|
A CONCERT in opposition to the British National
Party planned to be held in a city centre has been cancelled after
organisers suffered intimidation and feared a "riot".
The Swansea event, entitled Smash the BNP, was
called off after organisers Amanda Davey and Paul Dyke said they
began receiving threats.
And while they were organising last week's
planned concert featuring a number of South Wales pop bands they
claimed a "menacing group of people" appeared in front of the city
centre bar they run, the Monkey Cafe.
The couple had planned to hold the Smash the BNP
concert at the cafe, in Castle Street, Swansea.
But they decided against going ahead with the
event after being told members of the far right group Combat 18 were
planning to travel to Swansea to oppose it.
A spokesman for the Anti-Nazi League in Swansea
said, "It is a lesson to everyone to be vigilant and to do their
best to challenge racism."
The Anti-Nazi League, which was publicising the
Smash the BNP concert, is now planning an anti-racist festival in
Swansea instead.
The spokesman said, "The aim will be to
demonstrate the majority of people in South Wales are anti-racist
and anti-Nazi."
Police in Swansea say they had been prepared to
police the event and played no part in the decision to cancel.
The concert was called off after two groups of
men appeared in front of the Monkey Cafe and acted in what the
owners believed was a menacing manner.
There was no indication the men were allied to
any particular grouping or political party.
But Amanda Davey said, "We decided to cancel the
gig because we did not want to be at the front line of a race
riot."
In Swansea last year, trade unionists and members
of the public along with Anti-Nazi League members turned out in
force to oppose a BNP meeting in a hall in the city's Unitarian
Church in High Street.
Around 15 people, including two elderly ladies
and BNP national chairman Nick Griffin, were led by police into the
political meeting by police through a large group of jeering
activists.
Among those outside the church opposing the
meeting were AMs Dai Lloyd (Plaid Cymru) and Andrew Davies and
Edwina Hart (Labour).
Officials from the Unitarian Church later said
they had no idea their hall had been hired for a BNP meeting.
The meeting was held to discuss the issue of
asylum seekers settling in the South Wales area and was seen as a
recruitment meeting for the BNP.
After the hour-long meeting, police, including
mounted officers, sealed off High Street to allow those who attended
the meeting to disperse.
Shortly before the meeting was held last year,
controversial leaflets were being distributed in Swansea's Hafod
district criticising the local council for offering homes to
refugees from the volcano-hit Caribbean island of Montserrat.
| 
