Number 2:

No to Trump and Tory racism

Stop Trump

Stop Trump   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Theo Sharieff, Socialist Students national chair

Trump’s election campaign in 2016 generated anger across the working class internationally for his use of racist and nationalist rhetoric, including calling for a ban on Muslims entering the United States, and calls to construct his infamous Mexican border wall.

It’s no surprise then that since his election in November 2016, the forces of the far-right in America have become emboldened – organising demonstrations and rallies across the country.

One such rally was organised by ‘Unite the Right’ on 12 August 2017, when neo-Nazis, fascists and white supremacists descended on Charlottesville in Virginia.

Thousands of counter-protesters turned out to make sure their communities were defended against any possible attacks on minorities perpetrated by the far right.

The ensuing confrontation between both sides culminated in the death of one counter-protester after a neo-Nazi drove his car into the crowd of anti-fascist protesters.

Trump’s comments in the immediate aftermath of the murder, condemning the ‘violence of both sides’, provoked outrage, while being praised by at least one white nationalist website.

Sowing division

But a deliberate purpose lies behind each of Trump’s inflammatory statements. As inequality continues to skyrocket globally, racism and nationalism are tools in the hands of the capitalist class to disarm a potentially united working class movement which can challenge their greed and power.

Trump’s talk about building the border wall, and his fearmongering about immigrants generally, is designed to divide the working class along racist and nationalist lines to prevent a united fightback against the crisis-ridden system of capitalism.

Only by building a working class movement, with a political programme which unifies workers in the fight for things like housing, jobs and services, can we mobilise the majority of society to defeat racism and the far right in all its forms.

That’s why we want to send Trump a message on 13 July: as young and working class people we will mobilise in our thousands to let it be known that we will tolerate neither his bigoted agenda, nor the racism and the ‘hostile environment’ created by our own Tory government.

  • See the rest of our ‘Five reasons to walk out’ in upcoming issues of the Socialist