- Details
Facebook: @OSUTR twitter:@OxfordSUTR email: contact@oxfordstanduptoracism.
Solidarity with El Paso after the racist terror attack
Monday 4th August. Assemble 5pm Carfax
Some 20 people were killed and a further 26 injured in a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday. The murders by Patrick Crusius are being treated as an act of domestic terrorism.
Crusius posted a racist manifesto on the website 8chan hours before he shot people at the El Paso Walmart. Crusius singled out “race mixing” and said that he related to Brenton Tarrant, who murdered 51 Muslims in the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand in March. Crusius wrote "I support the Christchurch shooter and his manifesto. This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas."
Trump has called the shooting a “hateful act”, but his racism inspired Crusius to take action. Crusius often tweeted in praise of Trump, including sharing a photograph where someone had spelt “Trump” using guns. And Trump has given confidence to other far right and racist figures to act on their beliefs. His administration has spearheaded a racist assault on Muslims and migrants. Just this week a new report showed that over 900 migrant parents and children have been separated at US Mexico border in the last year. US border police have locked migrant children into cages and kept them in detention camps.
Trump is ramping up racist rhetoric to play to his base ahead of the 2020 US presidential election. At a recent rally he inspired chants of “send her back” about congresswomen Ilhan Omar, and said she and her colleagues Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib could "leave" the country. At other rallies he has referred to Mexican migrants as “rapists and criminals”.
No one should be surprised that Trump’s words have inspired acts of violent racism. Across the world we have seen a rise in racist and fascist politics on a scale we have not seen since the 1930's. In the UK racist attacks continue to rise, fuelled by the racism of mainstream politicians who target Muslims, migrants and refugees as convenient scapegoats.
Boris Johnson's denigration of Muslim women as 'letterboxes' and 'bank robbers' helps to give confidence to racists, and makes it easier for fascists like Yaxley-Lennon (Tommy Robinson) to bring racist thugs onto the streets.
We urgently need anti-racists to mobilise to turn back the tide of racism and the racist attacks it fuels. Tomorrow we stand in solidarity with El Paso after the horrific racist terror attack. Join Us from 5pm Carfax, Oxford. Please share and invite people to this event.
PRESS RELEASE – Anti-Fascists outnumber “Free Tommy Robinson” demonstration in Central London
Over 800 anti-facists joined a counter demonstration today in Regent Street, Central London, against a “Free Tommy Robinson” demonstration of 3-400 people supported by various far-right organisations, a tiny fraction of the numbers at the “Free Tommy” demonstration last year in Whitehall.
Scuffles broke out with the police at various points of the day as fascist groups attempted to break through police lines to attack the anti-racist demonstrators,
Pictures and videos from the @antiracismday twitter account can be used with credit to Stand Up To Racism
Stand Up to Racism mobilised hundreds of anti-fascists to oppose Robinson including students, trade unionists, migrant groups, faith groups and others.
Robinson remains in Belmarsh prison, his latest prison sentence being for contempt of court. He had live streamed during a highly sensitive, sexual exploitation trial. The former English Defence league leader failed recently in the European elections to become an MEP in the North West, due to a large, broad based campaign by anti racists, of which Stand Up To Racism was central.
Though the movement around Robinson was riding high at this time last year, last November saw around 8000 anti fascists outnumber a pro Robinson march in London.
Buoyed by Trump and the election of the new, racist Prime Minister in the UK, the far right are currently seeking to regroup.
Sabby Dhalu, Stand Up To Racism Co-Convenor said: “Today showed that all the work done by anti-fascists to challenge and expose Tommy Robinson, from counter demos to election campaigns has a major effect. As Boris Johnson positions himself at the head of a Trump-like movement in Britain, it’s vital we continue to unite against fascist groups and the bigotry that emboldens them.”
