Livingstone turns spotlight on BNP 'threat'

Ken Livingstone’s campaign today turned the spotlight on the threat of the British National Party gaining a seat on the London Assembly.

The Mayor was out campaigning in Holloway to draw Londoners’ attention to the BNP threat. The BNP needs just five per cent of the vote to gain representation on the 25-member Assembly.

Ken Livingstone’s campaign said: "One of the things at stake in this election is London's future as a united diverse city, where all communities and individuals feel they belong. The British National Party is a direct threat to that unity. There are some policies where it is easy to see the BNP's fascist roots – the ban on building mosques, the wearing of the veil in public and housing allocation based on racial discrimination.

"They try to combine this bigotry with more mainstream-sounding policies to try to win votes but the true character of the BNP is extreme right wing politics. Like all fascist parties the BNP seek power with populist policies but their aim is to divide communities and foster hatred and violence.

"London's diversity is a major strength in the modern globalised world. Any kind of electoral success for the BNP would be a blow to London's economic future as well as to the harmony of our communities. We have to get across one simple fact: there's only one way to stop the BNP, which is by actually going out to vote against them. A low voter turnout will help the BNP get elected. For the fascists, success means getting a five per cent of the total London vote. The higher the turnout the harder it is for them jump the five per cent hurdle."

Singer Billy Bragg said: "The BNP will be relying on two things on election day: the anger of their supporters to propel them into the voting booth and the complacency of those who feel comfortable with a diverse London. Although small, the presence of the BNP on the London Assembly would give legitimacy to racists in the capital. Every vote cast for Ken Livingstone helps keep the BNP out."

At his campaign launch, Ken Livingstone was joined by Doreen Lawrence, the mother of murder teenager Stephen Lawrence who said: "Ken has fostered a culture where London's communities are treated with respect. The clearest sign of that is that racist attacks have fallen by over 50% since Ken has become Mayor despite going up in the rest of the country. That makes a real difference to the lives of many, many Londoners."

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