NATIONAL CONFERENCE
CONFRONTING THE RISE OF RACISM, ISLAMOPHOBIA & ANTI-SEMITISM
SATURDAY 21 OCTOBER 2017
9.30am–4.30pm
THE LIGHT, FRIENDS HOUSE, 173–177 Euston Road, LONDON NW1 2BJ
Speakers include:
• Diane Abbott MP, Shadow Home Secretary • Kate Osamor MP, Shadow DfID Secretary • Lowkey, Rapper • Esa Charles, Father of Rashan Charles • Imam Mohammed Mahmoud, Finsbury Park Mosque • Kevin Courtney, NEU Joint Gen Sec • Dave Ward, CWU Gen Sec • Roger Mckenzie, Unison Ass Gen Sec • Catherine West, Labour MP Hornsey and Wood Green • Claude Moraes, Labour MEP • Shahrar Ali, Green Party Home Affairs spokesperson • Salma Yaqoob • Myriam Kane, NUS NEC • Harun Rashid Khan, Muslim Council of Britain General Secretary • Talha Ahmad, Muslim Council of Britain Treasurer • David Rosenberg, Jewish Socialist Group • Azad Ali, MEND • Aman Ali, MEND • Maurice Wren, Chief Exec Refugee Council • Petros Constantinou, KEERFA (Greece) • Noam Devey, Show Racism The Red Card • Clare Mosesley, Care4Calais founder • Kate Hudson, CND Chair • Murad Qureshi, Stop The War • Hugh Lanning, Aliiance for Free Movement • Barbara Ntumy • Sam Fairbairn, Peoples Assembly • Gerry Gable, Searchlight • Canon Stephen Saxby, St Barnabus Church • Sabby Dhalu & Weyman Bennett, Stand Up To Racism
Now is an urgent time for anti-racists to organise. We need to defend refugees and migrants, oppose Islamophobia and anti-Semitism and stop all racist scapegoating.
In the US, Trump’s attacks on migrants and Muslims have opened the door to the far right. At Charlottesville we saw fascists marching with torches, swastikas and confederate flags and Heather Heyer murdered. There has been a brilliant response by anti-racists in the US since the Charlottesville events. In Europe, the far right seek to replicate the growth of the likes of Marine Le Pen and the Front National in France. Meanwhile refugees are still continuing to drown whilst attempting to flee war, torture and persecution.
In Britain, Theresa May continues to use the future of millions of EU nationals as a bargaining chip in Brexit negotiations. The tragic aftermath of the terror attacks in Manchester, Westminster and at London Bridge has led to a ramping up of Islamophobia with a terrorist attack on Muslims in Finsbury Park, North London, acid and other racist and Islamophobic attacks.
In such a heated atmosphere and with UKIP defeated in the general election sections of the far right want to seize the time and take to the streets, using Islamophobia to win support.
The ongoing reality of institutional racism in Britain has been highlighted by the horrific death toll at Grenfell Tower. The Tories won’t even grant a full amnesty to survivors and families that are undocumented migrants. The deaths after contact with police of Edson DaCosta, Rashan Charles and Darren Cumberbatch are recent examples of how black lives don’t seem to matter to the forces of law and order.
But as racism is rising, a movement against racism is growing. Tens of thousands have taken to the streets, standing up to Trump’s Muslim ban and racism and Theresa May’s racist hard Brexit saying EU nationals are here to stay. Many are still campaigning for Britain and Europe to welcome refugees.
Come to the conference and join the debate about how we build the anti-racist movement.
Themes of conference include:
- Unite Against Trump, fascism and the racist right
- Brexit: defending free movement and EU nationals’ rights
- Acid attacks and Finsbury Park – Stand up to Islamophobia
- Grenfell: institutional racism and the social cleansing of our cities
- Refugees Welcome Here – Dubs Now!
- Black Lives Matter – no more deaths in police custody
- Opposing austerity and scapegoating immigrants
- Love Music Hate Racism
Click here to download leaflet
Click here for union motion supporting the conference
