Scotland: 10,000 protest racism and declare Black Lives Matter

By Socialist Party Scotland reporters

Well over 10,000 people – overwhelming young – took part in a series of inspiring Black Lives Matter events in Scotland on Sunday, June 7. The spark was the image of the brutal murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis by police on May 25. Since then we have witnessed a global youth uprising against systemic racism and state brutality.

Glasgow Green and Holyrood Park in Edinburgh saw at least 5,000 protestors at each venue – with a massive turnout from the BAME community in Scotland, alongside thousands of white youth determined to protest racism.

In Dundee, 250 attended a protest in the City Square, organised by Young Socialists, after a previous event had been called off. (see report below)

Significantly, these mass protests went ahead despite a concerted campaign to have them cancelled in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Scottish government, Police Scotland and leading SNP and Labour politicians all appealed to organisers to cancel, and the wider public not to attend, for fears that the virus could be spread if they did.

Socialist Party Scotland responded last week with an appeal for the protests to go ahead. It was clear there was a massive mood among young people to come out and demand justice. Instead we called for mass mobilisations but proper social distancing and PPE to be available.

We also fully understood that many workers, including trade unionists, would be unlikely to attend. Not least because of the battles being fought at a workplace level to resist the demand by employers to return to workplaces that are not safe. Indeed we advised our own members not come to the protests if they had underlying health issues or health concerns generally.

Socialist Party Scotland members are on the frontline in the workplaces and unions demanding no return to work until safe. In particular, that the trade unions should demand agreements from employers over all aspects of health and safety in the workplace.

However, it was clear that large outdoor events would take place and, if done properly, they could minimise risk to those taking part.

A number of protest rallies were called off in the run up to the weekend. Others amended plans for city centre gatherings – Aberdeen and Inverness – and appealed instead for posters and anti-racist messages to be put up on bridges and other prominent areas.

In the run up to Sunday, the Socialist Workers Party-led Stand Up to Racism campaign had scaled back their planned protests. Instead “invitation only” events were held in Glasgow and Edinburgh, with 30 or 40 in attendance. By the weekend, the SWP were echoing the calls from SNP and Labour politicians – as well as some trade union leaders – and organising “online” and individual protests. This approach was at odds with the mood of many young people who wanted to fight.

As it was, those large protests that did take place showed it was possible to implement both social distancing measures and to adhere to the strict use of PPE. The organisers of the Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee events all took a very responsible approach.

Masks, gloves and water were made widely available, for example. Venues were chosen – large parks and outdoor areas – that allowed for social distancing, which was meticulously adhered to.

The determination to speak out over the killing of George Floyd, Sheku Bayoh, killed in 2015 in Fife, and many other victims of racist state violence was the overwhelming mood. Homemade BLM banners were widely evident, I Can’t Breathe and Scotland and the UK are not innocent (a reference to the widespread racism in society generally) were also popular.

Socialist Party Scotland and the Young Socialists were the only political groups with an active presence at the protests. The response to our leaflet that called for the building of a mass working-class movement to smash racism was overwhelming.

We ran out of leaflets. Sold all of our papers and raised over £600 in donations. Our posters and petitions; Drive Trump Out – Smash Racism – Fight for Socialism and Malcom X’s “You can’t have capitalism without racism” quote attracted hundreds to our stalls. We provided hand sanitizers to everyone signing the petitions as well.

The interest in socialism amongst young people was enthusiastic. The need to link the struggles against racism to the fight against capitalism was widely accepted.

Only those most influenced by the ideas of Identity Politics – that don’t accept oppression in all its forms can only be ended by the overthrow of capitalist class society – were opposed. We have hundreds of names to follow who expressed an interest in finding out more about socialism.

Dundee

William Campbell reports

Members of the Young Socialists – Young Workers Rights Campaign in Dundee organised a socially distanced protest with 250 in attendance on Sunday, June 7.

We held an opened mic, encouraging workers and young people to come up and speak. A mix of voices, old and young, spoke up about their own experiences of racism, in poems, speeches and calls for unity.

We got dozens of names at out stall, which was mobbed again by many young people agreeing with our slogans to smash racism and fight capitalism. We ran out of sign up sheets and had to resort to scrap pieces of paper.

Socialist Party Scotland members Jim McFarlane and Wayne Scott spoke about the need for working-class unity to smash racism, citing examples of BAME workers leading and organising class struggle across the world. As well Dundee’s own proud history of leading anti-racist class struggle.

By engaging members of the crowd, individually and in groups, members of YS patiently explained our program of uniting workers in order to combat racism. The need to fight for socialism is historically rooted in workers of all races and sexes coming together united against capitalism and its weapons of division.

Towards the end of the event, it was difficult to get a hold of the mic as it was being passed around enthusiastically between young people, mainly BAME, wishing to speak. In the end we held a minutes silence for George Floyd and all black lives wrongfully taken by the hands of racism by kneeling and raised fists. Chants of No Justice No Peace and Black Lives Matter engulfed the city centre of Dundee.

There were a few at the protest that tried to accuse us of “co-opting” BLM. And that “white socialists” should not have organised the event (The original BLM event planned for Dundee had been cancelled over fears of Covid-19) The majority of the crowd did not feel the same.

As the protest came to a close, we were thanked for organising the event as all of our leaflets flew off our arms into the hands of workers and young people who came to the event. Invitations were given to the online Socialist Party Scotland public meeting being held this evening.

We think we showed how to organise and host a protest safely , directing towards the need for class struggle for socialist change to solve racism and to bring about real justice.