UNISON in Bolton is calling on people to vote in the local and European elections on May 22 to keep out nationalist parties such as the BNP and UKIP.
Matt Kilsby, branch chairman of the public sector trade union, urged its members to make sure they cast their vote in the forthcoming elections.
He said voter apathy meant Nick Griffin, leader of the British Nationalist Party, was elected to the European Parliament as a North West MEP despite only getting eight per cent of the vote.
Mr Kilsby said: “We must not let that happen this time around. Mr Griffin does not truly represent the majority of North West people.
“There is also concern about UKIP and what they stand for. We believe in solidarity against the austerity agenda, not racism and scape-goating.”
North West MEP Paul Nuttall, for UKIP, said: “Opposing mass immigration is not racist, it’s just common sense. We cannot have an open door to the whole of the EU when 2.3 million in the UK are unemployed.”
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