Unite Against Fascism conference: Students unite

Photo Credit: Unite Against Racism

with Jaime Concha, Kathrine Anker and Indu Chandrasekhar

The First Pint travelled to central London on February 13 to cover the Unite Against Facism conference as part of our Last call on racism campaign. In the midst of speeches about how to fight the British National Party (BNP), we uncovered what was being done by the leaders of influential student bodies to curb the worrying trend of intolerance to internationals.

Fighting fascism is not only about race or minority groups. Daf Adley, Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) officer for the National Union of Students (NUS), revealed that misconceptions between minorities can be just as damaging as extreme-right views.

“There is this common misconception that Islam and Homophobia are intertwined. This is something we need to challenge every step of the way.”

“It is important that our LGBT societies in universities start working with the Muslim communities by dispelling these myths and working together in fighting racism, Islamophobia and homophobia,” he said.”Not all Muslims are homophobic and not all gay people are Islamophobic.”

Adley added: “When we start buying into that rhetoric, we actually buy into the rhetoric of the fascist BP and the people who tell us that Muslims should be scapegoats for the wrong things in our society.”

Currently, the NUS LGBT society is on the forefront of raising awareness against homo-, bi- and transphobia. It also works on the plight of international students living in the UK who are discriminated against for their sexuality. Adley mentioned the case of an Algerian gay student from the Open University who was under threat of deportation, where the LGBT society intervened by lobbying with MPs and immigration authorities.

Bellavia Ribeiro-Addy, the Black Student’s Officer for the NUS, reminded the audience of the 1999 nail bombings by an ex-BNP member who targeted London’s African, Caribbean, Asian and LGBT communities. She said: “This is the reality of the BNP’s hate speech.”

Riberio-Addy mentioned that the best way for young students to get involved in the fight against fascism is by registering to vote or campaigning against the BNP. “By becoming a part of the anti-fascist movement, [by] turning out and voting in the elections we’re showing that whatever grades we get, we want a future that is fascist free. No debate.”