Tower Hamlets Socialist Party member
Over the summer, anti-immigration protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers, Tommy Robinson’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally in September, and Reform polling ahead of Labour have created real fear, particularly among Black, Asian and migrant communities.
There is growing anger in working-class communities after years of attacks on housing, wages and public services, and the epidemic of violence against women. Starmer’s Labour has proved it is just another party serving the interests of the bosses.
Farage’s Reform UK is posing as a voice of ‘ordinary people’. What is it doing to fight for our services, decent pay and council homes? Behind the anti-establishment mask, Reform represents the same big-business interests as the Tories and Labour. Farage himself is one of the highest-earning MPs, pocketing over a million pounds a year while peddling the lie that migrants, not billionaires, are to blame for poverty and insecurity. His anti-immigration rhetoric divides the working class to let the bosses off the hook.
In contrast, trade unions bring together workers from all backgrounds to fight together against the bosses. Unions can unite the working class with the slogan of ‘Jobs, homes and services, not racism’ to address the growing class anger currently being exploited by the far right. The trade unions must adopt this not just as a slogan, but build a mass campaign fighting against cuts, for decent wages and good jobs, mass council-house building and proper funding of public services to cut across racist scapegoating.
On Saturday 25 October, Nick Tenconi the leader of the now far-right UKIP, is bringing his “mass deportations” tour to Whitechapel in east London. Tower Hamlets has a proud history of standing up to racism and fascism, and that tradition must continue. Trade unions, community organisations, and local campaigners have called for a mass counter-demonstration to mobilise the working class and youth in the borough against the far right.
Tower Hamlets Unison, which represents council workers, has organised a group of trade unionists to build a union-led fight against the far right in the borough. Calling for proper trade-union stewarding and speakers on the day, and making sure that those who are fighting for the working class in the borough are at the centre of it.
But the fight cannot end on the streets. Working-class people need a political alternative to the parties of big business. Trade unions should take the next step – standing workers’ candidates in the upcoming council elections, committed to no-cuts budgets and fighting for jobs, homes and services for all. Corbyn and Sultana’s Your Party has the potential to unite trade unionists, socialists and community campaigners to challenge both the far right and the capitalist system that fuels them.
- Join the counter-demonstration in Whitechapel on Saturday 25 October.
- Stand together for jobs, homes and services – not racism! Join the fight against the far right and austerity – join the Socialist Party!
