Stand Up To Racism’s rescheduled hybrid conference, Resisting the Rise of Racism and Fascism, took place on Sunday 19 November. The hybrid event that saw 954 pre registrations had upwards of 700 attending across the day, with around 500 engaged in the sessions across Zoom and in the room in central London at any one time.
Stand Up To Racism thanks all it’s panel speakers, who brought a wide range of experience, insight and focus to the conference themes.
The conference kicked off with a powerful welcoming panel with Daniel Kebede National Education Union (NEU) general secretary, Mohammed Kozbar Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) deputy secretary general, and Sabby Dhalu Stand Up To Racism co convenor.
The following first session – Refugees Welcome – Stop the scapegoating- Don’t Let Them Divide Us – with a panel kicked off by Mark Serwotka PCS civil service union general secretary, Steve Smith Care4Calais CEO, Pinar Aksu refugee & human rights activist, and Chantelle Lunt Merseyside BLM – celebrated the victories of Braverman’s sacking and the legal ruling against the Rwanda deportation and detention plan. From the panel and through the discussion, contributions stressed the need to continue to organise and build opposition to the ongoing threat of intensified government racism, the horrifying impact on refugees, and the space this opens for the far right.
Through this session and the following one, How Can We Stop the Rise of the New Far Right, many anti racist activists from key areas shared their experiences and drew lessons from where the far right have attempted to grow and have been challenged by Stand Up To Racism groups and others. There were contributions from Llanelli, Erskine, Scampton, Portland, Elgin, Honor Oak and elsewhere.
The next session where these discussions rolled on heard from a panel of David Rosenberg Jewish Socialist Group, Aïcha Collectif Contre L’Islamophobie en Europe, Alex Considine XR London and Michael Bradley Stand Up To Racism national organiser.
Conference delegates were moved and inspired during a session, The Fight Against Institutional Racism Today, led by justice campaigners, where Dr Neville Lawrence, father of Stephen Lawrence was in conversation with Weyman Bennett Stand Up To Racism co convenor, followed by contributions by Sukhdev Reel, mother of Ricky Reel, actor Colin McFarlane who introduced a high profile Windrush Justice campaign, and Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP.
A closing plenary and call to action heard from Kudsia Batool TUC Head of Equalities, who pledged TUC’s ongoing support for Stand Up To Racism and the fight against the rise of the far right, followed by Kim Johnson MP, and rounded off by Weyman Bennett including a tribute to CWU vice president Jane Loftus who was a consistent anti racist and anti fascist supporter of Stand Up To Racism and Unite Against Fascism and who sadly passed away this month. Jane had been due to chair the final plenary of the conference, and had requested that instead of flowers for her funeral, she wanted CWU members to give donations to Stand Up To Racism – something SUTR has been deeply touched and moved by, in her honour.
The conference’s call to action is focussed on the call for 16 March demonstrations in London, Glasgow and Cardiff as part of the global day of protest for UN Anti Racism Day 2024, as well as calling for support for the Care4Calais and Stand Up To Racism joint Winter Appeal and supporting the call by the Stop Braverman Coalition for a protest outside the Home Office on 18 December, Interantional Migrant Day, which will also see international support for protests taking place in France.
