Defend multiculturalism Add your name to our petition Defend multiculturalism – don’t let Cameron divide us We believe David Cameron’s statement that multiculturalism has failed was a dangerous declaration of intent. David Cameron’s speech was reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher’s infamous 1978 statement that Britain was “being swamped by alien cultures”. He has branded Don’t let Britain’s Muslims as the new “enemy within” in the same way as Thatcher attacked the miners and trade unions. David Cameron is attempting to drive a wedge between different communities by linking Britain’s multicultural society with terrorism and national security. David Cameron’s speech was made on the same day as the English Defence League brought its bigotry and violence to the streets of Luton. Mr Cameron’s aim is simple as it is crude - to deflect the anger against his government’s cuts from the bankers and onto the Muslim community. The prime minister is aping attacks by Cameron other European leaders like France’s Nicolas Sarkozy, who passed legislation banning the veil, and Angela Merkel, who has also made statements denouncing multiculturalism in Germany. We the undersigned believe that our multicultural society and the respect and solidarity it is built on is a cause for pride, and reject any moves by this government to undermine and destroy it. We must not allow this coalition government to turn the tide back to the days when it was acceptable, through ignorance and fear, for people with a different religion, culture or skin colour to be scapegoated and treated as inferior or outsiders. Initial signatories: Martin Smith (Love Music Hate Racism); Peter Hain MP; Jeremy Corbyn MP; Ken Livingstone (Politician); Salma divide us! Yaqoob (Councillor and leader of Respect); Bob Crow (RMT Gen Sec); Billy Hayes (CWU Gen Sec); Mark Serwotka (PCS general secretary); Jeremy Dear (NUJ general secretary); Zita Holbourne (TUC Race Relations Committee); Dr Rob Berkeley (Director Runnymede Trust); Hosted by Unite Against Fascism and One Society Many Cultures. Speakers: Peter Ziauddin Sardar (writer); Farooq Murad (Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain); Dr Rob Berkeley (Director Runnymede Hain MP, Billy Hayes (CWU general secretary) Mehdi Hassan (Journalist), Edie Friedman Trust;) Professor Tariq Modood (Director of the Centre for the study of Ethnicity and citizenship at the University of Bristol); Mohammed Sawalha (President of British Muslim Iniative); Dr Chris Shannahan; Benjamin Zephaniah (poet); Lauren Booth (Broadcaster and (Jewish Council for Racial Equality), George Galloway, Dilowar Khan (Executive Director of journalist); Michael Rosen (author); China Miéville (author); Dr. Avaes Mohammad (poet, playwright, performer, analytical chemist); East London Muslim Centre), Zita Holbourne (TUC Race Relations Committee and BARAC), Sabrina Mahfouz, poet & playwright; Lindsey German Stop the War Coalition Convenor; Hassan Mahamdallie (activist); Weyman Jerry Dammers (ex-Specials/ musician), Weyman Bennett (UAF joint secretary) Martin Bennett (joint secretary Unite Against Fascism); Gary McFarlane (NUJ London magazine branch and Expose the BNP); N-Dubz - Tulisa Contostavlos, Dappy (Dino Contostavlos) and Richard “Fazer” Rawson;Drew McConnell – Babyshambles (Musician); Lowkey (Musician); Smith (Love Music Hate Racism), Kanja Sesay (NUS Black Students’ Officer),Mike Rosen Rabbi Lee Wax, Chairperson IKETH (Inter religious Conference for European Women Theologians); Musleh Faradhi ( Islamic Forum (broadcaster/poet), Avaes Mohammad (spoken word poet). Chair: Sabby Dhalu (One Europe); Danny Dorling (author / professor Sheffield University); David Armstrong UCU NEC; Jean Crocker UCU NEC; Alan Whitaker, Society Many Cultures/UAF joint secretary) and Hassan Mahamdallie (author) President UCU; Keith Malinson UCU NEC; Malcolm Povey UCU NEC; Angie McConnell, chair, UCU Equality Committee; Maeve Landman, vice chair UCU Equality Committee; Marion Hersh UCU NEC; Mark Campbell UCU NEC; Gavin Reid, Chair Education Committee; John Weds 9 March Murphy UCU NEC; Richard McEwan UCU NEC; and many more... 7pm, Friends Meeting House, Euston Rd (near Euston St) Go to uaf.org.uk l 020 7801 278 2 l [email protected] l PO Box 36871, London WC1X 9XT.