A Gig for Searchlight

Tayo Aluko

By New Worker

correspondent

ANTI-FASCISTS, many of them veterans of  dozens of struggles, came to the Theatro Technis near Mornington Crescent in north London last Saturday evening for an evening of music, conversation and fund raising on behalf of Searchlight anti-fascist magazine.

The evening began with an introduction by local Labour MP Frank Dobson.

 This was followed by Tayo Aluko, a singer, presenter and historian, giving a very brief summary of the struggles of the people of “Black Africa to the White House” – interspersed with songs.

 The songs were Negro spirituals – favourites of the great singer and fighter for civil liberties and for working class rights, Paul Robeson.

Tayo Aluko’s rich bass baritone voice was well suited to the performance and he sang unaccompanied – except when the audience joined in, because all the songs were very familiar to everyone there.

Tayo covered the historical journey from the Egyptian Sphinx to the kingdoms of West Africa, the fabulous riches of Mali and the University of Timbuktu, through the horrors of slavery to the election of Barak Obama and to the modern struggles of workers and oppressed people around the globe.

After his presentation, Tayo Aluko answered questions and there was discussion.

Further music was supplied by the Travelling Irons – Roberto Foth on violin and Ulrike Schmidt on guitar, who played music from eastern Europe, Spain, the United States and Argentina – and a Kurt Weill classic.

But music and political struggle go together, as Ulrike made a special plea on behalf of Roma people of Europe – who are facing racist attacks, evictions, hardship, exclusion from education and healthcare.

She was particularly concerned for those in Hungary where the neo-fascist party of Jobbik is very strong, leading to a life of fear and deprivation for Roma communities.

The meeting ended with various veterans of the anti-fascist struggle, in Britain and Europe, giving their accounts of what the magazine Searchlight has meant to them and how much it is still needed today as it was when it was founded.

Bradley Manning deserves praise not jail!

A song or two for Bradley from Dave Rovics

  By Theo Russell

DAYS BEFORE the start of Bradley Manning’s formal court martial, 250 people gathered outside the United States embassy in London to demand his release as a conscientious whistle-blower after more than three years’ imprisonment.

Ben Griffin, a former SAS soldier who fought in both Afghanistan and Iraq, refused to return to Iraq for reasons of conscience and went on to form Veterans for Peace UK, told the protest: “Young people going to fight in Afghanistan can see that Nato’s war is leading more and more Afghanis to join the Taliban, and soldiers are refusing to go on patrol and organising unofficial local truces with the Taliban.

“Bradley Manning is the most significant resister within the military in the last 10 years. He saw that what was happening in Iraq and Afghanistan wasn’t just a few bad apples as our governments tell us, but a systematic policy.

“We need to start supporting these people who are opposing wars on the streets. We will encourage more resistance within the military and we will stop these wars.”

Former navy medic Michael Lyons of Veterans for Peace, described how he refused to obey orders to deploy to Afghanistan after reading information leaked by Bradley Manning. He then decided to educate himself about the war.

He served nine months in prison as a conscientious objector. Veteran human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said: “Manning sought to make the US government accountable to the people so that they know the truth.

“He is one in a long line of good soldiers who refuse to follow orders when those orders are wrong”.

The meeting was also addressed by fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, who warned of the threat to freedom of the press if Bradley Manning is convicted.

Former British ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray, and speakers from many other organisations addressed the rally.

Protest songs were provided by American singer and songwriter Dave Rovics, John McClean and Roland Gianstefani.

Syria: Stop Western Intervention!

Prof Kamal Majid addresses the meeting

by Theo Russell

A STOP the War Coalition public meeting: “Syria – Stop Western Military Intervention”, heard that a large majority of the British people are opposed to western intervention, and warnings of  the war in Syria spreading into a major regional conflict.

The meeting was addressed by Professor Kamal Majid, an Iraqi journalist and member of the STWC executive, and Dr Issa Chaer of the Syrian Social Club, a group representing the Syrian community in Britain.

Kamal Majid warned: “A huge regional war is now a real danger, and I’m sorry to say that  troops will be involved in that war, just like in Iraq and in Afghanistan, and British troops will die in that war. But he said: “A big majority of people in Britain are against western intervention, and an even bigger majority are against regime change in Syria.

“The most important thing for us as an anti-war movement is to oppose any intervention by Britain or the United States. It is not our duty to take a position on conflicts within these countries. The Stop the War Coalition should mobilise the people of Britain to make sure that Britain does not get involved in this war.”

Majid delivered a withering attack on western, and particularly US, policies on Syria, pointing out: “American special forces were active inside Syria before a single protest was held in early 2011 – the whole thing was started by the Americans. According to the Financial Times their foreign backers have already spent $3 billion arming them.

“Now Obama and Hague are accusing the Syrian government of using chemical weapons, but remember that it was the US who used weapons of mass destruction in Japan, who used chemical weapons in Vietnam, Laos and Kampuchea. The Americans have had weapons of mass destruction all along,” he said.

