can become complacent.

And complacency when it comes to voting is unfortunately what the majority of students are known for, we all have a responsibility to get the vote out, to educate students about the importance of registering to vote as a natural anti-fascist vote in the forthcoming elections. In Scotland the BNP are standing in 32 seats, the need to properly mobilize the student vote and activists to campaign is huge. Students Unions will be organizing elections debates on their campuses and will have huge amounts of pressure heaped on them to not follow No platform policies. At NUS we are immensely proud of our No Platform policy for fascists and racists, but it is continuously coming under attack and there is a vast number of students who cannot reconcile in their mind the difference between freedom of speech and the need to not legitimize the BNP by allowing them access to our student unions or our national union.

But I cannot sadly kid myself that all students are anti-fascists and anti-racists, recently we have seen increasing mobilization of the British National Party in the student movement locally and nationally and they must be stopped.

Just recently, BNP Leader Nick Griffin’s scheduled interview on “britishness” on Oxford’s student radio station was cancelled after the student union stepped in – but there has been outcry from students defending the right to free speech. But the arguments for the right to free speech never then explains the other right that is inextricably intwined – it is clear that the right to freedom of expression must not be separated from the right to freedom from oppression. This is the message we portray when encouraging students unions to adopt no platform policies up and down the country. Because we know that where BNP activity rears its ugly head, violence increases and students safety is under immediate threat.

What this event and other recent events have highlighted is that our campuses are being targeted by the BNP to recruit students to their fascist party. Commenting on the Oxford case

Dr Phil Edwards, a spokesperson for the British National Party, attributed the response to fear. He said “I should imagine there is a lot of support for the BNP at Oxford University. That is what the Student Union is worried about. We are looking to expand on the campuses,”

He maintained that the BNP was not a fascist organization and said that “The only people who do not like the British National Party are a small minority in the student union who are poisoned Marxists or Communists.”

Well we need to prove to them that it is the majority who is against them, mobilizing the student vote with the anti-fascists campaigners in the community proving that they have no place in our society.

I commit our National Union to this fight but we will be stronger when united, trade unionists, students, activists and campaigners that’s why events like today are so important – they prove that there is no place for fascists or racists on our campuses or in our communities or in civil society.

Thank You.

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