Wednesday’s counter-demonstration showed hope will always win against hate in Brighton and Hove 

9 August 2024 – Brighton and Hove Green Party were proud to join the thousands of counter-protesters who flooded Queen’s Road in Brighton to protest peacefully against the threat of organised racist and Islamophobia violence on the streets of our city on Wednesday.

The anti-racist crowd vastly outnumbered a tiny group of anti-immigration protesters. 

The racist protesters in the city on Wednesday were few and believed to have come from outside Brighton and Hove, as part of a targeted online campaign.

Greens are clear that these people are not welcome in our city and we are proud to have stood with the people of Brighton and Hove in opposition to these attacks on our communities. 

Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, Sian Berry, was among the counter-protesters along with city Green councillors Steve Davis, Kerry Pickett, Sue Shanks, Pete West and Ollie Sykes. 

Brighton and Hove is a proud ‘City of Sanctuary’, which celebrates diversity and is a safe, welcoming place for refugees. These values are embedded in our communities and across the city and will remain so.

Pic: Green city councillors Kerry Pickett and Steve Davis at the anti-fascist counter-rally.

Greens are clear that what is happening on streets across the country is not ‘thuggery’ but organised political violence perpetrated by fascist, domestic terrorists. This cannot stand and it is imperative that the Labour government starts to call out this violence for what it is and take action accordingly. 

Steve Davis, leader of the opposition on Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “Everyone has the right to feel safe living in our city. We want to support our residents in countering the wider impacts of this hatred that has made some people feel they cannot belong here if they do not fit within a fascist’s view of society.”

Greens stand in solidarity with every community that has been attacked or threatened by organised political violence on our streets in recent weeks.

Greens also support the police and emergency workers who are protecting the people in these communities as well as the community leaders and individuals working to bring communities together in the face of a political campaign that aims to divide us. 

Please reach out personally where you can to show solidarity with Muslim people and members of other ethnic minorities in your community. Together we can show that solidarity and love are stronger than hatred and fear.

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Greens made history with three other MPs also being elected for the first time: Carla Denyer in Bristol Central, Adrian Ramsay in Waveney Valley and Ellie Chowns in North Herefordshire.

Brighton Pavilion result 4 July 2024 (BBC)

https://greenparty.org.uk/2024/07/05/four-mps-green-party-makes-history/

Siân Berry, newly elected as MP for Brighton Pavilion, said: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone in Brighton who has put their trust in me and the Green Party. This is a very special city, and together we’ve made history again.

“I promise to work hard as your new Green MP and make sure your voices are heard in Parliament. By voting for me, you have demanded action on the NHS, the water companies, housing, and the climate emergency, and I will be there to make sure the new Government delivers on all these priorities.

“I am infinitely grateful to Caroline Lucas for her support throughout the campaign, and for being such a model of how to be an effective MP for Brighton and the country.

“It’s hard to express my delight at joining Carla Denyer, Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns, I know they will all be brilliant.

“Finally, congratulations to the new Prime Minister elect. I will make sure you take up the good ideas in our Green manifesto without delay.”

Full result: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001130

The Greens came second in Hove & Portslade with Sophie Broadbent and and almost beat the Tories into second place with Elaine Hills in Brighton Kemptown & Peacehaven.

There was also bonus council by-election win for the Greens in Brunswick & Adelaide ward in Hove with the election of former city councillor Ollie Sykes to fill a vacant seat previously held by Labour.

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Siân Berry said: “Now we have the final list of people standing, I would like to challenge all the other candidates in Brighton Pavilion to agree to a Clean Campaign Promise during this general election campaign.

“Public regard for politicians has never been lower, and it is crucial that we help regain the public’s trust in the democratic process.”

Candidates taking the pledge will commit to a positive and honest campaign, to refrain from personal attacks, and to make only honest claims about their record and those of others.

Siân continued: “Voters are tired of negative campaigning, of insults and innuendo.

“I will continue to campaign on the issues that matter to local people including the NHS, sewage in our seas, renting and housing concerns, peace in Palestine and urgent climate action. I will conduct an honest campaign and not take part in any personal attacks.

“I very much hope the other candidates will immediately confirm they are also happy to make this promise.”

“If elected, I will serve the people of Brighton as an honest and independent voice, who will represent and fight for the issues that local residents care about.”

“This is reflected in my campaign, which is why I have signed up to this Clean Campaign Promise today.”

Siân Berry’s Clean Campaign Promise to Brighton:

• To run a clean, positive and honest campaign around the issues that matter to local people.
• To tell the truth about what I stand for and have achieved, and about the record of other candidates.
• To respect my opponents and refrain from personal attacks.

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Voters across Sussex, including Brighton & Hove, will go to the polls on Thursday 2 May to pick the new Police and Crime Commissioner, the same day as two Brighton & Hove City Council by-elections (in Queen’s Park and Kemptown) caused by the resignation of two former Labour councillors.

