Darnall Forum manager Neil Bishop said, 'A lot of people who have never lived in a neighbourhood like Darnall don't know how friendly, stimulating and vibrant a multi-faith and multi-cultural community can be. They can easily fall victim to messages of fear or hatred spread by right-wing extremists trying to win votes.'
There is a good chance, at the next European Election on 4th June, that a right-wing candidate will be elected to the European Parliament. This is because the election will be conducted by proportional representation, and any party which wins more than 10%, or one in every ten, of the votes cast is likely to get a candidate elected.
'To stop this from happening,' said Mr Bishop, 'People in places like Darnall, where different faiths and cultures get on well together, need to turn out in large numbers to vote for candidates who don't have a message of hatred or fear. It doesn't matter who you vote for, so long as you don't vote for an extremist candidate, but it is important that you do vote.'
This is what local people had to say:
- We all need to respect and appreciate each other more. (Saheed Siddique, Sheffield Health Centre)
- Darnall is a richly diverse community, let us look to enjoy the richness of that diversity rather than let others enjoy turning diversity into division. (Revd Pete Whittingham, Vicar of Darnall)
- We have worked very hard to bring residents together. Let's make sure we all use our votes to maintain this togetherness. (Sylvia Hamilton, Chair of Darnall Forum)
- Unless you register you have no vote . Unless you vote you have no say. Lets all vote and say we want a community united and working together. (Clive Betts MP)
To register to vote or obtain a postal ballot form, residents of Sheffield should ring Sheffield Town Hall on 0114 273093 or log on to www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/elections/contact-us
