- Conference
- 2025 National Black Members' Conference
- Date
- 22 August 2024
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
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.
This union is appalled at the fascist mobilisations that took place across our towns and cities. Stand up to racism has organised protests and community actions to oppose and push back the far right, and we as trade unionists recognise the importance of these actions, uniting with workers and communities to stop the growth of the far right. We congratulate Stand up to Racism in turning the tide but we realise that this threat is not over.
Therefore we call on National Black Members Committee:
1)To work within our union to encourage our union to send representatives to the annual TUC/ Stand up to Racism Trade Union Conference in February 2025;
2) To work within our union to ensure the biggest possible mobilisation for the annual UN Anti Racism Day Demonstration in London, Glasgow and Cardiff;
3)To work with representatives of Stand up to Racism & Show Racism the Red Card to discuss how we improve education, awareness and strategies of defeating the growth far right.
