Whose streets? Our streets!

by New Worker correspondent

Excellent turnout for the Whitechapel anti-fascist mobilisation last weekend. Thousands march through the East End of London following racist threats to launch a “crusade” in Tower Hamlets on the day as part of a series of events across the country promoted as a “mass deportations tour”. They wanted to parade through the streets bearing wooden crosses to 'reclaim Whitechapel from the Islamists”. But the march, called by UKIP, a racist sect that Nigel Farage abandoned in 2018, was banned by the police as there was a “realistic prospect of serious disorder". Although the fascists were correctly banned from spreading their poison in the area, it was still necessary to turn up and show solidarity with the local community. 
At the rally called by the Stand Up to Racism movement the main speakers were Jeremy Corbyn and the borough mayor, Lutfur Rahman, whose Aspire party leads Tower Hamlets’ council. And the whole community turned out including large numbers of local youths and members of the  Muslim community as well as the maverick Labour MP Apsana Begum and a large bloc of local youths.

Standing up to racism in London!

by New Worker correspondent

Thousands of people took to the streets of London last weekend to protest against a far-right march in favour of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, the jailed racist who calls himself “Tommy Robinson”. Some five thousand anti-racists rallied in central London for the protest organised by Stand Up to Racism that was supported by the TUC, 17 trade unions, and a coalition of faith groups, national campaigns and Labour and Green politicians. 
The far-right demonstration, some 5,000 or so “football lads” and third-rate fascists – was a fraction of the 25,000 that marched at their most recent mobilisation in October. Eyewitness reports suggest infighting and rowing amongst the far right demonstrators. Anti racists argue this reflects tensions within the far-right camp, such as the distance Nigel Farage has attempted to create between his Reform Party and Robinson’s street movement, as well as other pressures amongst these far right groupings and individuals.
Eyewitnesses at the far right demo say they heard Islamophobic chants while Howard Cox, a former Reform Party London mayoral candidate, called for unity between the Faragists and Robinson’s followers, and echoed Trump’s release of the Capitol Hill rioters by calling for the release of all the August far right rioters in Britain. Another  speaker said “round them up and kick them out” and “start the deportation programme for those who refuse to assimilate”.
With the racists threatening to mobilise again on 22nd  March, Stand Up To Racism is only the more determined to turn our day of protest as part of the international World Against Racism day of action into a serious anti-racist mobilisation to continue to take on the far right and oppose them.
Weyman Bennett, co-convenor of Stand Up to Racism, said “Today we might not have brought the 20,000 strong demonstration we delivered in October, but with a much shorter turn around time and so early in the new year we are feeling energised, encouraged and determined in the fight to drive back the threat of the far right and fascists after today’s impressive showing.
“To see their numbers plummet so dramatically to something like a quarter of what they put on the streets in the autumn – it shows both the weakness and divisions on their side, and it shows we can continue to build a strong united force that can keep bringing to pressure to dissipate, demoralise and defeat them.
“This will take an enormous and ongoing effort, and a real seriousness – we must not be complacent. But take hope from today – what we do matters, we can, if we bring consistent pressure from a broad and united movement taking action – and we can turn this tide.
“In the week of Holocaust Memorial Day, we must remember the lessons of the 1930s. We cannot repeat the history that will lead to more future generations repeating the question: ‘But why didn’t everyone do something?’ – a united movement that exposes and opposes the fascists and calls out the racist swamp they operate in can stop them”.

Stopping the racists in London

by New Worker correspondent

Over 20,000 activists turned out in London last Saturday to confront the “Unite the Kingdom” protest by supporters of Tommy Robinson, the third major far right gathering in London since just before the riots in June.
The protest, part of a nationwide day of action, was called by Stand Up to Racism with the slogans “Stop Tommy Robinson – Stop the Far Right, unite against racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism”.
The march was backed by the TUC, 14 major trade unions, and many other organisations. Aslef leader Mick Whelan told the protestors at the start of the march in Piccadilly Circus “this is my London. This is who we are, what we stand for. Those people down the road do not speak for us”.
Originally billed as a triumphal appearance by Robinson in Trafalgar Square, the massively promoted and mis-named “Unite the Kingdom” march from Victoria to Parliament Square turned out to be a flop after he handed himself in at a police station in Folkestone last Friday. He had fled the UK the day before a High Court appearance in June and faces several charges.
His supporters waved Israeli flags and “Make America Great” banners, but their hour of glory completely failed to get off the ground. As the mass protests against the far right rioters in June showed, the anti-racist movement will always dwarf the far-right, which is only supported by a tiny minority of Britain’s people.

Gaza ceasefire now!

