Birmingham SUTR Rally 2 November

Birmingham’s Stand Up to Racism rally was the best anti-racist meeting in the city for years, the audience reflecting the wide diversity of the city’s people.

Over 130 people packed the hall to listen to speakers including Roger McKenzie, Unison Assistant Gen Sec, Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party 2012-16, Harish Patel, Unite National Officer for Equalities, Majid Mahmood, Labour Councillor Hodge Hill, Rabbi Dr Margaret Jacobi, Birmingham Progressive Synagogue, Kadisha Brown-Burrell, Kingsley Burrell Campaign, Andrew Scattergood, FBU West Midlands Brigade Chair, James Bahoum, GRAB Gambia, Weyman Bennett, SUTR co-convenor and Sonya Bennete a Black Lives Matter activist from the US who spoke via Skype. While local rap artist, Curly, entertained the audience with his hard hitting spoken word.

Roger Mckenzie called for “an end to divide & rule” and argued that racist attacks were entrenching racism in Britain. Justice campaigner Kadisha Brown-Burrell welcomed the charging of 3 police officers in relation to her brother’s murder at the rally and Weyman Bennett, SUTR co-convenor, closed with a warning for antiracists to seize the moment and be part of building a movement that can drive racism back.

The success of the meeting was built on hard work over 4-5 weeks with postering (1000) and leafleting (10,000) and consistent work around the universities. But critical to this success was the active role played by local campaign groups, who have been working with SUTR, in building the meeting. Effective use of local media outlets and social media networks also contributed to creating idea across the city that this was a significant event, not just another meeting.

Photo: Huw Williams

Bristol SUTR Rally 3 November

This week’s Bristol Stand Up To Racism rally was attended by more than 160 people. It heard excellent speeches both from the main platform and from participants from the floor. The rally came up with concrete suggestions for confronting the rise in racism including producing a leaflet exposing the myths of racism to be put through every door in the city.

Lisa Whitehouse, the chair of the rally, appealed for foster carers to come forward to look after refugee children and Fuad Mahamed gave an update on the current intake of refugees arriving in Bristol.

Edie Friedman, from the Jewish Council for Racial Equality, discussed the work the Jewish community was doing to support refugees and drew on the Battle of Cable Street as inspiration for us today to make sure that fascism never takes hold again. Zak Cochrane from Stand Up To Racism said “don’t let this just be a successful antiracist rally; organise, get active with your local group and be a part of building a movement against racism.”

Bristol Major, Marvin Rees was unable to attend the rally due to an important local Labour Party meeting. He sent a message of support which included “Race and class are not the same but they’re inseparable – all marginalised people need to realise their interests are together and not with the elite or the aristocracy.”

Huddersfield SUTR Rally 1 November

Elsewhere this week a ‘Confronting the Rise in Racism’ rally was held in Huddersfield in association with the local TUC to launch a local branch Stand Up to Racism.  Over 50 people attended to hear Nahella Ashraf, from the national Stand Up to Racism campaign, speak about the rise in racism across the country amid fears over terrorism and Brexit.

They also heard Shahab Adris, Yorkshire from Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND) and Lesley McGorrigan, NEC member of the UCU, who gave a very moving and timely account of the plight of refugees in Northern France following her visit to the Calais “Jungle” camp.

The issue of refugees being welcomed to Britain was put into historical perspective by Eva Smith, daughter of Jewish Czechoslovakian refugees who came to the UK in the 1940s. The rally was also attended and addressed by Germaine Phillips, whose son Adrian McDonald died after being tazered by police in 2014. She gave heartbreaking testimony about her experience: “we are all fighting for the same thing, that is what I take away from this”, she said. A collection at the rally raised £141.57 for Stand Up to Racism and Winter Appeal for Calais Refugees.