Over 50 MPs, Peers, trade unionists and Jewish and Muslim leaders have joined together in backing a ‘Stand Up to Trump Stand Up to Racism’ demonstration, This will coincide with the Presidential Inauguration in Washington and assemble outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square on Friday 20 January at 5pm.
The call came in a statement signed by over 50 leading public figures, who urged unity against the racism and division promoted by Donald Trump. When launching the statement, Diane Abbott MP – Shadow Home Secretary and President of Stand up to Racism – said:
“There is a link between inflammatory statements by politicians and racist attacks and hate crimes on the street. There has been a rise in such crimes in Britain, following the EU referendum and a similar pattern has emerged in the US. Now is the time for people of goodwill to unite and stand up to racism.”
The full statement is below. To sign the statement, click here
Stand Up to Trump statement
The election of Donald Trump is deeply disturbing and a stark warning to us all. Every right-wing figure and organisation is rejoicing at the prospect of President Trump. The shameful list stretches from Marine le Pen and the Front National in France, Gert Wilders in Holland, Norbert Hofer in Austria, right wing leaders in Poland and Hungary to most of the Republican Party and the Ku Klux Klan.
In Britain Nigel Farage and UKIP are at the head of the Trump bandwagon supported by sections of the Tory Party. Racism – whether Islamophobia,
In addition, Trump’s election is encouraging and legitimising a backlash against women’s and LGBT+ rights – hard won over the past half century – not to mention the possibly devastating impact on climate change.
Against the background of a discredited neoliberal ideology which has devastated lives and communities and whole countries globally, these developments have already encouraged some to vote for Brexit and translated into electoral success for the right in the US. This could very possibly now be repeated in France with the election of Le Pen in France next spring and the further growth of UKIP in the UK. The parallels with the 1930s, while not exact, are too disturbing for comfort.
But the outcome is far from settled. It entirely depends on how millions of us – at home and abroad – react. We and our values of respect and cooperation, represent the views of millions. We now need to turn that huge reservoir of support into a resounding internationalist answer to the divisive politics of despair of Trump, Farage and their Tory outriders.
Time is short. We cannot allow racism to seep deeper into society and whatever our other differences, we must unite together to meet this serious threat.
We the undersigned therefore urgently call for anti-racists, trade unionists, community and campaign activists, and above all everybody of goodwill, to join the growing opposition to Trump and what he stands for. In particular, please help us build for two vitally important demonstrations initiated by Stand up to Racism:
- The ‘Stand up to Trump’ mobilisation on Presidential Inauguration day, US Embassy Grosvenor Square Friday 20 January 2017
- Stand up to Trump, Stand up to Racism, No to Islamophobia and Antisemitism, Refugees are welcome, Black Lives Matter National Demonstrations 18 March in London and Glasgow, supported by the TUC
Signed by:
Diane Abbott MP, Shadow Home Secretary
Emily Thornberry MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary
Clive Lewis MP, Shadow Business Secretary
Talha Ahmad, Muslim Council of Britain
Rabbi Lee Wax
Bruce Kent, CND
Len McCluskey, General Secretary Unite
Dave Ward, General Secretary CWU
Tony Kearns, Deputy General Secretary, CWU
Kevin Courtney, General Secretary, NUT
Mark Serwotka, General Secretary, PCS
Mick Whelan, General Secretary ASLEF
Manuel Cortes, General Secretary TSSA
Sally Hunt, General Secretary UCU
Ian Lawrence, General Secretary NAPO
Ronnie Draper, General Secretary BFAWU
Ian Hodson, President BFAWU
Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, Shadow Attorney General
Lord (John) Monks, former General Secretary TUC
Lord (Bill) Morris, former General Secretary TGWU
Baroness (Angela) Smith, Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
Weyman Bennett, Stand Up to Racism
Sabby Dhalu, Stand Up To Racism
Grainne McGuire, Comedian
Mohammed Kozbar, Muslim Association of Britain
Steve Hart, Unite Against Fascism
Hugh Lanning, Unite Against Fascism
Lindsey German, Convenor Stop the War
Kate Hudson, General Secretary CND
Dave Anderson MP
Tracy Brabin MP
Ben Bradshaw MP
Ruth Cadbury MP
Nic Dakin MP
Wayne David MP
Bill Esterson MP
Paul Flynn MP
Kate Green MP
Carolyn Harris MP
George Howarth MP
Stephen Kinnock MP
David Lammy MP
Holly Lynch MP
Rachael Maskell MP
Madeleine Moon MP
Ian Murray MP
Lisa Nandy MP
Kate Osamor MP
Jess Phillips MP
Steve Reed MP
Virendra Sharma MP
Wes Streeting MP
Chuka Umunna MP
Valerie Vaz MP
Catherine West MP
Daniel Zeichner MP
Baroness (Tessa) Blackstone
Baroness (May) Blood
Baroness (Jean) Corston
Lord (Quentin) Davies
Lord (Derek) Foster
Lord (George) Foulkes
Baroness (Joyce) Gould
Lord (Peter) Hain
Lord (Alan) Haworth
Baroness (Bev) Hughes
Lord (Bob) Hughes
Lord (Frank) Judd
Baroness (Alicia) Kennedy
Baroness (Glenys) Kinnock
Lord (Neil) Kinnock
Baroness (Doreen) Lawrence
Lord (Chris) Lennie
Baroness (Helen) Liddell
Lord (David) Lipsey
Baroness (Ruth) Lister
Lord (Ken) Morgan
Lord (Tom) Pendry
Baroness (Dawn) Primarolo
Lord (Tom) Sawyer
Lord (David) Triesman
Baroness (Janet) Whitaker
Lord (Larry) Whitty
Micheline Ngongo, Councillor Islington
Claudia Webbe, Councillor Islington
Suzanne Jeffery, Chair Campaign Against Climate Change
