Far-right thug Tommy Robinson will march in central London on 16 May, deliberately and provocatively to coincide with the annual Palestinian demonstration to commemorate Nakba. Socialist Party members will join the Nakba demo, arguing to bring the full strength of the trade unions with their six million members to the heart of the anti-war movement. And putting forward a socialist programme for peace in the Middle East and the rights of the Palestinians.
Faced with the threat of the far right, we have argued for trade union organised defensive stewarding, warning: “It is a mistake to march towards the Robinson hate march without the necessary mass mobilisation and organisation”, appealing for “the organisers to seek an alternative route given the lack of time to prepare”, and adding that “a well-attended and well-stewarded march can be organised as a show of strength and preparation for building the united movement we need.”
In the immediate aftermath of the hundreds of thousands-strong Together demo in March, the Socialist said: “A serious discussion needs to take place in the trade unions, workplaces and local communities about what strategy, programme and tactics are needed to cut across support for Reform and far-right ideas.
Unite struggles
“Our placard on the demo called to ‘unite the struggles against racism, austerity, and war’. You cannot fight one without fighting the others. The cost-of-living crisis and the brutal continuation of austerity, which is seeing our services atomised, is pushing people towards Reform.
“A serious alternative that campaigns for jobs, homes and services for all can unite and mobilise millions of people to cut across racism and division. The organised working class, the trade unions with 6.5 million workers, should lead.”
