In November the recently formed Newhaven Stand Up To Racism held a march through Newhaven and a celebration of diversity at the bandstand on Denton Island. There was a fantastic turnout in spite of rain. The Anti-Racism Alliance joined other anti-racist organisations in the area, to support the event.

We handed out out leaflets in support of migrants. Both Janet Baah and Paul Keene were invited to speak.

Paul called for action: “We are here today to celebrate and dedicate ourselves to the idea that we are stronger together, better as one community, more resilient, more vibrant, and more whole with everyone participating and welcomed, free of and unhindered by hate and exclusion”.

“What sort of society do we want? And what will we do to bring this into being, to nurture it, care for it, and support it? Who will we talk with, who will we invite to join us? What will we do to build a new politics, a new discourse? How will we organise and strategise to defeat that which we wholly reject?”

In her speech, Janet said: “We gather to affirm our shared humanity, our collective dignity, and our refusal to be silent in the face of injustice…. Today, we are witnessing a chilling shift in political discourse… We will not allow fear to fracture our communities or nationalism to erase our neighbours… We must confront this reality— not with defensiveness, but with courage… A truly proud nation doesn’t hide its flaws — it confronts them. It doesn’t fear diversity— it draws strength from it. It doesn’t silence uncomfortable truths — it listens, learns and grows”.

We continue to work with other local organisations who share our aims.