Building a future free from fascism

This Saturday trade unionists, anti-racists, anti-fascists and other activists will gather at the Unite Against Fascism conference to discuss how to build a fascist-free future both here and in the whole of Europe.

While both the British National Party and its "street-fighting" alter ego the English Defence League have suffered some reverses in the last year, there are many indicators that these will just be temporary setbacks without the constant watchfulness and mobilisation of the wide anti-fascist movement.

The BNP has declined due to effective campaigning by anti-fascists, but also because the sharp "anti-immigrant" stance of the UK Independence Party (Ukip) has captured much of its voter base.

While Ukip is clearly not a fascist party, the dog-whistle turn in its politics in the Eastleigh by-election - focusing its campaigning against a non-existent "open-door" immigration policy - feeds the fears and prejudices that create a base for the re-emergence of openly neonazi currents.

The EDL has been driven back by the broad campaigning strategy of Unite Against Fascism.

In places like Tower Hamlets and Walthamstow in particular, the EDL's proposal to stage provocative and intimidatory marches through highly multicultural areas was met by a peaceful but determined response from trade unions, local residents, mosques, churches and local politicians.

These defeats have undermined the EDL, but it has not gone away.

It still calls regular street protests even though its numbers have seen a decline. It is actively seeking an appropriate electoral vehicle to reflect its particular brand of Islamophobic obsessions.

I am proud that my trade union has been at the heart of these activities, and has worked closely with Unite Against Fascism to inform, mobilise and alert the rest of the movement in response to the extreme right.

We have also worked to create the necessary unity in the anti-fascist movement, and this conference marks important progress in this with the active participation of Searchlight.

The conference on Saturday will assess what has been achieved and set the next objectives for achieving a "fascist-free future."

The conference will discuss how to campaign up to the 2014 Euro elections to win a "fascist-free" MEP cohort from north-west England and Yorkshire by ensuring the defeat of Nick Griffin and Andrew Brons, elected in 2009.

A key objective will be to keep our schools and colleges fascist-free. Central to that is to support and promote anti-racism and multiculturalism in the curriculum both through content, by keeping in for example Mary Seacole, but also actively teaching about fairness and social justice.

We will reaffirm our commitment to "No platform for fascists."

The conference will consider how to keep our streets fascist-free by continuing to organise community-wide responses to EDL attempts to sow divisions and tensions.

"One society, many cultures" is the reality of our society and is not just the only framework that can work, but it is the basis of a liberal society in which we can all be free to be ourselves.

Finally the conference will embark on a process of discussion and co-ordination with European anti-fascists in the aspiration for a fascist-free Europe.

While it was a shared belief that 1945 had rid the continent of these politics of hate forever, now we are seeing the rise of neonazi groups at a level not seen since the 1930s. The fightback against this has to start.

The conference on Saturday March 2 is not just for committed activists but a necessity for all those of goodwill to come together to discuss how to counter the fascists in Britain and in Europe to build a future in which all can flourish free of violence and hatred.

• Christine Blower is General Secretary of the NUT and a vice-chair of UAF. Details of registration for the conference can be found at www.uaf.org.uk