Anti-Racism

Articles on racism and anti-racism. See our pamphlet "How to Beat the Racists"

“Islamophobia”? It’s anti-Muslim racism

Pragna Patel from Southall Black Sisters spoke to Martin Thomas from Solidarity about the controversy over the Government’s rejection of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) definition of “Islamophobia” . We were against the idea of having a specific definition of “Islamophobia”. Racism against Muslims exists. It is pervasive and needs to be resolutely challenged. “Islamophobia” conflates legitimate criticism of religion, which groups like Southall Black Sisters have always engaged, with racism towards people of a particular minority. The use of the term “Islamophobia” makes it very easy...

Leicester protest at Trump’s state visit

Despite the rain and it being a weekday, roughly 100 people gathered at Leicester’s clock tower to protest the ridiculous state visit laid on for Donald Trump. There was a buoyant atmosphere and a diverse crowd — much like the previous Trump actions in Leicester, just a little smaller. Leicester was an early starter on the anti-Trump circuit due to the rather odd invitation from the Director of the Richard III Centre to Trump, who predictably believes he is descended from the controversial monarch. Leicester against Trump, a coalition of Greens, regular folk, and supporters of Workers’ Liberty...

Tories' anti-Muslim bigotry

An ITV report has revealed the Tory party is investigating over a hundred cases of alleged anti-Muslim bigotry and racism within its ranks, including people claiming to be party members alleging Islam is “being allowed to take over our country”, and that Muslims are “aliens” whose “plan is to turn this country into an Islamic state.” Other commenters said, “we don’t have a politician strong enough in the UK to lead us away from this infestation”, and that Muslims “cause mayhem wherever they decide to invade.” The incidents in the dossier relate to comments posted online; Tory party officials...

Defining "Islamophobia"

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims has proposed a definition of "Islamophobia", and the Government has rejected it. The definition is here Against the definition Chris Sloggett, a spokesperson for the National Secular Society, told us: "Anti-Muslim hatred is a growing problem which must be taken seriously. But we also need a robust discussion on the influence which religion, including Islam, has on British society. "Those who raise concerns about religious privileges which undermine women's rights, animal welfare, LGBT rights and the principle of one law for all are routinely...

1919: Divided by Racism

While workers were angry and willing to fight, too often their anger was aimed at fellow workers of a different colour rather than at the employers and authorities responsible for their exploitation and poverty. Sometimes this occurred in the absence of socialist political leadership, but on occasion, labour movement misleadership played a poisonous role. On 23 January, four days before the Glasgow general strike, trade union leader Emmanuel Shinwell told a 600-strong seafarers’ union meeting that the unemployment they faced was caused by Chinese sailors joining British ships. White sailors...

Full Brexit: "Transforming Britain"

George Hoare, Peter Ramsay, Lee Jones, Anshu Srivastava and Danny Nicol respond to criticisms of the London Full Brexit event from some on the left. We reply to this article here. Full Brexit co-organised the Transforming Britain After Brexit tour because we wanted to open up a space for discussion, within and beyond the Left, over Brexit and the nature of the European Union. In March we held events in Coventry, Manchester, Liverpool, and London, with an event in Durham to come next month and hopefully more dates in cities across the UK after that. We believe that the EU is undemocratic in its...

Clive Lewis: "I won't hesitate to call out racism"

After Clive Lewis MP publicly criticised RMT activist Eddie Dempsey for his statements at the 26 March “Full Brexit” rally, he was challenged on Twitter by Marcus Barnett of the Morning Star. What follows is a note Clive then wrote to Barnett – and gave us to publish. My father was a trades unionist in the UK for more than 40 years. Full-time for much of it. He spent his life dealing with and fighting racists – many of them in the trades union movement itself. You’re a smart guy. You know all about race relations in the trade union and labour movement. Know that our recent trade union and...

When the ”left” tells a far-right story

On 27 March, the anti-Brexit campaigning group Labour for a Socialist Europe, which Solidarity supports, published this open letter to pro-Brexit left-wingers Costas Lapavitsas and Grace Blakeley, calling on them to dissociate from Eddie Dempsey, an RMT rail union activist who had spoken with them at a “Full Brexit” event on 26 March and presented the pro-Brexit case as one of standing up for “the working class” against “left liberals” who ally with “ethnic minorities”. Comrades Lapavitsas and Blakeley, Political movements define themselves by the stories they tell about the world. The story...

Blues Power

Right-wing politicians always have great difficulty trying to get support from anyone with artistic integrity. In the Thatcher era, when numerous talented musicians sang up for the Labour cause under the banner of Red Wedge, all the Tories could cobble together were talentless tosh like Vince Hill, Jim Davidson and Mrs Mopp. Similarly, the Trump Presidency from the world of showbiz have been decidedly threadbare. Apart from the odd aged crooner or obscure country artist, the chief White House favourite has been the despicable Ted Nugent – NRA nut and serial slayer of North American wildlife...

Debate: Glasgow, Zionists and racism

The UN anti-racism demonstration in Glasgow this year, as last year , faced a counter-demonstration by would-be left groups which refused to join it unless the Glasgow Friends of Israel were excluded from the march. The pro-Israel group was about the same size as last year, 20-odd people. It carried no Israeli flags. It is unclear whether that was unintentional or by design. One argument last year was: they wave Israeli flags; Israel is a racist state; therefore, they should not be on the demo. The “anti-Zionist” protest against the anti-racist demonstration was bigger than last year. It was...

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