Hundreds took to the streets in towns and cities across Britain supporting the call from Stand Up To Racism & Care4Calais to join a day of action across England, Wales and Scotland to say that refugees are welcome here. Anti racists joining the day of action stood in solidarity with refugees and migrants who are being viciously demonised and dehumanised by politicians and the establishment.
The day of action was supported by Diane Abbott MP, Lord Dubs – who was a child refugee on the Kindertransport – the PCS union, Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP, and a host of councillors, campaigns and faith organisations.
A picture gallery can be accessed here, and you can view all the videos of the wide range of speeches via our Twitter feed, @Antiracismday. Quotes are below.
In central London a van with a 20 foot banner saying ‘Refugees Welcome – Black Lives Matter’ started its journey across the capital at Downing Street at 10am for a press call, where speakers and campaigners highlighted the plight of refugees and condemned the scapegoating by mainsteam politicians. The van was in stark contrast to the one sent round by Tory Prime Minister Theresa May in 2013 that told “illegal” migrants and refugees to “go home” in an intimidating and openly racist threat. Since then, the Tories have intensified their racist “hostile environment”.
Anti racists point to the dangers of such rhetoric in fuelling violent far right and fascist forces who have rallied in Dover and elsewhere, and have targeted hotels housing refugees across Britain.
Yesterday, anti racists gathered on a beach in Tenby, Wales, at a protest called by Stand Up To Racism in the wake of scapegoating and racism in response to the arrival of 250 refugees to a former army base. A report with pictures can be found here
Stand Up To Racism wanted to ensure that in the centre of London, the widespread solidarity with refugees, and condemnation of the government’s shameful inaction, found expression despite the difficulties of safety during the Covid19 crisis.
The horror of news breaking in recent weeks of more lives lost needlessly as people sought in desperation to survive by crossing the sea, was for many anti racists across Britain and the world as devastating as it was enraging.
The fire at the Moria refugee camps on Lesvos and its humanitarian aftermath are a further sign of the terrible situation refugees fleeing poverty and war face.
Five years on from the heartbreaking death of three year old Alan Kurdi, 16 year old Abdulfatah Hamdallah, a Sudanese refugee, drowned trying to cross the Channel with another boy in an inflatable dinghy. Anti racists point to the Tories’ border controls, constructed to keep desperate people out, and condemn these policies in light of the tragic deaths.
Anti racists organising the day of action across the country were heartened at the response in their communities, particularly in light of increased difficulty regarding safety with the rise of coronavirus, to turn out to say ‘refugees are welcome here, that black lives matter, and that refugee lives matter’.
Stand Up To Racism local groups across Britain held their solidarity protests (socially distanced with stewards, risk assessments, and with masks and sanitizer available) on Saturday 19 September, alongside the central London tour with the van, which also visited all the local protests around London communities.
Actions that took place across Britain, included:
Central London
London, Windrush Square Brixton HERE
London Finsbury Park Mosque HERE
London, Tower Hamlets HERE
London, Newham HERE
London, Croydon HERE
Glasgow HERE
Orkney HERE
Newcastle HERE
Lancaster HERE
Manchester HERE
Halifax HERE
Derby HERE
Nottingham HERE
Bristol HERE
Diane Abbott MP said
“Racism, discrimination and hate crime are on the rise in many countries. This is often because governments are consciously using racism in all its form to divide, and to distract from their own failings. In Britain the government has catastrophically mishandled the Covid-19 crisis. This in turn is leading to economic disaster and hundreds of thousands of job losses.
“In that light, they need scapegoats. Increased, stop and search, the abuse of Prevent, demonising refugees – all this and more is part of their agenda. We cannot let them win. As the US has shown, a committed movement fighting against racism and for black liberation can win majority support and put the racists in a minority. That must be our aim here too.
“And I want to salute all of you who commit so much of your time to these causes. You are needed now as much as ever.”
Lord Dubs, who as a child refugee fled the Nazis with the Kindertransport, said
“The shocking pictures of Moria Camp or of refugees in Calais are deeply shocking. No human beings should be left to exist in such circumstances. In the interests of humanity and international solidarity we should immediately offer to take some of these unfortunate victims, especially the children, and give them safety in this country. That is my plea to the Home Secretary.”
Stand Up To Racism co convenor Weyman Bennett said
“The heartbreak and rage we all felt seeing more needless deaths as as a result of racist border policies is something that anti racists cannot stay silent about.
“This is about showing those in the most desperate situation that they have our solidarity, such as those fleeing fire at the Moria refugee camps on Lesvos with nowhere to go, or those who have had to flee each time the French police come to smash up the camps at Calais or Dunkirk, where tents are taken and those trying to deliver aid that has collected by anti racists, trade unionists and communities across Britain – are obstructed and told they are carrying out ‘illegal distributions’.
“The disgusting scapegoating and demonisation of these people who are merely seeking to survive and to exist, is not in our name.
“The racism at the heart of this system that means we have to campaign to say #BlackLivesMatter, that #RefugeeLivesMatter, and that racism is not in our name. And that racist rhetoric is providing oxygen to nasty far right and fascist forces.
“We need the anti racist movement to come together in solidarity and unity and show that the racists do not speak for us. We must speak up for humanity.”
Clare Moseley, Care4Calais, said
“The government is now arranging regular charter flights in a shameful bid to send people anywhere but the UK rather than simply hear their asylum claims.
“We are working in 30 hotels across the country where people who have newly arrived in the UK are being temporarily housed. The people in these hotels are terrified. We talk to people who can’t eat or sleep due to fear. The UK has become yet another yet kind of hell for asylum seekers.”
Labour Councillor Susan Fajana-Thomas, London Borough of Hackney & Chair of Islington Refugee and Migrant Forum, said
“The UK government needs to urgently address the lack of safe and legal routes for people seeking refuge in this country.
“It is too simple and misguided to place the blame of people dying at sea onto people traffickers, for what is a complex humanitarian crisis that requires our best efforts for a sustainable solution.
“We must not pass on the responsibility to other countries, which in effect is us turning our face away and choosing not to see the plight of refugees. This belies our humanity!”
For further interviews and quotes:
info@standuptoracism.org.uk
