Unison Cambridgeshire Branch condemn the racist and Islamophobic violence that has swept across the Country. We deplore the reasoning for the violence that we have witnessed, it does nothing to honour the recent killings of the three young girls, attending a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport on 29 July.
The far-right will use any incident to incite hatred and cause division in our communities. We must stop them at every point: Challenging their politics of racism, Islamophobia and hatred. It has no place in society today, which knows the outcome of far-right, fascist politics.
The riots which began on 30 July and which have spread to target organisations supporting migrants , such as Citizen Advice Bureau and other advice centres. But has also targeted individuals such as solicitors who specialise in migrant welfare. Must, like all other such acts, be dealt with by the law.
The Government must also act swiftly to deal with the under-riding reasons which have led to the rise of the far-right in England. The politics of dealing with immigration. It must stop referencing immigrants as ‘illegal’ and, introduce accessible and quick ways in which applications can be made, and processed, without firstly arriving in the UK.
It must stop scapegoating immigrants for the mistakes they have made. The NHS or the Welfare State, are not suffering because of immigrants. They are because of a political decision to reduce the purpose of the state, which has been the Conservative position since 2010. Severe lack of investment is the standard technique of privatisation,
''Defund, make sure things don't work, people get angry, you hand it over to private capital'' Noam Chomsky
Labour must change its position and not follow the dogma set by the previous administration, which has led us to the divisive scenes we have witnessed on our TV screens this last week.
The Government must also deal with those responsible for the recent surge. Tommy Robinson, has led parts of this from his holiday hotel room. A well known agitator, Robinson has targeted many parts of our society before, when leader of the English Defence League, he attacked trade unions and workers defending their rights. Russian backed groups have also been involved, setting up social media groups and spewing false information on the killer and his motives.
Our Eastern Region is particularly vulnerable, with Reform MP’s in Clacton, Essex, Great Yarmouth in Suffolk and South Basildon and East Thurrock also in Essex. Sowing the seeds of division and the politics of hate.
As a Trade Union, Unison will continue to challenge racist, Islamophobic and anti-semitism at every opportunity which presents. We are confident that our membership also supports this, as we see many like minded Unison members at marches and rallies.
Show Racism the Red Card statement can be viewed here:
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