The far-right is targeting Sussex in the forthcoming European elections.

The British National Party (BNP) plans to pitch candidates for the European Parliament and some local council elections in June.

A line-up of celebrities and musicians aims to thwart them.

They are spearheading a campaign under the banner Unite Against Fascism.

Brighton band The Levellers have teamed up with stars including Mark Williams from The Fast Show, actor Ralph Brown, who played Danny in Withnail And I, actor Peter Cleall and Carol Kentish and Mark Brailsford from The Treason Show.

They will help to hand out thousands of leaflets to shoppers at Churchill Square in Brighton and Hove and say they will expose the truth behind the BNP's attempts at respectability.

Brighton actor Steve North, who played Colin in London's Burning for six years, said: "Scratch the surface of the BNP and behind the nice suits and veneer of respectability you find the same old far-right racists.

"The traditionally low turnout for the Euro-elections could be lower than ever this year.

"The BNP knows this and has a real chance of winning a seat."

There are 11 seats in the European Parliament up for grabs in the South-East this year.

The last BNP candidate in Sussex, Lorenzo Ferrari, failed to win the Rottingdean Coastal seat during last year's elections to Brighton and Hove City Council, campaigning against the housing of refugees at the Grand Ocean Hotel, Saltdean.

Unite Against Fascism is a coalition of anti-fascist and anti-racist organisations.

Rebecca Shtasel, who is organising tomorrow's event, urged people to register to vote in the June 10 election before the cut-off date of April 13.

She said: "Voter turnout is critically important in stopping the BNP."

The Levellers' singer and guitarist Mark Chadwick said: "We are doing a tour called the 'anti-apathy tour', which is all about getting people to get off their a***s and stop moaning.

"The BNP thrives on voter apathy and if people don't use their vote and the BNP gains a seat, the people who didn't use their vote will have no right to moan."

Brighton and Hove city councillor and Labour Party Euro-election candidate Simon Burgess said: "Fascism can only be defeated by unity.

"All mainstream political parties and their supporters must work together to make sure the BNP doesn't get a foothold in the South-East."

Brighton and Hove Green Party convenor Keith Taylor and representatives of Unison and the GMB union will join Unite Against Fascism campaigners outside the Churchill Square shopping centre from 12.30pm.

The BNP spokesman dismissed Unite Against Fascism as "the usual bunch of Leftie riff-raff".

He said: "These people giving out leaflets are not a political party, they're just a pressure group made up of Marxist-Communists, perverts and trade unionists. They represent no one.

"If you notice, they never try to debate our policies. All they want to do is say the BNP are racists.

"We are a democratic party and are going to the electorate with a set of policies. Whether you like them or not doesn't matter."

More details about Unite Against Fascism can be found by logging on to the web site www.uaf.org.uk