A packed out meeting organised by Stand up to racism and UAF at Labour Party Conference heard a wide range of speakers support the #refugeeswelcome campaign that Stand up to racism has been at the forefront of organising to call on the government to do more for refugees. Its response so far has been woefully inadequate, whilst the response of the public has been outstanding – 100,000 people joined the demo we helped organise in mid September and our regular convoys to Calais attract donations, support and solidarity for refugees there.
Diane Abbott MP said that economic migrants must not be dehumanised to the point that they are answered with barb wire and troops. She slammed the toxic debate on migration which led to the government cutting funding to the search and rescue operation which saved people making the hazardous journey across the Mediterranean. She also rejected Labour producing a ‘control immigration’ mug in the general election campaign.
Claude Moraes MEP highlighted that shamefully, Britain is currently taking the smallest number of refugees in the European Union. He said we must heed the warning from Hungary, where refugees are facing barbarous conditions from the Government who are ceding to the far right who are a formidable electoral force which is meaning refugees are facing horrific treatment.
Tony Kearns, Senior Deputy General Secretary, Communication Workers Union explained that unions had a forefront role to play in opposing racism and fascism. CWU has a conscience clause which means none of its members can be penalised for refusing to distribute racist material and he called for unity of all communities in the face of attempts to scapegoat communities who are being blamed for a financial crisis they did not create.
Edie Friedman, Executive Director, Jewish Council for Racial Equality outlined how the Jewish community, familiar with the refugee experience of fleeing the Nazi Holocaust, has called on Cameron to support refugees, and has set up specific initiatives to support refugees and asylum seekers, including a project to help destitute asylum seekers jointly with the Muslim community.
Talha Ahmad, National Council member of the Muslim Council of Britain said that refugees must be viewed as our neighbours, and that the Islamic faith is clear that all our neighbours must be made to feel welcome.
Sabby Dhalu Stand Up To Racism organiser and Joint National Secretary Unite Against Fascism commended the new labour leadership under Jeremy Corbyn which has made a clear stand on welcoming refugees. She also outlined how many of the attacks against migrants, refugees and Muslim communities, once made mainstream, are utilised against other sections of the population in Britain.
Weyman Bennett Calais Delegation representative, Stand Up To Racism organiser and Joint National Secretary Unite Against Fascism spoke of the importance of showing solidarity with the people in Calais who are currently being denied refuge. He called on everyone to build, support and attend the next Calais delegation on 17 October