Protest - No platform for fascist Tommy Robinson at the Oxford Union   

💥Thursday 28 May 6.30pm 

📍St Michael's Street, Oxford OX1 2EB

Called by Oxford Stand Up to Racism

The Oxford Union is resisting pressure  to cancel its invitation to Britain's #1 fascist, Tommy Robinson, to speak in a "debate" on whether the West is right to be "suspicious of Islam". 

Hundreds have signed the Stand Up To Racism open letter calling on the Oxford Union to cancel the invitation to the fascist.  

MPs, Labour and Green councillors, Imam Monowar Hussain, the Bishop of Oxford, and many campaign and student groups, including members of the Oxford Union itself, have joined the call to deny Robinson  a platform.

Fascism has no place in our society and every effort should be taken to marginalise fascists.  The Holocaust shows what happens when there is a failure to confront and beat fascism.  Fascists should never be given prestige and a platform to spread racist lies and hate.

When the far right says it wants "free speech" they mean the freedom to spout racist hate unchallenged.  We know from history that fascism is about denying freedom speech and has no right to claim it for itself.

Robinson has just suffered a major setback when his May 16 hate rally failed to mobilise the numbers he hoped for, and was humiliated by the much larger protest of the combined forces of the anti-racist movement and Palestine solidarity coalition who took to the streets to counter his hate rally (see below).  

The Oxford  Union giving Robinson a platform will only speed his and his movements' recovery and increase the danger to us all.

The Muslim Council of Britain's statement on Robinson's march said "Statements such as Tommy Robinson’s calls that “it’s time for many Muslims to leave this country,” that he “would stop Islam,” are not political speech – they are incitement. History teaches us, painfully and repeatedly, that language demanding the removal of an entire group from its home is the language that precedes ethnic cleansing and genocide."

At a time of rising racist attacks and increased far right and fascist activity in the UK this invitation is dangerous, and negligent of the safety and peace of Oxford's diverse community.  We have already had a year of Tommy Robinson supporters targetting refugees, Muslims, Palestine activists, and those they see as "left" in Oxford, and Stand Up To Racism activists have worked hard to counter and weaken their movement.  The Oxford Union president and supporters are undermining the work to keep Oxford an anti-racist and anti-fascist city.

Join us on Thursday to keep the pressure up on the Oxford Union to cancel the invitation to Robinson. 

If you would like to help steward the protest please email contact@oxfordstanduptoracism.org.uk

Robinson humiliated on May 16

On May 16, hundreds of thousands of people came onto the streets of London to oppose Tommy Robinson and the far right.

Anti-racists, Palestine campaigners, trade unionists, Muslim organisations, faith groups, students, anti-war activists and local communities stood together to say clearly: our streets do not belong to racists, fascists and Islamophobes.

Robinson mobilised 35,000 racists. That is just one third of the numbers he managed at his huge demonstration on 13 September last year.

Robinson wanted to use his demonstration to build confidence for the far right after Reform’s election gains.  He wanted to spread hatred against Muslims, migrants, refugees, Palestine supporters and the left.   He wanted to show that his movement could intimidate people off the streets.

He failed.

May 16 mattered because Robinson is not only targeting migrants and Muslims. It has also tried to attack the Palestine movement, smear anti-racists as extremists and undermine the right to protest.

That is why it was so important that Stand Up to Racism stood together with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War, Friends of Al Aqsa, Muslim Association of Britain, CND and Palestinian Forum of Britain.

We showed that the far right will not be allowed to divide us.  We also showed something else: Robinson and the far right can be opposed.

They are trying to grow in confidence at the ballot box and on the streets. They want to exploit anger over poverty, cuts, low pay, housing costs and collapsing public services—and turn it against migrants, Muslims and refugees.

But racism solves nothing.

It only divides communities and lets those responsible for the crisis off the hook.

Yesterday was an important step. But it cannot be the end of the campaign.

Stand Up to Racism relies on supporters like you.

We do not have the money, media platforms or wealthy backers that the far right can draw on. We build through leaflets, placards, meetings, stalls, stewards, transport, local groups, workplace networks and thousands of people giving what they can.

Your donations help us:

🪧 print placards, leaflets and campaign materials;

📍 support local organising against Reform, Robinson and the far right;

📣 mobilise for protests and counter-demonstrations;

📝 produce briefings, statements and resources;

🤝 build anti-racist campaigns in workplaces, colleges and communities.

Please donate today if you can.