Weyman Bennett, co-convenor of Stand Up To Racism said, “Tommy Robinson has a history of promoting fascist organisations including the British National Party and English Defence League. Days like today show the true nature of his supporters – racist and islamophobic to the core. Last year they mobilised around 15,000 on the streets of London, now they can only bring out tiny a fraction of that. We stopped Robinson when he was in the EDL. We stopped him becoming an MEP. We’ll stop him again from building the racist street movement he craves.”
Notes for editors
1) Stephen Yaxley Lennon now has 13 convictions including for violence, public order and mortage fraud.
2) Robinson was originally jailed for 13 months over the broadcast from Leeds on Facebook, but was released after two months following an appeal. His case was then referred back to the attorney general, Geoffrey Cox.
3) Robinson led the anti-Muslim English Defence League, which held a series of provocative and often violent demonstrations in areas of high immigrant population. The 2017 Finsbury Park mosque killer, Darren Osborne, was said by just partner to have been influenced by Robinson’s online activity
4) Stand Up To Racism is a major anti-racist organisation with support from across the labour and trade union movement and from many faith organisations. It’s international conference will be held on Saturday 19 October. Previous events have been addressed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott.
LMHR at Notting Hill Carnival x NEU x Smokey Joe Roadshow
Oxford Love Music Hate Racism has 2 Notting Hill Carnival passes to give away to anti-racists who would like to take part in this year's Notting Hill Carnival. This will allow access to join the LoveMusic HateRacism float in the carnival parade in collaboration with veteran band Smokey Joe Roadshow and the National Education Union (NEU) on 25th & 26th August. As well as joining the parade you will also get a special edition LMHR Carnival t-shirt, whistle and refreshments. Drop us a line if you want to join the Beautiful Resistance and party with a purpose.
Saturday 19th October: International conference against racism and fascism
10 – 4pm, Friends Meeting House, 173 Euston Road, NW1 2BJ London
Book tickets online here. Email Oxford SUTR for transport from Oxford.
Trump in the White House…. Far Right growing internationally… Hate crime at epidemic proportions... Political crisis in Britain…
How do we stop the racist right?
The racist and fascist right are experiencing their biggest growth in their support across Europe since the 1930’s. Inspired by the likes of Donald Trump in the white house racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism are on the rise everywhere. Hate crime has reached epidemic proportions, and the horrific attacks in Christchurch and Pittsburgh represent a new level of threat from far-right terrorism.
In Britain the toxic debate around the Brexit crisis has seen populist racists like Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt and Nigel Farage come to the centre stage of politics. Hunt backed Trumps’ attacks on London mayor Sadiq Khan and his “Londonistan” retweets. Johnson described Muslim women as “letter boxes”. Farage built his reputation by attacking immigration to the UK.
Although fascist Tommy Robinson and far right UKIP were humiliated in the EU elections, thanks to mass campaigning work by anti-racists Johnson, Hunt and Farage will play the politics of divide and rule, scapegoating migrants and refugees and targeting the Muslim community with Islamophobic attacks.
It doesn’t matter whether you voted “Leave” or “Remain” everyone must oppose their racist agenda.
The hostile environment for migrants that led to the Windrush scandal remains at the heart of government strategy and the reality of institutional racism continues.
On Saturday 19 October anti-racists activists will gather in London from across Europe and the US at the Stand Up To Racism international conference to debate how we build an international movement against the racist and fascist right and how we drive back the populist racism of the Tories and Farage.
Previous speakers include: Jeremy Corbyn, Diane Abbott, John McDonnell, Emma Dent Coad, David Lammy, Catherine West, Claude Moraes, Sabby Dhalu, Shahrar Ali, Mohammed Kozbar, Weyman Bennett, Maurice Wren, David Rosenburg
Workshops and plenaries include: Combating the “Hostile environment”, fighting for justice – Solidarity with refugees – The battle against Islamophobia in the age of Trump and Johnson – How do we stop the far right in Europe – Solidarity with refugees – Climate refugees and the climate crisis
31 October - 4 November: Unite Against Fascism educational trip to Auschwitz