SUTR Scotland held its Annual General Meeting in December. The main theme of the meeting was the growing threat of Reform UK’s racism. 55 people representing trade union bodies nationally and locally, local SUTR groups, campaigns and human rights organisations attended the meeting, which discussed and agreed a programme of action to escalate anti-racist resistance across Scotland.
The AGM agreed our primary campaigning goal in the period ahead is: STOP FARAGE 2026 – DON’T LET REFORM UK MAKE A BREAKTHROUGH IN THE HOLYROOD ELECTIONS
This requires combining mass activity on the ground in each area with national initiatives that bring anti-racists together, shift the political atmosphere and build the confidence of anti-racists everywhere. A programme of action was agreed for the first half the year with three key flashpoints:
- 21-23 March weekend: SUTR will support and help build mass anti-racist gigs organised by Love Music Hate Racism in Glasgow. Read more at https://linktr.ee/lmhrglasgow
- May: SUTR organising summit against the far-right–a conference for activists in the trade union movement, communities and campaigns across Scotland to discuss the far-right and how we fight it and develop new networks of resistance.
- Saturday 21 June World Refugee Day: a national demonstration in Glasgow against the far-right and in support of refugees and migrants, including a march, rally and outdoor music festival.
A trade union draft model motion is available to garner support for these initiatives. [ATTACHED]
The SUTR Scotland AGM also discussed:
- Culture is a key site of anti-racism. We want to work with figures in the world of music, culture, comedy, sports. We want to work closely with Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR). LMHR reps offered to provide advice to anyone wanting to organise a gig in their area.
- Wherever Reform UK stand candidates, we should conduct mass campaigns to persuade voters to not give their vote to a racist party. This requires the development of more mass publicity (stickers, badges, posters, T-shirts etc). We will continue to use the open letter launched this year ‘Scotland says no to Reform UK’s racism’: https://docs.google.com/forms/u/2/d/11JNtKecyEGwfUpfLSqShOM0RoXuujrYqBWjw1s1Pt3U/edit
- The meeting received solidarity and an update from the Sheku Bayoh family solicitor Aamer Anwar. We support the demand by the Bayoh family to expand the remit of the public inquiry, and we will mobilise accordingly and in consultation with the family and legal team based on how ScotGov responds to their demand.
- Trades councils and education unions spoke about the work they do in communities and schools. Work alongside trade unions to mobilise members for anti-racist events and take anti-racist arguments into workplaces is vital.
Other important dates:
- Sat 18 Jan: protests over Trump’s inauguration
- Sat 1 Feb: fascist Tommy Robinson has called another national demonstration in London from his prison cell. SUTR Scotland is mobilising.
- Sat 1 March: SUTR & TUC trade union conference in London.
Steering committee
19 people were elected as part of a new steering group for SUTR Scotland to meet regularly and work alongside local SUTR groups and affiliates to take forward this programme of action.
Some of the things we did in 2024:
• As part of the Justice for Sheku Bayoh campaign, we have organised four rallies outside Capital house on key dates of the public inquiry to support the family and legal team.
• Following 12 months of anti-fascist campaigning and refugee solidarity in Erskine, the fascists in the Homeland Party abandoned their project of building a base in the area.
• We organised a march from BBC Scotland to the Home Office in Glasgow on UN Anti-Racism Day in March, co-organised with the STUC and supported by trade unions and many faith and civil society organisations.
• In Glasgow, we organised contingents on the International Roma Day march in April and the Govanhill International Festival parade in August.
• In response to the government’s plans to initiate Rwanda deportations in the spring, we organised rallies in Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow and initiated an emergency action broadcast list that hundreds of activists joined.
• In response to the summer riots, we moved swiftly to work alongside local Trades Councils to organise an anti-fascist response at hotels in Paisley and Bathgate. SUTR activists were also part of mobilising anti-fascist resistance in Aberdeen and Dumfries. We organised emergency rallies to ‘take the streets back’ in the aftermath of the riots that drew 3,000 in Glasgow’s George Sq, 2,000 outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh and 500 in Dundee’s city square.
• We organised a major counter-demonstration on 7 September against the Glasgow Cabbie’s far-right rally in George Sq. Estimates put attendance at between 5-7,000, against up to 500. The demo was backed by the STUC, Scottish Refugee Council, 9 national unions, Irish rap band Kneecap, celebrities and civil society groups. It led to the Glasgow Cabbie announcing he was ‘retiring’ from politics.
• We supported three Love Music Hate Racism gigs in Glasgow in the autumn, including one to mobilise for the STUC St Andrew’s Day march and rally, and a relaunch gig in Edinburgh.
• We organised delegations of trade unionists and activists to the two national demonstrations against fascist ‘Tommy Robinson’ in London. We took 25 people to join the 5,000-strong demo in July, and 75 to the 20,000-strong demo in October.
• We organised emergency protests in response to Trump’s election victory and SUTR activists in Glasgow and St Andrew’s universities also organised protests on campus.
• Campaigning against racist Reform UK: we have launched an open letter, campaigned in the Glasgow wards where their candidates stood, particularly in Maryhill, and worked alongside Perth Against Racism to organise a protest at the Reform UK Scotland conference on St Andrew’s Day.
• We helped mobilised for a well-attended St Andrew’s Day anti-racism march and rally and organised a lively contingent on it.
Donate to Scotland SUTR
Donations to SUTR Scotland can be made here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/unity-fund-help-us-mobilise-the-antiracist-majority /
Or through bank transfer to: Stand up to Racism Scotland // Bank account: 20378110 // Sort code: 608301
Get involved
We urge all who want to build stronger, bigger and more rooted anti-racist movement in towns and cities across Scotland to become involved in your local SUTR groups: https://linktr.ee/sutrscot—
Stand up to Racism Scotland
Email: sutrscot@gmail.com
Twitter: @sutrscotland
Facebook: Stand up to Racism – Scotland