He recalled: “At the beginning of 2012 Assad asked the opposition to stop fighting and negotiate, but they were advised by Hilary Clinton not to lay down their arms and to carry on with the war.”

Majid listed five reasons for the West’s intervention in Syria: “First to overthrow Assad and install a pro-western government which recognises Israel. Second, Syria’s oil and gas reserves after the discovery of new on and offshore fields. Third, to kick the Russians out of the Tartus naval base in Syria. This would exclude the Russian Navy from the region after the earlier loss of bases in Iraq and Libya. Fourth, to neutralise Hezbollah as a threat to Israel. And finally, to prepare for war with Iran. Although the US has spent $400 billion building bases near the Iraq-Iran border, they would still like to use Syria as a military base as well.”

He said: “The opposition forces in Syria have disintegrated, and Syrian and Hezbollah forces are advancing on strategic towns. The Al Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front haa now split, due to the links with Al Qaeda in Iraq, but some opposition forces are receiving tank warfare training in Israel.”

Majid pointed to recent statements by the head of Israel's armed forces that war with Syria could break out at any moment, after recent clashes in the Golan Heights. “When Israel bombed Syria several times recently, Clinton and Hague spoke of ‘Israel’s right to defend itself’,” he said.

“The main aim for all the West’s wars in the Middle East, in Iraq, Libya and in Syria is Israel, to weaken all the countries in the region except Israel.”

He said “Iran has a military pact with Syria to support each other against US or Israeli aggression, while Russia also has a Friendship and Cooperation Treaty with Syria”. However, last year the Russian foreign ministry said that Russia was not obliged to offer military support to Syria in case of external aggression.

He added that Israel has also asked Turkey if it can set up a base in south eastern Turkey to launch attacks on Syria.

Majid said the cost of repairing the damage to Syria’s infrastructure was now $200 billion, compared to Syria’s GDP of $14 billion a year. “But while increasing sanctions on the Syrian government, including medical supplies, the US and EU have lifted the embargo on oil exports from opposition-held areas, and sales of oil produced in Syria have been used to finance the Al-Nusra Front.”

Dr Issa Chaer of the Syrian Social Club told the meeting: “The Syrian people have always lived in harmony and been relatively peaceful among each other, but now Sunnis, Alawites and Christians are divided, and a civil war, an evil episode has begun, and we can’t get rid of it.

“We have foreign fighters coming to Syria, not to fight for freedom and democracy, but with an agenda of Jihad and terrorism. I agree that we should have freedom and democracy in the Middle East, but not at the expense of the civil liberties of others,” he said.

Chaer added: “Any international conference on Syria should involve all civil representatives. Arming any side in the conflict is a wrong strategy. We need to bring back peace and harmony in Syria through dialogue and peaceful political pressure, and to bring the international community together to resolve the situation in Syria”.

He said 2,700 scholars and academics had been murdered in Syria during the conflict. “Engineers have been leaned on not to work on roads and other facilities, under threat of being kidnapped, mutilated and killed. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights,” he said, “never mentions these killings and mutilations.”

Chaer said: “Since 2011 William Hague has ignored repeated requests for meetings with members of the Syrian community in Britain who do not support the opposition.”

He added that when he tried to send medicines to his family in Syria, they had been returned by DHL with a label saying “it is not permitted to export these goods to Syria under EU sanctions”.

In a message to the meeting, Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn said he has asked Hague for a commitment that Iran will be invited to any international conference on Syria.

EDL stopped in Whitehall

 By New Worker Correspondent 

  FASCIST and racist groups like the British National Party and the English Defence League have been given a new lease of life by the murder of a soldier in Woolwich by Islamic extremists.

There have been attacks on Mosques throughout the country but anti-fascists have been determined to counter this upsurge of hate and violence and to defend Britain’s thriving and diverse communities.

In Newcastle-upon-Tyne on Saturday anti-fascists from Unite Against Fascism and from local trade unions and community groups came out in hundreds to oppose an EDL march through the town

And on Monday in London the EDL planned to march from Leicester Square and hand in a petition at Number 10 Downing Street calling for increased oppression against Muslims in Britain.

The UAF organised its own petition to be presented an hour before the EDL was due – and over a thousand of them turned out to support the petition and to stay and block the path of the EDL.

Policing was very heavy and the two groups were kept apart by multiple police cordons for around three hours with the fascists chanting slogans and the anti-fascists replying louder.

It was a larger turnout than usual for the EDL, with leaders Kevin Carroll and Stephen Yaxley Lennon (also known as Tommy Robinson) out in public for the first time in many months.

But the anti-fascist line held and eventually the EDL had to march back the way they came. As they departed they showed their frustration by hurling bottles and other missiles at the anti-fascists and the police.

But, once again, they did not pass.