The Green Party has chosen former BBC journalist Jonathan Kent as its candidate for Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner

The Green Party candidate won 13.4% of the vote Sussex-wide when the post was last contested in 2021 – although it is likely that Green support in Brighton & Hove, where there is strong support for the Greens, was proportionally higher.

Jonathan said: “We know what the best policing looks like because so many officers deliver that day-in day-out. I want everyone who lives in Sussex to be able to expect that regardless of the colour of their skin, background, gender or [other] orientation.”

“I’ll focus on preventing crime and violence, women’s and girls’ safety and support better funding for youth services while working to ensure we have excellent officers who are welcomed to the heart of every community and every home.”

Siân Berry, Green MP candidate for Brighton Pavilion constituency, said: “Green members in Sussex have made a great choice. Jonathan is exactly the sort of person needed for a position like this.

“We are in strong agreement about the need to prevent crime in the first place, and that’s why funding for youth services is so crucial and will be such a big part of his campaign.

“Youth services have been undervalued and undercut under this Conservative government, but this is where the investment is needed.”

The Green Party believes that criminal justice cannot be divorced from its wider social context. The party has long argued for more focus on crime prevention and the use of restorative justice, an approach increasingly being adopted by police services across the country including in Sussex.

Restorative justice puts the emphasis on the offender making amends to the victim of their crime and aims to avoid pushing people into a life of reoffending.

Jonathan grew up and lives in Ticehurst in Sussex and went to local state schools before reading philosophy and theology at Oxford University.

As a former journalist and foreign correspondent, he campaigned on issues such as human rights, miscarriages of justice, the treatment of migrant workers and sex trafficking.

Jonathan said: “People are really struggling at the moment – the NHS, schools, transport and the other services we rely on have been run down; the cost of living is rising and incomes aren’t stretching as far as they used to.”

“Wildlife and nature are struggling too. Our beaches and rivers are polluted, habitats are being destroyed. At the same time countries that should be finding ways to work together to stop our climate spinning out of control are increasingly in conflict with one another instead.”

“It doesn’t have to be this way. Greens believe that the answer lies in working together across social divides and party lines to build a Britain and a future in which everyone matters.”

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For more info on voter registration for the Police & Crime Commissioner election and how to make your vote count, visit Brighton & Hove City Council’s election pages

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On Sunday 15th October, Sian Berry, the Green Party parliamentary candidate for Brighton Pavilion constituency, met with local residents in Patcham to hear ideas on how Patcham Court Farm could be regenerated to help boost the local economy and enhance the area.

Residents are working on proposals in collaboration with business and community groups that they hope will counter Royal Mail’s plans and provide an alternative vision for the area. Sian Berry is a member of the London Assembly and has actively supported community planning and numerous Community Land Trusts, emphasising the importance of community-driven solutions in shaping the future of neighbourhoods. Sian is also an experienced road and environmental campaigner.

It is estimated that Royal Mail’s plans which include an entrance on Vale Avenue, a residential street, will instigate 200,000 additional journeys through Patcham Village annually. This would include 28 articulated and HGV lorry movements every day, equating to over 10,000 a year, a marked increase from the Royal Mail lorry movements in the city currently.

Sian heard pitches from local residents that would use sustainable materials, create low-impact buildings and harness renewable energy supplies to transform Patcham Court Farm into a multi-functional space.

Sian said: “Local residents and experts have been absolutely clear that Royal Mail’s plans for Patcham need to be scrapped. What Royal Mail are suggesting will be bad business for our city and will exacerbate existing problems now and into the future. We have an exciting chance to transform the Patcham Court Farm site into a valuable community space and environment that reflects our city’s identity.”

Royal Mail is trying to purchase Patcham Court Farm from Brighton and Hove City Council despite objections from National Highways, Southern Water, the Council’s flooding and air quality team, as well as over 1000 residents. If the sale proceeds, it will give Royal Mail control of land that is located on a critical aquifer and near a pumping station which helps supply water to over 116,000 people.

Campaigners argue that the Royal Mail’s plans pose a danger to drinking water, exacerbate known flood risks, change a residential area to an industrial one and significantly increase traffic and pollution. It will also threaten a conservation area, overshadow a heritage site at Church Hill and impose on views of the South Downs.

Rebecca Kimber, co-lead of the Patcham Against Royal Mail campaign said: “For people travelling into Brighton via the A23 and A27, Patcham Court Farm is effectively the front door to our city. We must stop Royal Mail’s proposals that will cast a dark shadow over the entrance to Brighton and will add considerable traffic and accident risks to our already highly congested road network.”

Campaigners question why the current sites in Brighton and Hove are not being invested in and modernised. They also highlight that the rail network could be used to transport post into central distribution sites before it is delivered via e-bikes, instead of causing congestion and pollution on road networks. Campaigners are urging the council and Royal Mail to justify why they are not considering using this ready-made site and more sustainable modes of transport.

National Highways said in their holding objection: “We will be concerned with proposals that have the potential to impact on the safe and efficient operation of the strategic road network, in this case, particularly within the vicinity of the A23 and A27 near Brighton.”

For more information: www.patchamagainstroyalmail.uk

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