Indymedia York

After the votes were counted, the BNP were left to lick their wounds after a performance that failed to give them a seat, nor any particular sense of victory. However, this doesn't mean we've seen the last of them, as stated in their announcement to the local newspaper that they now have a better idea of where to focus next time. In Acomb, where their leader of sorts, Ian Dawson, stood, they made it to 520 votes, just over 3% of those cast. A vote for Dawson appeared on around 1 in 20 of the ballots cast.

It didn't need hours of preparation. I didn't need a national organisation. I didn't need violence. When a BNP campaigner was seen posting leaflets through letterboxes in the Leeman Road area of Holgate Ward, the people on the receiving end of their vile propaganda knew exactly what to do: tell the BNP to leave the area.

After last nights anti-fash leafleting when Holgate, Acomb and Westfield were targeted, Leeman Road was today's target. Some 500 houses got leaflets, with a few incidents to report. Funniest was when someone emerged from a house to attack an anti-fascist because they mis-read the leaflet that had just landed on there doormat. After apologising and chatting, she joined in the leafleting trip. Coming to the end of the trip, a car appeared in the area, a turquoise Hyundi, reg P127 JWA, stopped mid way down a street, and then backed up slowly following a campaigner.

This week will be a busy one for the city of York, as citizens head to the polls on Thursday. Many will be hoping that BNP votes are kept to a minimum, with Acomb one of the more worrying areas. Final leafleting rounds will be undertaken, in the hope of ensuring as many votes cast for 'positive parties'. As both Labour and Lib Dems are seen by many as having failed the city, the results could be interesting.

Logo for Love Music, Hate Racism, used by most such events. Replaces the old Rock Against Racism logo (which is a tradgedy, but then people do love these new-fangled electron genres like Hip-hop, RnB, House, etc.)

Saturday's anti-fascist leafleting in Acomb saw 6 students from the University including leading member of the Islamic society and another 4 of us, so a good turn out. Public response was good.

The most notable event was that one Ian Dawson a BNP National Group Support Officer showed up towards the end and attempted to take photos of us (I recognised him from a photo, plus he eventually came clean when I confronted him for the second time.) He also gave out a few leaflets before disappearing. Another person later told me that he had overhead someone phoning Dawson up on his mobile telling Dawson that he had better come down. The Islamic soc guy told me that Dawson told him to "get out of his country".