Despite what for most people was very short notice, Tuesday 27th April saw a strong local turn-out to oppose the racist BNP in Chapeltown – That’s Chapeltown in Leeds, an area with a high percentage of Black and Asian people, and one where the BNP really did not ought to be even thinking of going. Bizarrely, they were invited there by the so-called “IMPaCT Residents Network”, a self-appointed group of local busybodies, who clearly do not represent the views or interests of most Chapeltown residents. Taking a break from sucking up to the local Plod and complaining about dog-shit, some of their number now seem to have taken it upon themselves to start playing at politics.

For some reason, IMPaCT thought it appropriate to invite the BNP to a hustings they were organising at a local school. Along with candidates from the Labour, Liberal, and Conservative parties, they invited Garth Frankland from the Alliance for Green Socialism, and Anthony Wall from the BNP.

Wall is the BNP’s candidate for the Gipton and Harehills ward and lives in Chapel Allerton. He recently attacked his black neighbour, who was seven months pregnant at the time. Despite the cordial invitation of IMPaCT however, Wall was less brave in attending the hustings than he is in attacking pregnant women. He made a good decision not to come.

At the time the event was scheduled to start a large and determined group gathered outside Hillcrest School to oppose any incursion by the BNP into Chapeltown. Most local residents were completely unaware of the event, but if the BNP had shown up, they would certainly have felt their anger. Chapeltown is a multiracial area, which has already suffered much in terms of military-style policing, we do not need racists in our midst.

With the BNP failing to show, the anger and contempt of local residents turned on the idiots who had invited them into our community. Unfortunately, the two individuals who it seems were primarily responsible, continued in their unbridled arrogance, even in the face of such obvious local opposition. Whoever they think they are, these people do not represent the interests of the people of Chapeltown. If anyone can be bothered further with these self-important fools they meet on the last Tuesday of every month at the same Hillcrest School on Cowper Street. Edwina and Shaffique who invited the BNP can be contacted on 07955267877 and 07762633432 respectively. Or you can e-mail  impactresidentsnetwork@live.co.uk Should anyone wish to invite Anthony Wall to any future events he lives at 6 St Mary’s Close, Chapel Allerton, Leeds, LS7 3RJ.

In marked contrast to the courage of local people in being prepared to oppose the BNP, beyond the cowardice of Anthony Wall, there was one other singular act of cowardice in relation to the event. The Alliance for Green Socialism, who from what we know of some of the individuals involved are neither ‘Green’ nor ‘Socialist’, issued a lengthy and waffling statement in justification of their willingness to share a platform with the BNP. It says a lot about their political nouse that they distributed this to a crowd who knew by this point that the BNP were not turning up, and it probably puts an end to their local political ambitions - deservedly so.