THE people of Oxford have a tradition of opposing racism and fascism.

In 2007 mass protests took place against the invitations extended to holocaust deniers Nick Griffin and David Irving to speak at the Oxford Union.

It should come as no surprise to readers of the Oxford Mail that many people are disgusted to have now received the BNP’s racist election leaflet with their post.

The leaflet seeks to turn people’s anger at the economic crisis against black and minority ethnic groups with its attack on “mass migration”.

BNP leader Nick Griffin recently backed the BNP position that black and Asian Britons “do not exist” and should be referred to as “racial foreigners”.

A BNP activist manual stated that the organisation’s “ultimate aim” was the “repatriation of the resident foreigners of the UK” – ethnic cleansing by another name.

The BNP knows that such scapegoating will fuel the racism that leads to racist attacks.

Any success at the European elections would give this dangerous group access to hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money to promote its campaign of stirring up racial hatred.

We applaud those postal workers in Oxfordshire who are exercising the ‘conscience clause’ agreement between the CWU and Royal Mail that allows them to refuse to deliver the BNP’s hate mail because it is offensive to them.

Postal workers who refuse to deliver the BNP’s leaflets are the true heroes of our multicultural society. Their principled stand is an inspiration to us all and we call on the people of Oxfordshire to acknowledge their courage and to support the campaign to stop the BNP by helping circulate anti-BNP material and turning out to vote to stop the BNP on June 4.

For more information on the campaign contact OxfordUAF@bethere.co.uk

Oxford Unite Against Fascism and Oxford Love Music Hate Racism (signed by 52 Oxford city and Oxfordshire county councillors, trade unionists, student leaders, campaigners and anti-racists)