Saturdays’ joint UAF/LMHR national conference was a big success, with a sold-out audience of over 600 people coming together from across the country to talk about the threat of the BNP, the English Defence League and racism in our society, and most important to plan how to take them on in the coming months, with General and local elections looming in May in which the BNP could do well.

The LMHR session competed with the one on combatting the EDL for the most popular workshop, drawing over 120 people.

Jerry Dammers from The Specials, Itch Fox from King Blues and rapper Big Cakes spoke inspiringly about building LMHR as a cultural weapon in the fight against racism and fascism.

Jerry talked about the need to debunk racist myths about immigration, to be tough on “mainstream” racism, and – as someone who’d protested outside BBC Question Time last autumn – to not allow the Nazis a platform to spout their racist lies.

Itch – whose band had headlined the LMHR gig in support of vindicated Staffs Uni president Assed Baig last week – said that while a cultural campaign against the fascists is vital, campaigns like LMHR alone cannot defeat them;  linking our gigs and events into action in our communities and streets against the racists and fascists is the key. “We are carrying on from the Specials and people like Woody Guthrie before. We need to oppose the BNP on the streets and in Parliament.”

Big Cakes stressed the difference that every individual LMHR supporter can make to the campaign, and said he came away feeling inspired by the conference to do more.

Lee Billingham from LMHR talked about the need to build on the success of the past year – the Stoke Carnival, more than 100 LMHR gigs, the Becks beer LMHR labels and so on  – and announced at least two LMHR Carnivals for this year’s MayDay weekend.  Despite LMHR’s success there are still small but vocal voices in the movement who question the effectiveness and need for a campaign like LMHR.  Lee argued that this view is mistaken because it looks only at stopping the fascists at the ballot box, but what is actually needed is a mass movement in every town and city that gives even individual anti-racists the confidence to stand up to racists and fascists.  The BNP and EDL’s success means we need a much bigger movement, and relying on existing activists alone will not do the job – so LMHR relates to the many many young people (and older disullusioned music fans) who hate racism and will want to get involved.  The big outdoor events and media coverage take LMHR’s message to the mass audience it needs, popularising the feeling that millions have against racism and the BNP and boosting the anti-BNP vote at elections.   But LMHR is a grassroots movement, and the local initiatives people take are vital, from doing a stall at a local gig to getting bands and promoters to put LMHR on their flyers or myspaces etc.

This year saw more people take part in the discussion than ever before – reflecting both the record number of LMHR gigs and active local groups last year as well as the extra time purposely devoted to allowing more contributions from the floor.  LMHR activists and supporters spoke from Manchester, Stoke, Leicester, Luton, Barking, Leeds, Wakefield, London, Derby, Merseyside, the Musicians’ Union, PCS, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly and more.

Matt from Nottingham LMHR described how the gigs they are putting on there are helping to boost the local anti-BNP campaign, with a good number of gig-goers attending UAF leafleting against a BNP by-election candidate the following.  Ben from Barnsley LMHR talked about the LMHR Yorkshire carnival being staged there in May, but also gave a great example of what can be done by reporting that *sixteen* local music venues are signed up to hold fringe LMHR events in the town on the day of the carnival!  Barnsley is where the BNP got their highest percentage vote in the 2009 Euro elections, but the work LMHR has done there has given anti-fascists the confidence to occupy the spot of the BNP’s usual stall in Barnsley town centre, preventing the Nazis from spreading their poison in the town for the last two weeks.  Matt from Yorkshire (aka ace artist/poet Matt Skint) is coordinating a LMHR anti-BNP statement for musicians across Yorkshire to sign up to and related an argument he had in a Sheffield chip shop with someone spouting racist remarks,which ended in them agreeing to not vote BNP in shock at the Nazi truth behind their lies.   Baby J from LMHR urged supporters to become members of the campaign and ask friends, workmates and family to do the same, making the point we’re consciously not a charity and so rely on the donations and membership subs of our members to survive and grow.

More than 100 people signed up to be 2010 Carnival volunteers through the day, huge amounts of our t-shirts/hoodies/badges/posters/leaflets were bought and taken away for local groups, and many people joined the campaign as members.  A big thanks go out to everyone who made the effort to come down to London, and all who volunteered so tirelessly on the day, decorating the venue, running the stalls and tidying up at the end, you know who you are!

For a full report on the rest of the Conference, check out http://www.uaf.org.uk/news.asp?choice=100214

If you were there or even if you couldn’t make but have something to say about LMHR, do let us have your comments, and links to any photos or video you took, below.