International Roma Day in Barnsley

International Roma Day April 8th 2009 was marked in Barnsley by families of the Gypsy and Traveller residents completing voter registration forms which will enable them to vote in the forthcoming European Elections. 

A recent local health conference with Gypsies and Travellers raised the need for Gypsies and Travellers to register to vote in order to raise their profile as citizens with rights and voters to local, national and European politicians.

Unite against Fascism (UAF) and Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR) are national and locally based organisations supported by trade unions and faith groups which aim to campaign against and expose far Right Fascist and racist groupings particularly the BNP. At elections UAF campaigns for people to turn out vote for democratic parties of their choice to stop the BNP.

The local UAF activists volunteered to help Barnsley residents to register in the hope that they could ensure at least a few more votes for democratic parties from a minority threatened by the local rise of the BNP, and the threat from Fascist Parties in the European Parliament, persecuting Roma.

Last May in Barnsley the BNP stood in 20 of the 21 wards and averaged around 16% of the vote. As in other areas across the North the BNP threatens to gain an MEP in Yorkshire and the Humber if there is a low turnout on June 7th as they need only around 12% of the vote.

Young volunteers from Love Music Hate Racism at Barnsley College turned out to register voters on the site. The afternoon produced new voter registrations and links between young people on and off the site. Gypsies and Travellers on the site wanted more information about the local BNP who they had seen strutting around in the Town Centre.

The young people in the registration campaign said they learnt a lot on their first visit to a Gypsy and Traveller site and were keen to invite young people on the site to LMHR music gigs in the town.