Jobs, Homes and Public Services Not Racism!
Mobilise against the far right, Saturday 7th September 12pm, George Square, Glasgow
Matt Dobson and Socialist Party England and Wales Material
In August tens of thousands of anti-racist counter-protesters took to the streets across Britain and the North of Ireland in response to a wave of attacks against immigrants by far-right mobs. Socialist Party Scotland participated in rallies in Glasgow, Bathgate, Dundee, Aberdeen, Dumfries and Edinburgh – two of our activists Matt Dobson from the party, and Sinead Daly on behalf of University of West of Scotland Students Union, spoke at the mobilisation to protect migrants in a hotel in Paisley.
Socialist Party Scotland, including our members in the trade unions and the colleges, are mobilising for a mass turnout against Tommy Robinson in Glasgow’s George Square on Saturday 7th September 12pm. We include here material and reports from our comrades in Socialist Party England and Wales and Militant Left in the North of Ireland.
The thousands of young people and others marching against racist hate are motivated to bring about change so that we can live in a society free from racism, Islamophobia and division. The way to mobilise maximum numbers to fight for that kind of change is to link the struggle against racism to the fight for jobs, homes, services and a decent future for young people. That’s why we have taken our placards with the slogan: ‘Jobs, homes and services for all – smash racism’ to the protests.
If the 6.5 million strong trade union movement was to lead a struggle for those things – bringing together workers and young people from all backgrounds – it would give an expression to the huge anger and discontent that exists under the surface in society.
It is that anger and discontent at the establishment that explains the mass abstentionism in elections, some of the electoral support for Reform in the general election and is also expressed by many of the working-class young people drawn into the fringes of the some of the rioting.
Trade unions must act
Socialist Party members have been campaigning for the trade unions nationally to use their substantial numbers and resources, as well as their political authority, to mobilise members to join the anti-racist protests. Our members who have elected positions on national executives of the trade unions have been pressing the demand for the STUC/TUC to call a Saturday demonstration, in its own name, calling for jobs, homes and services, not racism. A mass national mobilisation would be a show of strength, boosting workers’ confidence.
It is also necessary to organise to defend our local communities when they come under attack. A feature of the recent far-right attacks has been the huge number of threats and potential targets, fuelled by posts on different social media platforms. This presents challenges in organising counter-protests at short notice.
To meet these challenges, there can be no shortcut past the need to strengthen and consolidate working-class organisation. In many areas, well-organised local trades union councils, with delegates representing thousands of workers in a city or area, have been crucial in mobilising workers to support counterdemonstrations. This needs to be further developed – including trade union stewarding of counter-protests for safety and effective tactical coordination.
The task of defending our communities from racist attacks, building united workers’ struggle for all the things we need, undermining the support for and fighting against reactionary ideas of all kinds, strengthening the level of organisation of the working class and developing a workers’ political voice – all go hand in hand.
We are building a party which takes part in all those struggles, fighting for the socialist transformation of society, based on bringing the commanding heights of the economy and the banks into democratic public ownership. Under the democratic control and management of the working-class majority, society’s wealth and resources could be put to good use to meet all our needs. That is a necessary component of the fight to end racism and inequality for good.
Belfast
On Saturday 10th August a large demonstration of 15,000 in the centre of Belfast heard Patrick Mulholland, among others, the assistant general secretary of NIPSA (the largest union in NI) and a supporter of Militant Left (CWI Ireland) condemn racist attacks in the North and also call for socialist change to end the poverty conditions that help breed the poison of racism and the far right.
Walthamstow, London
There was an eery quiet on the streets of central Walthamstow at 6pm. Cafes, shops, doctors’ surgeries were shuttered. Squads of Met police officers in tactical clothing controlled the street corners and station exits, riot vans ready.
And then they came.
Hundreds, then thousands – ten thousand at least at its height. In they poured from Waltham Forest, from surrounding east London boroughs, from the rest of the city.
The police had a cordon round the immigration bureau. Thousands of us. Our counterprotest had inadvertently kettled the Met. They withdrew. The two wings surged together and held the ground.
By 8pm, the alleged time for far-right arrival, there was no sign of anyone foolish enough to challenge the ten thousand. Determination changed to jubilation. Cheers and laughter, a festival atmosphere.
The crowd came from a wide range of backgrounds, but included many workers and groups of trade unionists, some with banners. Unions are the basic self-defence organisations of the working class – of all races and nationalities.
Socialist Party members on Waltham Forest Trades Council, the coordinating body for the borough’s trade unions, had argued for the unions to stamp their presence on the movement. This helped lead to three local union branches, and the trades council itself, co-sponsoring the counterprotest and getting the word out.
We also argued for the trade union movement to have democratic control over the political demands and organisation of the protest, including democratic control of stewarding. Unfortunately, the official organisers – Stand Up to Racism, with the Socialist Workers Party in a leading role – did not take this approach.
Ten thousand there were furious at far-right terror, but also the relentless squeeze on the working and middle classes, driving anger in all directions. Ten thousand were asking themselves: how do we stop this happening again? How do we win a future worth living in?
While the official organisers turned down this opportunity to show a way forward, the Socialist Party did not. Our team of more than 30 members and supporters sold over 100 copies of the Socialist newspaper and ran clean out of leaflets proposing next steps.
We proposed that the unions launch struggle for “jobs and homes, not racism” – to undercut the misery the far-right preys on. We called for a new, mass party, based on the organised working class, to coordinate campaigns against austerity and racism, and fight for socialist change.
Fight the Far Right, Fight for Socialism: Public Meetings
Glasgow 17th Sept 7pm Strathclyde Students Union
Edinburgh 18th Sept 6:30pm The Outhouse Bar
Aberdeen 18th Sept 7pm Ye Olde Frigate Bar
Dundee 19th Sept 7pm Dundee Voluntary Action
