A march by supporters of jailed fascist ‘Tommy Robinson’ (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) planned for this Saturday, 24 August, has been cancelled. Since Robinson was sent to Belmarsh prison, Saturday would have seen the second demonstration by his far right and fascist supporters this month, following events on 3 August when around 800 anti fascist protesters united to outnumber just 300 of them.
Stand Up To Racism had called another counter protest for this Saturday, in opposition to all forms of racism, Islamophobia and Antisemitism, which is now called off as a result of Robinson’s supporters’ cancelled mobilisation.
Weyman Bennett, Stand Up To Racism co convenor said
“The far right movement that had rallied behind Robinson in the past year is now in disarray, humiliated. Around this time last year, we had to face up to the horror of 15,000 or so supporters of fascist Robinson rampaging through London. Robinson and his supporters push an agenda of violent Islamophobia as the sharp end of the wedge in promoting a toxic politics that opens the door to other older forms of racism. With the rise of the far right here and across Europe, we have seen a rise in Antisemitism. It was a major challenge to anti racists everywhere to turn around this situation.
“In Stand Up To Racism, we firmly believe that the slogan ‘Never Again’ in reference to the barbarism of the Holocaust really must mean Never Again. In Germany in the 1930s, it did not start with concentration camps. It started with hate speech going unchallenged, with communities being scapegoated and demonised.
“That’s why we fought inside the trade union movement, in colleges, in our communities to build an active and broad based response in rejection to the dangerous racist division Robinson has tried to whip up.
“We produced bulletins for football grounds to expose who he really is, we mobilised tens of thousands onto the streets to outnumber his forces of reaction, and we defeated him in the Euro Elections, stopping him getting his hands anywhere near the legitimacy of a seat. We did so with a mass campaign rooted and built in areas right across the North West. For now, we have broken the back of Robinson’s reactionary movement”
Julie Sherry, national organiser Stand Up To Racism said
“You only have to look at the announcement this week regarding the attack on freedom of movement that has come from Boris Johnson’s administration to see that the ascendance of right wing populism in government creates a situation where the far right, defeated in Britain as they currently are, can suck the oxygen and gain the breeding ground to regrow and pose further threat.
“Trumpism has been imported to Britain in the shape of Boris Johnson. A key tenet of this is the deliberate normalisation of a level of racism so virulent that it would previously be deemed unacceptable, even by an establishment riddled with institutional racism. Trump, and Johnson, are about consciously turning the clock back on multiculturalism and intensifying the hostile environment for migrants, Muslims and refugees.
“We may have driven back the imminent threat of a far right and fascist street movement for the moment, reflected in the state of Robinson’s support at present. But in such an atmosphere, it is imperative we continue to organise at all levels in society to build mass and active opposition to all forms of racist division. Whether you voted Leave or Remain, we must not allow Trumpism in Britain to take hold, because it is a deeply insidious process of divide and rule by a political establishment in crisis, and the division it seeks to create is a threat to all working class people.”
Notes for editors
1) Stephen Yaxley Lennon now has 13 convictions including for violence, public order and mortage fraud.
2) Robinson was originally jailed for 13 months over the broadcast from Leeds on Facebook, but was released after two months following an appeal. His case was then referred back to the attorney general, Geoffrey Cox.
3) Robinson led the anti-Muslim English Defence League, which held a series of provocative and often violent demonstrations in areas of high immigrant population. The 2017 Finsbury Park mosque killer, Darren Osborne, was said by just partner to have been influenced by Robinson’s online activity
4) Stand Up To Racism is a major anti-racist organisation with support from across the labour and trade union movement and from many faith organisations. It’s international conference will be held on Saturday 19 October. Previous events have been addressed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott.