ORGANISING ACADEMY

This community coalition was initiated by Thanet NUT - along with a range of political and community organisations and other local trade unions - to address the ongoing issues of racism and Islamophobia, which are a concern for the teachers of Thanet.

The project is helping to engage teachers in a variety of forms of union activity - making the local NUT Association relevant and vibrant through tackling an issue which is widely felt by members in schools locally.  It has proved a particularly successful campaign, as LMHR provides a vast range of means through which teachers can engage with the trade union movement; leafleeting and activism, school based anti-racism assemblies and workshops and arts projects involving students at the festival and in school itself.

As trade unionists, fighting racism and Islamophobia has been, and must remain, one of our top priorities. Islamophobia has, in the last 10 years, become a sometimes acceptable form of racism. The criticism and scrutiny which the Islamic community has had placed upon them has manifested itself in a whole range of ways – calls from mass media newspapers and members of parliament to ban the burkah being just one example. This climate of Islamophobia promoted by politicians and the media for the past decade has provided the arguments and foundations upon which extremists and the far right have been able to grow. This has resulted in the unfortunate increase in support for the British National Party (500, 000 votes at the last General Election) and the English Defence League street thugs, who target Islam and Mosques for their disgraceful displays of racial hatred and violence.

Kent is a key building ground for the EDL – Kent EDL division having lead one of their recent racist protests.

It is in this context that LMHR is all the more important for Thanet and East Kent. Challenging racism provides an important opportunity to demonstrate our committment to the equalities agenda, whilst also developing new union activists who share our commitment to cultural diversity and multiculturalism and take this agenda back into the school environment.

Thanet LMHR will also be organising events after September 11th including a Battle of the Bands Project which is being organised in coalition with NUT snd Margate Dreamlands Project. We are a growing local community campaign which is here to stay and with the support of the trade union movement - we can help eradicate racism and fascism in Kent, for good!