Sally Hunt (UCU), Frances O’Grady (TUC), Kevin Courtney (NEU)
David Muritu (UCU) moving motion
Kevin Courtney (NEU GS) supporting motion
Len Mcluskey, Unite Gen Sec
12/09/2018
An emergency motion at TUC Congress was passed unanimously today backing a huge anti-racist and anti-fascist demonstration on Saturday 17 November to counter the growth of far right and fascist forces in Britain and send a positive message of multi-culturalism and unity. The call to take on the far right has garnered widespread backing.
The national unity demonstration is also backed by Diane Abbott and John McDonnell alongside a whole host of trade union leaders, politicians, cultural figures such as rapper Low Key, (see statement here), and was initiated by Stand Up To Racism and Unite Against Fascism to put the anti-racist movement onto the front foot in light of recent worrying signs of an increasingly confident and vicious far right street movement.
The TUC emergency motion also backed a major international conference to confront fascism and racism on 20 October in London, which will be headlined by Abbott and McDonnell, and bring together anti-fascist figures from across Europe, including Germany and Austria where there has been a growth in the far right.
After John McDonnell’s call for a mass movement in the spirit of the Anti-Nazi League (ANL), we now have the coming together of the TUC and its affiliated unions, key figures from the Labour leadership, and the wider anti-racist movement to regenerate a broad based mass resistance to division and hate, and it is going on the march in London on 17 November to turn the tide on the far right and oppose racism, Islamophobic scapegoating and Antisemitism.
Kevin Courtney, NEU joint general secretary, said:
“The TUC has supported the call for a unity demonstration on 17 November, for unity of our society, for unity of Black and white, for unity of Christians, Muslims, Jews and athiests. Given the threat to cohesion from Tommy Robinson’s Islamophobia,this demonstration is timely and vital.”
Dave Muritu, UCU mover of the emergency motion, said:
“The demonstration will send a message to all those young people being drawn in by the far right that it is not acceptable to blame migrants for their problems, and send a message to politicians that it is not accpetable to use dog-whistle racist policies.The labour movement must be at the centre of the resistance. It was great to get the support of the TUC to build the unity demonstration on 17 November “
Sabby Dhalu, Stand Up To Racism, said:
“This year we have seen some of the biggest fascist demonstrations in decades, supported by the international alt-right. The labour movement’s support for anti-racism and anti-fascism is crucial. We are delighted that the TUC today voted to support the national unity demonstration against fascism and racism on Saturday 17 November.”
Weyman Bennett, Stand Up To Racism said:
“Now more than ever we need resistance against the Alt-right, who have Trump’s support and are threatening to build a movement that will be a danger to all of us. We have the majority, it’s time to organise to make sure that Black and white, Muslim and Jews, women, men, our LGBT+ community all stand in a united way. At the heart of our power is the trade union and labour movement’s ability to mobilise and challenge the arguments of our enemies.”
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Notes to Editor:
1. Stand Up To Racism is a national broad-based organisation supported by major trade union, faith and community groups. As well as organising the annual march for UN Anti-Racism Day, it organises actions and produces materials on Islamophobia, Antisemitism, refugee and migrant rights, and against the rise of the far right.
2. For quotes and further info email info@standuptoracism.org.uk