UPDATE: A comrade from Bristol has just informed us that the planned event featuring racist apologist Dr James Watson has been cancelled.

The leader of Bristol City Council, one of the organisations backing the event, told him that the Bristol Cultural Development Partnership will issue a press release confirming this first thing tomorrow.

The cancellation of the event apparently follows behind-the-scenes pressure on the BCDP from the Council, The Arts Council and the business community. We think that the fact that all of these groups had been made aware that anti-fascist activists were on the case may have helped!

Thanks to all of our supporters for spreading the word and taking action.

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UPDATE 2: Watson only had one event left after the Bristol one was cancelled. This was due to take place at the Centre for Life in Newcastle on Sunday. Watson is the Patron of the Centre, a registered charity. The Centre had earlier released a press statement saying that they intended to go ahead with the event despite the cancellations elsewhere. However, they have now been forced to cancel it after Watson scurried back home to the US much earlier than planned! You can read their press release here - http://www.life.org.uk/about/press/articles/42

No doubt when he lands Watson will also be pleased to learn he’s been suspended by the board of trustees at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he is the Chancellor.

The response of the Centre for Life has left much to be desired. The fact that Watson has been supported by them throughout this affair and still remains their Patron is outrageous. However, some of the other board members may be uneaasy about being associated with a racist (for instance, a local councillor is involved). We will see what we can find out about the Centre and its board so that we can apply suitable pressure, and we welcome any info that you can pass on to us.

¡No Pasarán!

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Original report:

‘Academic’ bigot Dr James Watson is due to speak at an event in Bristol (UK) on Wednesday 24th October, 12.45pm, at St. George’s Bristol.

Watson said in a recent interview that he was “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa” because “all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours - whereas all the testing says not really”.

He also said he hoped everyone was equal but that “people who have to deal with black employees find this is not true”.

The event is being supported by the University of Bristol as part of some pseudo-intellectual ‘Festival Of Ideas’ where people with a self-inflated sense of worth can gather and boost each others’ egos. Tickets are on sale at The Watershed Media Centre (another refuge for middle class tossers).

Watson was scheduled to speak at the Science Museum in London later this week, but the museum have cancelled his appearance. They said that Watson had “gone beyond the point of acceptable debate”. We fully agree.

Unfortunately, the supposedly ‘educated elite’ of Bristol seem to have no problem with supporting racists. The event will be chaired by the University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor (!) Eric Thomas, and a spokesperson for the University said they respected “freedom of speech and the right of people to express their views”. The event is also supported by Bristol Cultural Development Partnership, made up of Bristol City Council, Arts Council England and Business West.

We wonder how the black workers in these organisations feel about their employers defending the ‘rights’ of this prejudiced moron.

The antifa position is quite clear on this - racism is not entitled to have a voice. Watson’s lies provide ammunition and comfort to those who perpetuate racist ideals. The BNP have already used Watson’s words to bolster their own pathetic racist beliefs.

Whilst local antifa work out how best to respond to this event, we call on antifa supporters everywhere to contact these organisations and make it quite clear to them that racists have no place in our society. Please be polite but forceful - with enough pressure beforehand we may just be able to stop this travesty before activists have to take possibly more risky action on the day.

Bristol City Council
Council leader: Helen Holland
Tel: 0117 9872238
Email: helen.holland@bristol.gov.uk
URL: http://www.bristol.gov.uk

Bristol Cultural Development Partnership
Chair: Simon Cook
Tel: 0117 9031992
Email: simon.cook@bristol.gov.uk
Director: Andrew Kelly
Tel: 01275 370816
Email: andrew.kelly@businesswest.co.uk
URL: http://www.creativebristol.com

St. George’s Bristol
Director: Suzanne Rolt
Tel: 0117 9294929 (admin office)
Email: administration@stgeorgesbristol.co.uk
URL: http://www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

University of Bristol
Vice-Chancellor: Eric Thomas
Tel: 0117 9287499 (his office)
Email: public-relations@bristol.ac.uk
URL: http://www.bris.ac.uk

Watershed Media Centre
Director: Dick Penny
Tel: 0117 9276444
Email: dick@watershed.co.uk
URL: http://www.watershed.co.uk

All of these organisations claim that they work to end discrimination, and are in partnership with a whole range of groups who will be offended by their collaboration with Watson. We will try and inform as many of them as we can about this event, so that we can work together in opposition to Watson.

Please pass this information on to as many people as possible. We need to stop this NOW!