It has never been more important that black and minority ethnic (BME) voters turn out tomorrow. Because never before have we seen a threat from the British National party as serious as it is today.

Sadly, those who preach intolerance and hate are just as politically active as many members of ethnic minority communities. As a Sikh myself, I note with pride how voting is something my community is already very familiar with. Just this week, an academic study found that south Asians are more likely to vote in British elections than any other ethnic group. Sikhs distinguished themselves by coming top of this list.

These voters recognise the importance of our democratic institutions. Elections will be held tomorrow in 135 English Local Authorities, 2 shadow authorities and all Welsh Councils. Londoners will be voting for their representatives in the Greater London Assembly, and for a mayor. But in the London elections there is a real possibility that the BNP will win an assembly seat. Across the country they have put up hundreds of candidates for local, district and parish councils – 635 in total. In 1997, the BNP could only find 53 people to stand on its ticket.

It falls to all members of decent, law-abiding and tolerant communities to confront this threat by peacefully casting their ballots. By showing these thugs how real, dignified, democratic politics works we will overcome their vicious arguments. It is imperative that those who have registered to vote go to their local polling station and, by supporting democratic, inclusive parties, vote against the BNP.

This round of elections brings with it a fresh worry. We have no European elections this year, and the danger is that those voters who wish to make an anti-EU statement will turn from UKIP to the BNP. Because UKIP is not as well organised, the far right is poised to take advantage. In Birmingham, the BNP have put up over three times as many candidates as UKIP.

The BNP is now a natural home for many UKIP voters because the latter’s atavistic Little Englander mentality has poisoned the debate on both Europe and Britishness. While we must be clear that UKIP is not by nature a racist party – it has, for instance, a number of Asian candidates – its rejectionist rhetoric and anti-immigration stance is reminiscent of much of the negative discourse surrounding the first wave of immigration to this country, of which so many South Asians were part.

But politics is not just about voting against those you disagree with – voting must also be a positive act. I have recently returned from Nepal, where I and other MEPs monitored the first democratic elections in the country for nine years. It was remarkable how people queued at six in the morning just to vote.

The central importance of voting is just as true in the UK. Local government elections are crucial because there is no better way of achieving change at a local level than by utilising the talents of our society’s greatest asset: the community.

Voting on 1 May will give people from ethnic minority backgrounds the opportunity to join the debate on local service delivery. Voting on 1 May will make people from ethnic minority backgrounds a part of the decision-making process about how council budgets are spent. Voting on 1 May will enable people from ethnic minority backgrounds to work hand-in-hand with their councillors and build a local community where they can continue to thrive and shape the future of their neighbourhoods, and the future of the UK.

That is the most effective way to beat the BNP.