Defend multiculturalism, don't let Cameron divide us

We believe David Cameron’s statement that multiculturalism has failed was a dangerous declaration of intent. David Cameron's speech was reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher’s infamous 1978 statement that Britain was “being swamped by alien cultures”. He has branded Britain’s Muslims as the new “enemy within” in the same way as Thatcher attacked the miners and trade unions.

David Cameron is attempting to drive a wedge between different communities by linking Britain’s multicultural society with terrorism and national security. David Cameron’s speech was made on the same day as the English Defence League brought its bigotry and violence to the streets of Luton. Mr Cameron’s aim is simple as it is crude - to deflect the anger against his government’s cuts from the bankers and onto the Muslim community. The prime minister is aping attacks by other European leaders like France's Nicolas Sarkozy, who passed legislation banning the veil, and Angela Merkel, who has also made statements denouncing multiculturalism in Germany.
We the undersigned believe that our multicultural society and the respect and solidarity it is built on is a cause for pride, and reject any moves by this government to undermine and destroy it.

We must not allow this coalition government to turn the tide back to the days when it was acceptable, through ignorance and fear, for people with a different religion, culture or skin colour to be scapegoated and treated as inferior or outsiders.

Initial signatories

Martin Smith (Love Music Hate Racism)
Peter Hain MP
Jeremy Corbyn MP
Ken Livingstone (Politician)
Salma Yaqoob (Councillor and leader of Respect)
Bob Crow (RMT Gen Sec)
Billy Hayes (CWU Gen Sec)
Mark Serwotka (PCS general secretary)
Jeremy Dear (NUJ general secretary)
Zita Holbourne (TUC Race Relations Committee)
Dr Rob Berkeley (Director Runnymede Trust)
Ziauddin Sardar (writer)
Farooq Murad (Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain)
Dr Rob Berkeley (Director Runnymede Trust)
Professor Tariq Modood (Director of the Centre for the study of Ethnicity and citizenship at the University of Bristol)
Mohammed Sawalha (President of British Muslim Iniative)
Dr Chris Shannahan
Benjamin Zephaniah (poet)
Lauren Booth (Broadcaster and journalist)
Michael Rosen (author)
China Miéville (author)
Dr. Avaes Mohammad (poet, playwright, performer, analytical chemist)
Sabrina Mahfouz, poet & playwright
Lindsey German Stop the War Coalition Convenor
Hassan Mahamdallie (activist)
Weyman Bennett (joint secretary Unite Against Fascism)
Gary McFarlane (NUJ London magazine branch and Expose the BNP)
N-Dubz - Tulisa Contostavlos, Dappy (Dino Contostavlos) and Richard “Fazer” Rawson
Drew McConnell – Babyshambles (Musician)
Lowkey (Musician)
Rabbi Lee Wax, Chairperson IKETH (Inter religious Conference for European Women Theologians)
Musleh Faradhi ( Islamic Forum Europe)
Danny Dorling (author / professor Sheffield University)
‪David Armstrong‬ UCU NEC
‪Jean Crocker UCU NEC
Alan Whitaker, President UCU
Keith Malinson UCU NEC
Malcolm Povey UCU NEC
Angie McConnell, chair, UCU Equality Committee
Maeve Landman, vice chair UCU Equality Committee
Marion Hersh UCU NEC
Mark Campbell UCU NEC
Gavin Reid, Chair Education Committee
John Murphy UCU NEC
Richard McEwan UCU NEC
Tom Hickey, Chair Recruitment, organising campaigns committee
Alison Gander UCU NEC
Alan Barker UCU NEC
James Eaden UCU NEC
Brian Ingham UCU NEC
Christine Vie UCU NEC
Jane Hardy UCU NEC
Alison Lord UCU NEC
Ann Blair UCU NEC
Dave Gibson UCU NEC
Jim Wolfreys UCU NEC
Karen Evans UCU NEC
Laura Miles (Vice chair UCU Equality Committee)
Gargi Bhattachryya (UCU NEC)
Sean Vernell (UCU NEC)
Futureheads - Barry Hyde David "Jaff" Craig, Peter Brewsi, Ross Millard (band)
Logic (musician)
Tubelord - Joseph Prendergast, David Catmur, Tom Coulson-Smith and James Elliot
Field (band)
Dinosaur Pile-up - Matt Bigland, Harry Johns and Mike Sheils.
Itch - The King Blues (Musician)
Daniel Stephens - Dan Le Sac (Musician)
David Peter Meads - Scroobius Pip (Musician)
Blaine Harrison - Mystery Jets (Singer)
Kid British – Adio Merchant and Simeon McLean (Band)
Jeff Mirza (Comic / actor)
Sabby Dhalu (joint secretary Unite Against Fascism and One Society Many Cultures secretary)
Kanja Ibrahim Sesay (NUS Black Students’ Officer and NUS Anti-Racism Anti-Fascism Convenor)
Frances Rifkin (Equity)
Dr. Jonathan Githens-Mazer Co-Director European Muslim Research Centre
Bruce Kent One Society Many Cultures Vice Chair
Shemiza Rashid (Director Creative Muslim Network)
Sue Bond (PCS vice President)
Revd Ray Gaston (Interfaith Enabler Birmingham Methodist Church, personal capacity)
Madani Younis (Artistic Director- Freedom Studios, Bradford, & the Artists of Freedom Studios)
Mohammed Ali (Aerosolarabic)
Luqman Ali
Kinsi Abdulleh
Sarah Pickthall
Ayaan Aden (psychology student)
Tristan McConnell