Star date: 17th February 2019

STAND UP AGAINST HATE SAYS SALFORD COUNCILLOR

This afternoon, Salford Councillor Heather Fletcher urged the majority of "tolerant like minded decent people" to stand up to "nasty bigots" at a vigil in Whitefield condemning this week's attack on Philips Park Jewish Cemetery.

At the vigil, supported by Stand Up To Racism, this attack was linked to other racist attacks and the growing threat of the far right. Today, news also broke of an attack on a ten year old black boy's house in Salford.

Full details here...

"We must always be sure that the voices of us who are decent are heard above those who are the evil, bigoted minority..."

Today, as news was breaking of a racist attack on a ten year old black boy's house in Salford, over the border in Bury, Salford Councillor Heather Fletcher was slamming all racist incidents at a vigil in Whitefield condemning the desecration of Philips Park Jewish Cemetery last Sunday.

"In the three years since I've become a councillor I've been interviewed by the media three time, and those three occasions all, unfortunately, have been about the same things – the desecration of cemeteries in Urmston and Whitefield" she said "This is an occurrence that shouldn't be happening.

"To my mind, when people say those who carry out these things are mindless I don't agree; I think they know exactly what they are doing, and they are out to cause immeasurable harm to the living and have no respect for the dead" she explained "These people are despicable.

"What do we do to challenge this?" she asked "Firstly, we look at Bosnia where there was genocide nearly 25 years ago. It was the most integrated society, Muslims and Christians, and then, through propaganda they began to hate each other which led to genocide.

"We must challenge and speak out against hate wherever we hear it because it's words that leads to something far, far worse" the councillor who is also co-chair of the Greater Manchester Muslim Jewish Forum added "Secondly, we have vigils like today to show that there are far more tolerant like minded decent people than there are nasty bigots. We must always be sure that the voices of us who are decent are heard above those who are the evil, bigoted minority."

At the vigil, attended by many Salford residents and people of all faiths, Nahella Ashraf, co-chair of Greater Manchester Stand Up To Racism, emphasised the importance of English communities, whether Jewish, Muslim or European, to stand up against such attacks...

"Let there be no doubt that this is part of a whole number of attacks that we've seen against a particular community" she said "When you open up the door and make it acceptable to target one community, it's not a surprise that it opens up the door to other attacks.

"At a time when we've just commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day we have to be clear that the Holocaust wasn't the start of the process, that was the end of the process" she added "It is local attacks where it starts and we have to stop it. We can't allow these attacks to be normalised. We have to show that as a community we are stronger than the people who did this; that we stand together.

"In the centre of Manchester yesterday, far right groups were attacking the Stand Up To Racism stall, and it was heartening to see people just passing by come and stand with us old and young, all together in solidarity" she said "Every time there is an attack we will take to the streets to show solidarity with the community under attack...but also to show that when we say 'Never again', we mean 'Never again'..."

UNISON NEC member, Karen Reissmann, also condemned the attack as "truly shocking", blaming the "growth of people being angry with the wrong people".

Adam Rose, who jointly organised today's vigil put the cemetery attack into the overall context of heightened racism... "There's been firebomb attacks on restaurants in Sedgley Park, all sorts of other attacks on Jewish cemeteries, and an attack on a Jewish man in Bowker Vale...

"There's been Theresa May with her hostile environment, far right attacks on Stand Up To Racism in Manchester, Tommy Robinson coming to Media City next week; all these things contribute to the heightened racism in society" he explained "...It makes it doubly important to respond in the way that we have today."

Launching a Stand Up To Racism branch in Bury and Whitefield, he added that, while it was 'horribly reminiscent of what happened in the 1930s', during that period there was also Cable Street, where Jewish and non-Jewish people were joined by Irish Catholic dockers to defeat the blackshirt fascists in East London...

"We also beat the National Front in the 1970s, the BNP in this early century and we need to do the same kind of thing again" he concluded.

Leaflets were handed out publicising a counter demonstration against fascist Tommy Robinson who has called a rally at MediaCityUK next Saturday 23rd February at 11am.

Main photo shows Salford Councillor Heather Fletcher