UNITY STATEMENT: We’re uniting and mobilising to launch a campaign against the far right. New statement in Daily Mirror by Stand Up to Racism signed by Paloma Faith, Diane Abbott, Bimini, Jeremy Corbyn plus over 100 other politicians, music artists, campaigners, trade unionists and anti-racists.
Read the full story on the statement in the Daily Mirror: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/paloma-faith-kate-nash-join-33409209
Unity Statement:
Fascist riots have taken place in towns and cities across Britain leading to attacks on mosques and hotels housing migrants. Tommy Robinson mobilised over 15,000 in Trafalgar Square on 27 July. The far right are spreading racism, Islamophobia and hatred.
Robinson and others are attempting to exploit the horrific knife attack in Southport to stir up Islamophobia and sow division by spreading misinformation about the attacker’s identity. This led to a racist mob rioting in Southport and elsewhere, violently attacking the mosques and police, chanting the same hateful slogans heard on Robinson’s London demonstration.
Racism and Islamophobia in Parliament is leading to racism and Islamophobia on the streets. When Robinson asked his London protest who voted for Nigel Farage and Reform UK, almost every hand went up. Suella Braverman emboldened this latest iteration of fascist mobilisations, with her claims of an “Islamist” threat, policing “double standards” and refugee “invasion” inflammatory rhetoric.
Across Europe we see the rise of far right and fascist forces, from Marine Le Pen in France to the AfD in Germany.
The far right are a threat to all decent people. The trial of Finsbury Park terrorist Darren Osborne, who murdered Makram Ali, heard that he was radicalised by reading material by Tommy Robinson. When Robinson was leader of the English Defence League, it attacked Muslims, trade unions and strikes.
All those who oppose this must join in a united mass movement powerful enough to drive back the fascist. The majority of people in Britain abhor Robinson and the far right.
We are the majority, they are the few. Britain has a proud history of defeating fascists and racists. We can defeat them again. We must Stand Up to Racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism. We must unite and mobilise against the far right and fascism.
Signatories include:
- Weyman Bennett and Sabby Dhalu, Stand Up To Racism co-convenors
- Lord Peter Hain and Paul Holborow, Anti Nazi League founders
- Kate Nash, singer songwriter
- Jerry Dammers, The Specials founder
- Paloma Faith, singer-songwriter
- Bimini Bon Boulash, drag artist
- Billy Bragg, singer-songwriter and activist
- Roots Manuva, rapper
- Shon Faye, author
- Eliza Rose, DJ and artist
- Maverick Sabre, singer songwriter
- Dr Cheddar Gorgeous, drag performer and artist
- Funk Butcher, DJ and producer
- Self Esteem, musician and songwriter
- Gurinder Chadha, filmmaker
- Azeem Rafiq, author and ex-cricketer
- Gideon, artist, DJ and Bloc 9 Glastonbury curator
- Taj Ali, Co-editor Tribune Magazine
- Amar Chadha-Patel, actor
- Ghostpoet, singer-songwriter
- Bobbie Vylan, musician
- Eliza Carthy MBE, folksinger
- Michael Rosen, author and poet
- Frank Turner, singer-songwriter and musician
- Catrin Stewart, actor
- Narinder Kaur, TV personality & social commentator
- Diane Abbott MP
- Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
- Ian Byrne MP
- Dawn Butler MP
- Kim Johnson MP
- John McDonnell MP
- Apsana Begum MP
- Zarah Sultana MP
- Jon Trickett MP
- Richard Burgon MP
- Ian Lavery MP
- Clive Lewis MP
- Andy McDonald MP
- Mary Kelly Foy MP
- Humza Yousaf MSP
- Paul Sweeney MSP
- Jeremy Corbyn MP
- Shockat Adam MP
- Iqbal Mohamed MP
- Ayoub Khan MP
- Adnan Hussain MP
- Pauline Bryan, House of Lords
- Prem Sikka, House of Lords
- Christine Blower, House of Lords
- Sharon Graham, Unite General Secretary
- Daniel Kebede, NEU General Secretary
- Mick Lynch, RMT General Secretary
- Mick Whelan, ASLEF General Secretary
- Fran Heathcote, PCS General Secretary
- Matt Wrack, FBU General Secretary
- Sarah Woolley, BFAWU General Secretary
- Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary
- Maryam Eslamdoust, TSSA General Secretary
- Steve North, Unison President
- Steve North, Unison President
- Alex Gordon, RMT President
- Aamer Anwar, Human Rights Lawyer
- Mohammed Kozbar, Muslim Council of Britain Deputy Secretary General
- David Rosenberg, Jewish Socialist Group
- Lindsey German, Stop the War Coalition convenor
- Kate Hudson, CND
- Ben Chacko, editor Morning Star
- Dr Louise Raw
- Taj Ali, Tribune Co-Editor
- Matt Willgress, Labour Outlook Editor
- Balwinder Rana, Sikhs Against the EDL
- Samira Ali and Lewis Nielsen, national organisers Stand Up to Racism
- Jamshid Ahmadi, Executive Committee, Liberation (formerly the Movement for Colonial Freedom, est. 1954)
- Harsev Bains, Indian Workers Association GB
- Denis Fernando, Rainbow Coalition Against Racism
- Myriam Kane and Fiona Sim, Black Liberation Alliance
Download Stand Up To Racism resources
For further information please contact:
info@standuptoracism.org.uk