March/April 2004
News

The changing faces of facism and racism

The University's Programme for a Peaceful City held a forum to explore the conditions that give rise to fascism and far right movements.

The Forum addressed what lessons could be learnt from past experiences to benefit Bradford and the rest of the UK.

The Forum, chaired by the University of Bradford's Professor Jenny Pearce from the Department of Peace Studies, welcomed keynote speaker Professor Roger Griffin from Oxford Brookes University.

His talk 'Not sleeping with the enemy! The changing faces of fascism and racism in modern Britain' looked at how fascism and organised racism had evolved since the defeat of Mussolini and Hitler and the new tactics and vigilance needed to combat them in contemporary society.

Well-known commentator and community activist Shahid Malik gave his perspectives on racism in the UK. Other contributions included perspectives on Austria, European expansion and the Netherlands.

Perspectives on Bradford's long history of anti-racism were provided by veteran activists Geoff Robinson and Dave Stark.

Programme Officer for Programme for a Peaceful City Lisa Cumming said: "The Forum was an opportunity for people to reflect on racist and fascist movements and to look at what important lessons can be learnt from other countries and from history."

16 April 2004

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