WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?
Northeye: Contrasting Views of Bexhill Demos
Dear HIP
I am writing regarding the article about Northeye in your last edition. Thank you for correcting the information about the petition. We really shouldn’t have to do a petition to get Rother District Council to discuss something as important as this. We got just over 50 signatures in just under an hour, taking the total to over 300 in a few hours’ work. The numbers of attendees quoted elsewhere are a misrepresentation.
Your article failed to mention the fact that the Hastings Stand Up To Racism crowd shouted vile abuse such as “Nazi Scum” at the Bexhill crowd, which included pensioners who were born in or soon after World War Two. The Stand Up To Racism crowd need to stop spreading hate. They were accompanied by two or three Black Bloc or ‘antifa’ members. They are particularly unwelcome. Let’s hope they don’t come back.
Nigel Jacklin
Dear HIP
On Saturday 22 July, Bexhill Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) called a gathering to show opposition to a rally called by the No To Northeye (NTN) group. About 50 people attended our rally from a variety of political persuasions and none. We are a broad-based campaign, part of a national movement to oppose racism and to welcome refugees. We did not check the political affiliation of anyone attending but accepted anyone who agrees with our basic positions of opposition to the proposed camp and to all forms of racism. We had a few speakers at our rally, including a Labour councillor and trade union representatives of the Fire Brigades Union and the GMB local government workers. A powerful poem was read out by one of our supporters. We also did some chanting, mainly, “Stop the Hate, Stop the Fear, Refugees are Welcome Here’. I did not hear anyone chanting or shouting about ‘Nazi scum’. I have no idea if anybody supported the ‘antifa’ and ‘black bloc’ groups you mentioned – it seems unlikely as they did not make themselves known to us.
The NTN campaign has openly used racist slogans for their campaign. Placards at recent protests called for the deportation of migrants and to “put women’s safety first” – promoting the racist view that refugees are rapists. This view and many more are regularly posted on the NTN Facebook group. The NTN Facebook group now includes Alek Yerbury, an open fascist, who has contributed to their discussions. This is why we opposed them.
This week we continued our campaign of door-to-door leafleting, putting, the case to the residents of Bexhill that “Refugees are not to blame”. We received this email in response to our leaflet, just this morning, “Thank you for putting your leaflet through my door. I have received some very unpleasant and bigoted literature from those opposing Northeye for different reasons. I agree with you that we should stand up to racism and show our sympathy and compassion to all genuine refugees who have fled from appalling situations. I agree that asylum seekers should be allowed to work, as I’m sure they want to do, and we certainly need the contribution they could make to our society. Best wishes”
I have lived in Bexhill all my life. The people of Bexhill are compassionate, but a small number are stirring up division and racism. We will continue to oppose them.
Daniel Rushby, Bexhill SUTR
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