| PRESS RELEASE – for immediate release 9 March 2023 Anti racists have rallied in support of Gary Lineker who stands by his tweet condemning the government’s ‘Illegal Migration Bill’ Today, Thursday 9 March, as ex England footballer and commentator Gary Lineker came under extreme fire for his comments condemning the government’s latest policy attacking refugee rights, there was an outpouring of support on social media for Lineker’s stance. #ImWithGary was trending on UK Twitter from mid morning, and at number one trend by late afternoon. Stand Up To Racism and the TUC’s #ResistRacism Twitterstorm also reached number 7 on UK trends, illustrating the widespread support for an anti racist response and initiative in the wake of the government’s widely condemned new bill. Lineker had tweeted, condemning the bill as “an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 1930s”. His tweet echoes the sentiments of an open letter launched by Holocaust survivors at the end of 2022 when Suella Braverman described refugees as an “invasion” just as the inhumane conditions at Manston detention centre were exposed and as the centre was firebombed by a fascist. The bill is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights, and the 1951 international legislation that followed of the horror of the Second World War and the Holocaust and enshrined the right to seek asylum in international law. Braverman herself was forced to admit, “I am unable to make a statement that, in my view, the provisions of the Illegal Migration Bill are compatible with the Convention rights, but the government nevertheless wishes to proceed with the bill”. Sabby Dhalu, Stand up to Racism co convenor said: “Gary Lineker is coming under fire not because he expressed an opinion but because he dared to criticise a controversial government policy. Lineker is correct to defend asylum rights and highlight that the language used against refugees today is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 1930s. “The government is deliberately stoking up racist rhetoric against refugees knowing perfectly well that it has and will continue to galvanise far right and fascist groups. In recent weeks we’ve seen violent attacks on hotels housing asylum seekers by such forces. We all have a duty to stand up to this.” Weyman Bennett, co convenor Stand Up To Racism, said: “Gary Lineker’s very reasoned and historically justified comment warned of the dangers of demonising, scapegoating, and removing human rights from refugees. “We must be clear about what fascism is, and understand that the systematic murder of 6 million Jewish people and millions of others was a specific event that should not be loosely compared to others. To make Never Again a reality, we must learn the lessons and challenge the toxic racist politics that can create the circumstances for fascism to grow out of crisis. The racist populist politics the government at present is using is the same toxic racist demonisation and scapegoating amidst the crisis, and that this atmosphere can give more oxygen to the far right and fascist forces today. “At present, fascists in Britain First to fascists in Patriotic Alternative are actively trying to use the toxic racist atmosphere whipped up by the likes of Braverman and Sunak. They are calling protests at hotels housing refugees, and Manston was firebomed. In Ireland there has been a sharp increase in violent attacks on refugees amidst racist street protests that the far right and known fascist elements are operating in. Fascists such as Georgia Meloni in Italy and Marine Le Pen in France have done the very same – used a backdrop of economic crisis and intensified racism by governments to make gains as their racism becomes normised in the mainstream. In Britain, fascist forces are extremely weak by comparison, but in a polarised situation with the cost of living crisis and economic crisis, it is absolutely right to call out the dangers of the politics of divide and rule. “We stand with Gary Lineker and were proud that our very important #ResistRacism demonstrations on 18 March trended alongside vast numbers of people rallying to Lineker’s defence. This is what humanity looks like and we want to see those numbers on the streets to oppose the bill and say refugees are welcome. We don’t want this top down imposed politics of divide and rule rotting our communities.” Anti racists are mobilising opposition to the government’s bill, which represents the unveiling of yet another “heinous and wreckless” policy. By the government’s own admission it is designed as a “rights break” targetting refugees arriving by small boat to Britain. Sunak’s new policy is aimed at trampling international human rights regulations, and would deny those arriving by small boat the right to claim asylum. As Clare Moseley, CEO of refugee rights charity Care4Calais, said: “If Sunak wants to stop small boats he would give safe passage to refugees in Calais. Instead he is persecuting victims of war, torture and human rights abuses while stoking devision in our communities with the use of inflammatory rhetoric.” Stand Up To Racism is supporting the policy launched by PCS union and Care4Calais for safe passage visas as a solution to the devastation and trauma of asylum seekers being forced to travel by small boat: https://care4calais.org/safepassage/ Stand Up To Racism, Care4Calais and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) are mobilising for protests of thousands to take to the streets of London, Glasgow and Cardiff on 18 March to #ResistRacism and have been countering fascist and far right led racist protests the whole length of Britain in recent weeks from Erskine to Dover. Alongside the PCS civil service workers’ union, Care4Calais has launched a policy document supported by Stand Up To Racism, the National Education Union (NEU) and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and others that puts the case of safe passage visas to provide those exercising their internationally enshrined human right to seek asylum with an alternative to the life threatening and traumatising journey across the Channel on a small boat. ENDS Notes to editor: Stand Up To Racism is organising to place the issue of opposing the far right and all forms of division and bigotry as a central theme of the major day of international demonstrations for UN Anti Racism Day on 18 March 2023. National demonstrations are set to put thousands on the streets in London, Glasgow and Cardiff, aiming to mobilise the scale of opposition they deem necessary to challenge the racist hostile environment For further information and to request interviews contact the national office of SUTR: info@standuptoracism.org.uk  |