The far right are gearing up in Batley & Spen. We have to too.Hi John,

In the next few weeks, there will be a by-election in Batley & Spen. This seat
is important to HOPE not hate and we will campaign in the area in the run-up to
the election day. At the end of this email, I am going to ask you to contribute to our special by-election fund
[[link removed]] , but I am going to take a moment to explain the background first.

Batley and Spen is an area we know well. HOPE not hate has worked there over the
years as it is an area where the BNP managed to build some support, including
winning council seats in the past. It is also where our friend, Jo Cox, was the
MP before she was murdered by a far right terrorist.

Since Jo's tragic murder in 2016, the far right remain at large and undeterred.
Unified along anti-migrant and anti-Muslim lines, they've attracted the likes of
Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) who waded into and turned his
supporters on a young Syrian schoolboy involved in a playground attack. He is
now being sued for libel for accusations made against the now 17 year old.

The far right have also sought to further inflame the tensions around Batley
Grammar School, where a school teacher was suspended after showing derogatory
cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed, drawing the ire of the local Muslim community.

Our intelligence suggests that at least one, maybe even several, far right
candidates will be on the ballot paper. This is a combustible situation, both
for the election but also the ongoing cohesion in the area.

Last week, I instructed my team to create a dedicated unit focused on the
by-election and its aftermath. Over the coming days and weeks, we'll swing into
action:

* We're gathering information to better understand the far right's intentions
and we'll prepare to expose the reality of any candidates
* We're researching the seat to understand how parties of all stripes could
seek to bring the community together, not push people apart
* We're building a campaign team to ensure that everyone in the community is
registered to vote
* We'll get ready to campaign on the ground
* We'll build a local infrastructure in the area that can deal with any upsurge
in extremism caused by the election

There is a very real risk that far right extremists will use this high profile
election to stir up hatred and division and given the history of the area this
could be really dangerous to the community cohesion.

We had not planned for this by-election. It's not in our budget for the year -
which has already been stretched thin by the COVID crisis. That means I need to
ask for your help.

I am calling on HOPE not hate supporters to step in and fund our work through
the special Batley & Spen by-election fund. To ensure this unit can do the work
it needs to, we need to raise £9,500 by the end of May. The far right are
gearing up for this, and we need to too.

Be part of the fightback
[[link removed]]Thank you for your support. There'll be a lot more to say on this one - I'll
stay in touch.

Nick



Nick Lowles
CEO, HOPE not hate




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