MAYOR PUSHES ANTI-RACISM MESSAGE AT RESPECT 2004

Mayor Ken Livingstone has underlined his commitment to anti-racism at the launch of Respect 2004. This year's Respect festival will take place on Saturday 17 July in Victoria Park, East London. It will follow a series of events taking place across London from 10-17 July, as part of Respect week. Respect is a free music and entertainment festival, which has in the last three years attracted an average of 85,000 people, with live bands, dance, and comedy stages; sports activities; children's activities; food and bars. Previous performers at Respect include Run DMC, De La Soul, Public Enemy, Panjabi MC, Blue and Mis-Teeq.

The Mayor said: 'The Respect festival is a celebration of London's diversity, when Londoners come together to show that racism will not be tolerated in our great city. It's also a great free day out for people of all ages. London is a wonderful place to live and its diversity is the key to its vitality, but these are challenging times, so it is vital that we all work together to challenge racism. Each year up to 100,000 people have turned out to show their opposition to racism. This year Respect is going back to Victoria Park and will be the best so far.'

Milena Buyum, Vice-Chair of the National Assembly Against Racism, said: 'The National Assembly Against Racism is delighted to be a partner of the Mayor of London's Respect festival for the forth year. Respect has become a major contribution to the fight against racism in London and has proved to be a model for celebrating diversity and multiculturalism around the country. At a time when racism and Islamophobia are on the rise, it is vital to continue this initiative and defend and celebrate the gains of our diverse capital against the attacks on multiculturalism. We say loud and clear: Respect NOT racism!'

RESPECT 2004 PHOTO COMPETITION

Londoners of all ages, whether amateur or professional photographers, are invited to grab their cameras and capture images, inspired by the theme, 'Respect the diversity of Londoners and their communities' for the second annual Respect week photo competition. Prizes include a top of the range digital cameras. Winning entries will be featured in a public exhibition at City Hall and at the VIP area of the Respect festival. Competition details are available from all London branches of Dixons and can be downloaded from www.respectfestival.org.uk. All entries must be received no later than 28 May 2004.

POETRY & RAP COMPETITION

London's talented young poets and rappers have been invited to enter the third annual Respect slam poetry competition. In collaboration with the Poetry Society, the event encourages young Londoners between the ages of 12-18 to use slam! - the competitive art of performance poetry - to address the issue of racism. The winning teams will have the chance to record an album together for targeted release and will appear in performance at the Respect festival on 17 July. For more information go to: www.poetrysociety.org.uk/education/respec04.htm.

For general information about Respect, including how to get involved: website: www.Respectfestival.org.uk; email: info@Respectfestival.org.uk; Respect hotline: 020 7983 6554.