Newcastle Unites! - Successful anti-racist event

A day-long anti-racist event was held at Grey's monument in Newcastle upon Tyne on Friday 23rd April.  The event both entertained the crowd, and passed on an effective anti-racist/anti-fascist message.

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This event was a (successful) attempt to create an anti-racist, positive space in the centre of Newcastle, in sharp contrast to the situation on St George's day last year (when the NF held a rally on the same spot, racially abusing passers by).  About 150 EDL were in town drinking, and this event made sure that them and any other racists/fascists/hardline nationalists knocking about were sidelined.

There were diverse musicians, performers, and djs, and stalls from Unite against Fascism and No Borders NE (who also ran interactive activities). Show Racism the Red Card, Newcastle ARCH, and Hope Not Hate had provided leaflets and materials to give away.  Some people gave out leaflets challenging nationalism - one said that the historical St George was born "in Turkey of black Palestinian descent" and had a reputation for giving hospitality to refugees and fighting injustice, another challenged the concept of "englishness".  The slogan "Geordies are proud to be Black and White" was used, and people talked about the contribution people from many ethnic backgrounds had made to our city.  Someone put up flags of all the countries/regions that St George is patron saint of.  Other people put up banners saying "no-one is illegal" and signs with welcoming messages in many different languages.  People made "non-(party) political" (but definitely anti-racist) speeches. There were loads of other individual contributions.

The event attracted a (multi-ethnic) audience, including many people who would not have stopped to take part in the usual sort of anti-fascist rally.  I personally had many good conversations, from people saying how much they enjoyed the event, to people telling me about racism they'd suffered in the past, to me (successfully i hope) challenging people's racist assumptions.  Many viewpoints were represented, and people worked together well.  Was the event a success at both creating a friendly space on a day that could have turned nasty, and effectively communicating a resolutely anti-racist and anti-fascist message to the public? Yes definitely on both counts!