by New Worker correspondent

London comrades joined hundreds of thousands of protesters who marched through the heart of the capital on Saturday 11 November to demand a halt to the savage Israeli onslaught on Gaza. Some comrades took the NCP banner to the start of the demonstration at Marble Arch in Mayfair. Others joined it in Victoria as it proceeded to the American embassy across the Thames at Nine Elms.
The organisers reckon over 800,000 people took part in last weekend’s protest. Others say it was easily over a million-strong. Nobody knows. But what we can say for certain is that the three-mile march through London was clearly the biggest since the Gulf War protests in 2003. 
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the others in the consortium that organised the protest that included the Stop the War movement, CND and the Muslim Association of Britain had agreed the three mile route with the police to avoid any possible clashes with racist gangs who were gathering in Whitehall to “defend” the Cenotaph on Armistice Day.
Reactionary politicians had called for the march to be banned while Home Secretary “Cruella” Braverman stoked the flames of Islamophobia by calling it a “hate march” and accusing the police of “playing favourites” with pro-Palestinian protesters while targeting the far-right. But on the day the only clashes were between the “football lads” and the police around the Cenotaph.
Nine officers were injured trying to stop the racist mob getting to the Cenotaph and many detained on breaches of the peace charges or possession of Class A drugs.
Ms Braverman who thinks she’s the darling of the right of the Tory party clearly sees herself as a future Tory leader – and that’s no doubt why Rishi Sunak sacked her on Monday.
“There is no doubt that the violent fascist and  far right thugs out on the streets in London on Saturday were emboldened by Suella Braverman’s reckless and racist interventions last week,” says Sabby Dhalu, the Co-Convenor of the Stand up to Racism campaign. “That’s why she was sacked. Braverman will forever be remembered as the Home Secretary that built the far right. However her sacking will not solve the problem of “stop the boats” racism – that has built the far right. These groups have been demonstrating consistently since Rishi Sunak has been Prime Minister, for which he is responsible”.

Racist clash in central London

By New Worker correspondent

Fascists and racists were out on the streets of London last weekend demanding the release of the former leader of the English Defence League (EDL), who is currently in Belmarsh prison. Scuffles broke out with the police along the march as racist thugs attempted to break through police lines to attack the anti-racist demonstrators.

Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who goes by the name of Tommy Robinson, was jailed for contempt of court after live-streaming defendants outside Leeds Crown Court during a criminal trial on the sexual exploitation of girls in Huddersfield. The former EDL leader failed recently in the European elections to become an MEP in the North West, due to a large, broad-based campaign by anti-racists, of which Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) was central.

Although hundreds turned up to join the racist march, the degenerates were easily outnumbered by supporters of SUTR, the Anti-Fascist Network and the London Anti-Fascist Assembly who rallied in Regent Street to counter the “Free Tommy” rabble.

SUTR Co-Convenor, Sabby Dhalu, said: “Today showed that all the work done by anti-fascists to challenge and expose Tommy Robinson, from counter-demos to election campaigns has a major effect. As Boris Johnson positions himself at the head of a Trump-like movement in Britain, it’s vital we continue to unite against fascist groups and the bigotry that emboldens them.”

This was also stressed by Weyman Bennett of SUTR, who said: “Tommy Robinson has a history of promoting fascist organisations including the British National Party and English Defence League. Days like today show the true nature of his supporters – racist and Islamophobic to the core. Last year they mobilised around 15,000 on the streets of London, now they can only bring out tiny a fraction of that. We stopped Robinson when he was in the EDL. We stopped him becoming an MEP. We’ll stop him again from building the racist street movement he craves.”

United Against Racism!

By New Worker correspondent

On Saturday London comrades joined thousands of other anti-fascist protesters who marched in unity against racism and fascism following the massacre of Muslims at a mosque in New Zealand last week. They assembled in Park Lane and marched to Downing Street, pausing only to lay a wreath at New Zealand House in memory of those who died in the attack in Christchurch, the New Zealand capital. They marched along with those in Glasgow, Cardiff and 60 other cities across the world taking part in similar events to mark United Nations Anti-Racism Day.

Stand Up To Racism co-convener Sabby Dhalu said the event had “a more sombre tone than previous years because of what happened in Christchurch. These types of hatred, terrorist attacks do not happen in a vacuum. There is a link between the hatred peddled by the politicians and the media, and hate crimes on the streets and places of worship.”

At the rally in Whitehall Diane Abbott, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, said: “We are still in shock after the Christchurch attack. We have to fight fascism and white nationalism wherever it rears its head. And we have to fight the enablers of anti Muslim hatred wherever we see them.”

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Now more than ever we must promote our values of tolerance and diversity. Racism and fascism have no place in our society. As trade unionists we’ll continue to stand up to the forces of hatred and division, and won’t flinch in our campaign against the far right.”

UKIP demo flop in London

by New Worker correspondent

anti-fascists on the march

 

Anti-fascists easily outnumbered the rabble that had turned up in central London on Sunday to march behind ‘Tommy Robinson’ to ‘Stop Brexit Betrayal’. Robinson, a well-known racist bigot whose real name in Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was making his debut for UKIP, which recently appointed him as some sort of adviser in a last-ditch effort to halt the decline that followed the departure of their old leader, Nigel Farage.

About 3,000 Kippers, and the usual fascist degenerates who hang around Robinson, marched to Parliament Square with their flags and banners to hurl abuse at the May Government that they claimed had betrayed the Brexit vote.

Thousands more turned up to oppose them. Stand Up to Racism (SUTR) reckoned that around 15,000 responded to the call to confront the racists on the streets. SUTR and others said the message of the counter-demonstration was that Leavers and Remainers alike will not stand for fascists attempting to profit from a crisis; and that we will not stop until the rise of the far-right, and the wave of hate crime that has accompanied it, has been defeated.

At their rally in Whitehall, SUTR’s Weyman Bennett said: “We had a brilliant demonstration against Tommy Robinson – outnumbering and humiliating him. Now we have to redouble our efforts. Robinson and Batten are attempting to normalise and legitimise fascism and we cannot let it happen.

“Tommy Robinson should be locked up. When he made that speech saying that Jamal, a Syrian refugee, deserved to be beaten up, it was a disgrace. That’s what fascists do. They try to divide us and destroy us. Our message is very simple: ‘never again’.

“We face dangerous times and dangerous times mean we need to organise. We need to build in our communities to make sure ‘never again’ is something real.”