Youth against Racism in Europe protest against the BNP in 1993, photo The Socialist (Click to enlarge)
After 18 years two men have finally been convicted of the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence. Below we republish an article from the Socialist paper in 2003, written on the tenth anniversary of Stephen's death. Further material will be available soon.
Ten years after the murder of Stephen Lawrence
When mass action and class unity beat back the fascists
Ten years ago, the Black teenager Stephen Lawrencewas brutally murdered in a racist attack in Eltham, south-east London.
The fourth racist murder of young Black or Asian men in the area in two years, it provoked outrage across Britain.
The shocking level of racist attacks was closely linked to the presence of the neo-Nazi BNP, whose national headquarters in nearby Welling had encouraged racist violence.
The anti-racist movement that followed Stephen's murder succeeded in closing down the BNP's HQ in Welling and defeating the BNP on a national scale.
The Lawrence family campaign succeeded in exposing the police racism and corruption that had stopped Stephen's killers being brought to justice.
