RMT is a backing a big protest against the fascist BNP this month, and offering a free lift to any RMT member who wants to join this important event. RMT's Annual General Meeting voted unanimously to back the protest against the BNP's 'Red, White and Blue' festival, recognising that the growth of the BNP is a threat to working-class unity and to trade unionism.

The coach leaves RMT head office at 8am and will return by 7.30pm. To book your seat on the coach, please contact Regional Council Secretary Steve Hedley by e-mail or by phone: 07846-266934.

Below, the organisers - Notts Stop The BNP - explain the background to the protest.

For too many years the BNP have enjoyed their annual Red, White and Blue festival without major opposition. They have usually kept the location secret for as long as possible but nevertheless have often brought numbers in their hundreds for a weekend of morale boosting, party-building and scarcely concealed, well-documented Nazi and fascist celebration.

This year we already know where the RWB festival is to be. Immediately after their festival in 2007, they announced it will be in the same location in Denby, which borders Nottingham and Derby and is only a few miles from the M1. This part of the East Midlands has been one of their prime areas of recent growth as well as having been a long established area of fascist activity and the birth place of the violent Combat 18.

Despite the still developing split in the BNP, they are insistent that their festival will go ahead. If it does then it will allow them to regroup, reorganise, fix and expand after the damage to them by their recent political in-fighting.

Over the last year anti-fascists in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire have been working together to harass the BNP. Primarily this has been facilitated by the Nottinghamshire Stop the BNP campaign but it has also been supported by Derby UAF as well as a multitude of trade union organisations. All these campaigns are determined to stop the RWB festival being a successful recruitment event for the BNP.

Already 150 people were mobilised in October, 2007 and physically blockaded and stopped a local BNP rally being held and addressed by Nick Griffin. In addition leaflets and stalls have been held in towns and villages where the BNP have been known to be particularly active.

A local anti BNP conference was called in Nottingham on Jan 19th and attended by 100 people. The conference was sponsored by many trade unions in the region including the FBU, UCU, UNISON and NUT.

Delegates called for a mass protest against the BNP festival; demanded that councils block permission for the event and asked trade unionists as far as possible to refuse to do any work that might help facilitate the BNP event; and for thousands of people including trade unionists and anti-fascists throughout the country to join us in filling the surrounding area in mass protest.

The BNP festival is still going ahead. We call on all local and national anti-racist campaigns and bodies opposed to the BNP to support the call of the Nottingham conference.

Please raise support for this mobilisation within your organisation. Contact the organisers by e-mail.

More information from the No BNP Festival website.

Join us in protest to stop the BNP 2008 festival, 15th-17th August. The main protest will be on Saturday 16 August.