Hope not Hate

Burngreave resident Ken Riley fought in the Second World War and lost comrades in the fight against fascism. Now, he supports the “Hope not Hate” campaign.

Sixty-five years isn't a long time ago to me, it often feels like yesterday. I was in a tank division on D-Day 1944. It was a long, long day for us all – and the horrible, lonely sacrifices made that day by men scared yet brave is something I think about every day.

These European Elections are personal to me. Some of the lads who went on D-Day and who never came back were barely old enough to vote. If they had made it through the fight against fascism, they would be voting now, voting to stop the BNP for the same reasons they fought in 1944.

Sixty-five years ago might seem like a long time – but what made me volunteer then is what has made me volunteer now. Will you join me by volunteering for HOPE not Hate's campaign against the BNP to mark D-Day on Tuesday 2 June? You can find your nearest event by going to this site and entering your postcode –

http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/eventsnearme

It is a source of great pride that the slog and sacrifice of my generation freed Europe from the tyranny of Hitler's Nazis. The sadness brought by the price we paid is overshadowed by the happiness that we made the modern Britain we have today possible.

Our nation has so much to be proud of – but the BNP want to drag Britain down. They would drag us back to what I remember Churchill calling “a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime”.

I was barely into my twenties on D-Day 1944. We didn't fight then just to allow the Nazis a route back 65 years later. And while I am getting on, I will be back on the streets this Tuesday doing my bit with HOPE not hate.

Please take a moment to go online and see if there any events near you. A couple of hours leafleting will mean a lot to me, and will make a real difference. Click here and enter your postcode to find your nearest event:

http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/eventsnearme

Thank you for taking the time to read my message – and thank you for taking a stand sixty five years on from my D-Day.

Ken Riley Normandy Veteran – Tank Division

P.S. If there aren't any events near you, can you organise your own? Enter the event details on the site and the HOPE not hate campaign will provide you with the leaflets that you need. You can do that here:

http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/page/event/create