TUC march against racism
01 March 1994
Almost 40,000 people joined a Trades Union Council (TUC) "Unite against racism" march from Spitalfields Market to London Fields on Saturday 19 March. It was one of the largest anti-racist demonstrations seen in recent years and highlighted the escalating racist violence in east London since the election of the fascist British National Party (BNP) candidate, Derek Beackon, at the Isle of Dogs by-election last year (see Statewatch, vol 3, no 5).
One victim of this increased violence was nineteen-year old Muktar Ahmed, who was brutally beaten by a gang of twenty racists less than a hundred yards from his home in February. The beating he received was so severe that he was fortunate not to have died.
Following the Isle of Dogs election campaign the Liberal Democrats were severely criticised for a running a blatantly racist campaign that contributed to the BNP victory by victimising the local Bangladeshi community. This pressure forced the party to initiate an inquiry, chaired by Lord Lester, into the conduct of the local party. It concluded that their campaign "was profoundly misguided, and was counter-productive in helping to make racism appear respectable and pave the way for the BNP's victory."
Nonetheless, the inquiry appears to have had little effect on the local party who obstructed the TUC march organisers at every opportunity. The planned route of the march, from Spitalfields Market to Mile End Park, was turned down by the Liberal Democrat controlled Tower Hamlets council on the grounds that a rally at the park would spoil the grass. A second venue, at Victoria Park, was also refused and the march was eventually forced to rally at London Fields, in neighbouring Hackney. These circumstance made complaints by Liberal Democrat leader, Paddy Ashdown, that he had not been allowed to speak at the rally, ring hollow.
Since the march the Tower Hamlets Liberal Democrats have faced further criticism following the attempted deselection of six Asian candidates and their replacement by whites in order to run an "ethnically balanced ticket" for the May council elections. The racism of the Liberal Democrats, combined with splits within the Labour Party over whether they should play the "race-card" does not bode well for the May elections when the BNP will be fielding three candidates in the area. If the BNP win all three seats they will have access to a twenty-million pound budget to further their fascist aspirations.
Political speech and race relations in a liberal democracy Lord Lester. Report of an inquiry into the conduct of the Tower Hamlets Liberal Democrats in publishing allegedly racist election literature between 1990 and 1993 Liberal Democrats 1993. Neither unique nor typical: the context of race relations in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets (Interim report). Runnymede Trust 1993.