The Scottish Socialist Party has added its voice to calls for the working class, trade unions, and communities to stand united against fascism, racism, and deprivation.
Politicians and the press have for years courted and encouraged racism, Islamophobia, and the far-right in pursuit of votes and views. The rot starts from the top – the solution lies with the masses.
SSP Trade Union organiser Richie Venton said:
“The full, united power of the organised trade union movement and working-class communities needs to be mobilised against the fascist and far-right thugs who are making migrants, asylum seekers, and people of colour fear for their lives.
“Thugs in suits like billionaire Elon Musk, millionaire Nigel Farage, and the fascist criminal Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – who hides behind the name ‘Tommy Robinson’ – have incited violence from safe distances. They’ve thrown a torch into the tinderbox of despair, disillusionment, and deprivation among some of the most deprived people in society.”
Incitement to Race Riots
“They and their cohort viciously, deliberately spread racist and Islamophobic lies about the brutal stabbing of three wee girls in Southport, inciting violent attacks on mosques, hotels housing asylum seekers, shops owned by longstanding local people of colour, and murderous assaults on individuals.
“Far-right ‘celebrities’ stooped down from the gutter to the sewers in their incendiary lies about the murderer – who in fact was born in Cardiff, before moving to Southport with his Christian parents.
“‘His name is Ali al Shaqti… the police are covering up for illegals‘, screeched Katie Hopkins.
“’Enough of this. We need to remove Islam from Great Britain. Completely and entirely‘, intoned the wretched thespian, Laurence Fox.
“Not to be outdone, professional racist Nigel Farage went on TV after the terrible murder of innocent children, questioning the police account that it was ‘non-terror related’, inciting violence with “I just wonder whether the truth is being withheld from us”.
“This cynical bastard has since tried to distance himself from the racist violence his words helped unleash, after seeing the widespread backlash and unity in most of the communities targeted by his attack dogs – including many anti-racist rallies initiated by the trade union movement.
“From the comfort of his £400-a-night luxury hotel in Cyprus, Yaxley-Lennon incited mobs (whom he’s fleeced for £millions, through years of endless appeals for his criminal defence funds) to conduct arson attacks on Holiday Inn hotels, with terrified asylum seekers inside – or in one case, a group of overseas NHS nurses celebrating with their families.
“He was aided in spreading his poison by the fact Elon Musk reinstated ‘Tommy Robinson’ on X, after the Trump-supporting billionaire took ownership of Twitter.
Nazi Salutes: Nae Pasaran!
“A hard core of fascist and far-right thugs, including football hooligans from the dregs of the English Defence League, have openly chanted racist and Islamophobic vitriol whilst carrying out arson attacks and attempted murder in several towns in England.”
“In Belfast, a small gang of loyalist thugs took their orders from an equally small gang of reactionary ultra-nationalists from Dublin – who had previously burnt out an asylum seekers’ centre in Coolock, north Dublin – in a grisly embrace of bigots across the sectarian divide, as they unleashed terror on Muslim and black citizens of Belfast, with
“Nazi salutes from racists wrapped in both the Tricolour and Union Jack. To their credit, trade unionists since staged Belfast rallies against the racist bigots, uniting workers against their common enemies.
Workers Unite Against Race Rioters
“We cannot stand aside and allow fascist and racist violence against ethnic minorities in Scotland. Nor can we simply rely on the Labour’s government’s law and order measures to stem the growth of these vicious, racist forces.
“People like Farage, Musk, Yaxley-Lennon and those trying to burn people alive in hostels, homes, and shops deserve to be jailed. But the trade union movement needs to mobilise its own power, its own collective discipline, with well stewarded demonstrations and protection of those under attack – rather than risk the danger of future attacks on genuine workers’ protests under measures being rushed through by Starmer’s government.
“And above all, police action alone will not get rid of the rotten conditions and years of systematic racist propaganda – conducted not just by Farage, but by the Tories and indeed the Labour leadership – which has created the scapegoating and racist divisions which the far-right race rioters are tapping into.
“The ‘mainstream’ politicians – with all their bile about ‘Stop the Boats’ and immigration – have normalised and nurtured the racism on display from far-right forces on the streets.
“Trade unionists and communities need to recognise the importance of independent action by the working class – of all nationalities and ethnic backgrounds – rather than reliance on the politicians who fuelled the fires of racism in the first place. In that context, the numerous trade union-initiated anti-racist rallies in cities and towns are vitally important.
Unite Against Poverty
“Unity is our strength when it comes to fighting for decent pay, guaranteed quality jobs, public services fit for purpose, and emergency action against the housing crisis. Migrants did not cause the banking crash of 2008; billionaire bankers did.
“Migrants and asylum seekers did not impose 14 years of vicious austerity that widened the gap between rich and poor; the Tories did, and the new Labour government is hellbent on continuing with this political choice of imposing poverty.
“Refugees desperately fleeing wars, famine, climate catastrophes, and oppression did not cut child benefits or slash pensioners’ winter fuel allowances; Starmer’s Labour government did, in their continuation of Tory policies.
“Ethnic minorities did not create the housing crisis by selling off council houses, then failing to build any, giving private, rent-racketeering, slum landlords a field-day; successive Tory and Labour governments did.
Rally for Genuine Change
“Socialists, and particularly the 600,000-strong Scottish trade union movement, need to drain the swamp of despair and disillusionment which the fascists, Reform UK, and far-right generally feed on – by fighting for measures to transform the lives of all, regardless of colour, creed or country of origin.
“The planned 7th September Rally against the far-right in Glasgow – which the SSP fully supports – should launch a determined, broad-based campaign for jobs for all; a £15 minimum wage; pensions matching the best in Europe; 100,000 new council houses at affordable rent; investment in health, education, transport, and public services to match the needs of all the age groups. For unity against poverty, poor housing, and racist divisions.
For Equality in a Socialist Scotland
“These events haven’t fallen out of a clear blue sky. They are the bitter fruits of reliance (by Labour as well as Tory politicians) on the capitalist market to provide; the resulting mass poverty and inequality; and the brutal scapegoating of migrants, asylum seekers, refugees and ethnic minorities by every pro-capitalist party – Tory and Labour included.
“The Scottish Socialist Party stands in unity with all those resisting racism – and we appeal to you to join us in fighting for a clean, green, socialist Scotland, with equal rights for all citizens, regardless of colour, creed or country of origin.”