ANTI-RACISTS joined activists in London to stop the far-right British National Party from winning any votes on May 4.

For the past eight years the Lewisham Anti-Racist Action Group (LARAG) has successfully driven the BNP out of Lewisham with no candidates standing in the forthcoming elections.

The group, which has 150 members, canvassed voters and held public meetings to raise awareness about the "racist" party.

Now they want to support other activists in Greenwich, Bexley, Barking and Dagenham, to persuade people not to vote for the BNP.

Last Saturday, LARAG delivered more than 1,500 leaflets to households in Barking, where Labour Minister Margaret Hodge recently admitted eight out of 10 people are considering voting BNP.

LARAG chairman Jarman Parmar, whose group also plans to canvass voters in Dagenham this Saturday, said: "The BNP seems to have at last got the message it is not welcome in Lewisham.

"Its politics of race hate and fascism are opposed by the majority of Londoners."

He added: "It is important we help get the message out so the BNP does not get any seats in London."

But Greenwich's only BNP candidate, Roberta Woods, believes LARAG's campaigning will work in favour of her party.

The 53-year-old, who is standing for Eltham West, said: "The group's leafleting against the BNP is going to backfire.

"It's all silliness. We have been called nazi and racist, which until now has worked in marginalising us. But in fact we are patriots."

She added: "People laid down their lives for this country because they were patriotic and now this is something we are being persecuted for."

Mr Parmar said: "Our allegations against the BNP are not silly but very serious and based on facts about what they have said and done.

"BNP leader Nick Griffin calls for an all-white Britain.

"This is racist and attempts to incite hatred and violence."