Stop British Conservative xenophobic politics

This video from London, England says about itself:

Refugees Welcome, LONDON RALLY, Solidarity 12.09.2015

Wonderful support today in London, many thanks to all supporting the rally.

By Sabby Dhalu in Britain:

Migrants are not to blame

Tuesday 10th November 2015

Scapegoating foreigners for people’s problems is typical Tory bluster, says Stand Up to Racism’s SABBY DHALU

ACCOMPANYING the austerity policies that are lowering the living standards of people across Europe is a vicious scapegoating campaign, promoting the idea that black people, Muslims, immigrants, refugees and other minorities are responsible for the deteriorating economic situation.

In Britain the populist extreme right party Ukip made advances at European elections pushing an anti-foreigner agenda. Since May’s general election the new Tory government has significantly shifted rightwards on issues of race and is ratcheting up a series of campaigns with rhetoric that dehumanises migrants, refugees and Muslims.

The government is responding to the refugee crisis by whipping up hostility to migrants, grandstanding its resolve not to play any helpful part in EU plans to provide sanctuary to those that have arrived in Europe.

Instead the Tories are further tightening Britain’s already highly restrictive asylum system, with pejorative rhetoric about “punishing people who have abused the rules.”

The government’s callous approach with its paltry offer to take up to 20,000 refugees over five years from Middle East camps has been widely denounced, including by retired judges and Church of England bishops.

The government’s hostility to refugees is being extended to immigration in general through the 2015 Immigration Bill currently in Parliament.

It proposes that landlords ascertain the immigration status of all potential tenants, which will inevitably discourage landlords from letting to ethnic minorities.

People deemed to be working illegally will face imprisonment. Driving a vehicle without a legal immigration status will become a new offence, that will lead to ethnic minorities being targeted at traffic stop operations.

The government is also pursuing a host of vile anti-Muslim measures, including clamping down on what it calls Muslim “entryists” infiltrating the public sector, charities and businesses.

It is proposing banning orders on non-violent “extremists,” threatening to close mosques and place bars on alleged extremists working with children and vulnerable people.

They propose an official investigation into how Muslims apply sharia law in Britain.

The Tories’ propaganda is that these McCarthyite measures are needed to counter “extremism,” a term they do not precisely define but the implication is it will broadly be able to include people who disagree with British government foreign policy in the Middle East who neither support or advocate violence.

This witch-hunting framework of rooting out Muslim “entryists” has already been used as cover for removing elected Muslims from public positions.

Some believe the former Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman and school governors in Birmingham have been recent targets of these Islamophobic campaigns.

Tories justify these reactionary policies with rhetoric that demonises minorities and denies the positive overall contribution that migrants are making to society.

Home Secretary Theresa May in October used her party conference speech to assert that immigration has zero economic benefits for the people of Britain and instead is responsible for worsening schools, hospitals and housing, plus the driving down of wages.

May’s campaign, selecting these scapegoats and whipping up hostility to them, is running parallel to the government’s austerity agenda, cutting wages, benefits and public services.

The Tories divide-and-rule approach, which encourages people not to oppose the government policies harming them, but instead to fight each other, needs to be resisted.

The growth of racist reaction weakens the defence of people’s living standards and the struggle against austerity.

The response to this divisive ideology needs to be a resolute assertion of unity in diversity.

The labour movement and black, Muslim and other communities should work together combating this racism and Islamophobia. The People’s Assembly Against Austerity is helping with this by actively supporting the anti-racist agenda and there will be a session discussing racist scapegoating with myself and others at the Labour Assembly Against Austerity Conference on November 14.

• Conference: Labour Assembly Against Austerity, 10am–5pm Saturday November 14, Institute of Education, Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AL. Speakers include: Shadow chancellor John McDonnell MP, Diane Abbott MP, Lucy Anderson MEP, Don Flynn (Migrants Rights Network), Ann Pettifor (PRIME) and Steve Turner (Unite).

Tickets £10/£7 online or you can register on the day itself.

David Cameron reported to statistics watchdog over questionable EU migrant benefit statistics. Statisticians have questioned the validity of the figures: here.

German grand coalition axes the right to asylum: here.