By Jack Yarlett
Far-right agitators are seeking to replicate last summer’s racist riots by stirring up violent anti-migrant mobs across the country. Starting in Epping, Essex, the protests have spread as far and wide as Manchester, Liverpool, and multiple parts of London. Protestors have intimidated hotel staff, attacked anti-racists, and spread fear under the false banner of ‘protecting their community.’
Political establishment attacks refugees
There is a horrific feedback loop between the far right and the tacit approval given to them by the parties of the capitalist establishment. Farage has sided blatantly with the protests, claiming that anti-racist counter-protestors are being “bussed in”. Meanwhile he has dishonestly painted the protesters as simply “concerned families”, whitewashing the involvement of the neo-Nazi and fascist organisations playing a leading role in them.
But Farage isn’t the only one fanning the flames. Blame lies squarely at the door of the Labour government. This government has attacked welfare benefits and essential services for the most vulnerable, while echoing anti-migrant and racist rhetoric to distract from its billionaire agenda. The result is the ugly scenes we are now witnessing.
Meanwhile, Angela Rayner has responded to the protests by blaming immigration for “straining social cohesion” and stating that the government must “tackle immigration” to avert a repeat of last summer. Contrast this response to the proscription of Palestine Action for splashing paint on planes used to facilitate genocide in Gaza, and the number of arrests carried out against pro-Palestine protestors, including pensioners, simply for holding protest signs. This totally explodes the myths of “Two-Tier Keir” being peddled by the right-wing grifters on GB News.
We must also completely reject the idea that these protests are about protecting women and children, along with the selective outrage directed at crimes allegedly committed by immigrants. Abuse and harassment have no race or ethnicity. The vast majority of violent and sexual crimes are committed by white men. Police statistics recently showed that 2 in 5 of those arrested after last summer’s riots had previously been referred for domestic violence offences.
How do we stop the far right?
We need to build the widest possible mobilisations in working-class communities to drive the racists off our streets. This should include democratically organised self-defence against the far right, with active participation from local trade unionists.
The workers movement — in particular the trade unions — need to be at the centre of the fight against racism. It’s not enough for our unions to ‘outsource’ campaigning against the far right to external groups. They must take this on themselves with their own resources, organisation and strength to drive the racists off our streets. This should be twinned with mass anti-racist protests in cities across the country to show the solidarity of millions of working-class people with refugees, migrants and asylum seekers.
Fight the right — build the new left party!
While pushing the far right back, we also need a political alternative to answer their lies.
The recent announcement of the launch of a new left party led by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana shows there is huge potential to build this. In just a few days, over 700,000 people have signed up for the new party — far outnumbering the rioters in Epping!
If this new party is made into a party of struggle based on mobilising the hundreds of thousands of joiners, it could not only play a central role in blocking far-right mobilisations, but also for cutting across the lies of Reform. Socialist Alternative will be joining this new party and fighting for it to take up a bold socialist programme that addresses the needs of working-class people, against the millionaire-backed Reform UK agenda of racism, division and scapegoating.
We say it’s not migrants or refugees who are responsible for the housing crisis, low wages, poverty and violence against women and girls — it’s capitalism. That’s why we need to build a socialist alternative to this system. We say: make the rich pay up, nationalise our services, seize the empty properties left vacant by the landlords! For decent jobs, homes and services for all!
