Fascism, anti-fascism in Britain

By Marcus Barnett in Britain:

Sunday, January 20, 2019

London Labour Party activists launch new anti-fascist campaign

Labour Against Racism and Fascism (Laraf) gathered in London this weekend to hold its first elections

SCORES of London Labour activists united at the weekend to launch a new anti-fascist campaign.

Labour Against Racism and Fascism (Laraf) held its first election at the Christian Street Community Centre, Whitechapel, yesterday.

The organisation was created after many Labour activists in London raised concerns at the lack of a visible Labour presence on marches against far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

Nearly 100 people attended the meeting, including local councillors, members of Labour’s community organising unit, prominent Momentum figures and London Assembly member Unmesh Desai.

As well as electing a leadership, the meeting discussed potential campaigns for opposing structural racism and inequality on Labour councils.

Campaigners offered ideas to pressure Labour councils to take swifter action to address the race pay gap and to stop awarding work contracts to companies such as G4S, which is involved in the deportation of refugees.

Laraf joint secretary Artin Giles said: “Laraf’s task is well set out for us.

“The truth is that while we have been rebuilding Labour as a mass movement, many of us feel like we haven’t adequately mobilised against the far right, who have seen opportunities to grow out of the anger that exists in our country.

“We must fight this backlash with a positive political alternative, but we have to tackle the far right head on — whether that be on the estates, in the streets, on our football terraces, or in music venues.

“I was thrilled by the enthusiasm in this meeting, but we have to up our game and get on with building a living, breathing anti-racist movement.”

By Marcus Barnett in Britain:

Sunday, January 20, 2019

Over half of BME teachers face racist abuse in Britain’s schools, teaching union finds

The NASUWT finds 53 per cent of all BME teachers have reported receiving verbal abuse in the past year

MORE than half of all ethnic minority teachers have faced racist abuse in Britain’s schools, a teaching union has found.

Research by the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), published at its BME Teachers’ Consultation Conference in Birmingham yesterday, found that 53 per cent of all BME teachers have reported receiving verbal abuse in the past year.

Of this number, 42 per cent say that they are not helped by senior management in dealing with unruly pupils.

The union claims that this displays a failure of bosses to legally care for their employees when faced with hurtful and confrontational situations.

Speaking at the conference, NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said: “BME teachers continue to be subjected to racist remarks, negative comments, and threats of disciplinary action because of their racial origin.

“Teachers are continuing to face misery, humiliation, ill-health, loss of confidence and blighted careers as a result of this abuse.

“Too often, schools are condoning behaviour that is leaving BME staff, and indeed pupils, isolated and vulnerable, setting an appalling example to our children and young people.”

Ms Keates argued that BME teachers were “buckling under the weight” of workload and administrative tasks, and maintained that a culture of excessive workloads is driving BME people away from the profession altogether.

“Teachers are being crushed by punitive assessment and working policies, designed to hold them to account rather than support pupil progress,” she added.

“They are trapped in the seemingly permanent revolution of curriculum change, invariably ill-thought-through, under-resourced, and badly executed.”

This video from Britain says about itself:

RMT Pickets 23 11 2016

RMT members stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity. To stop the degradation of safety on their railway. By the privateers.

By Peter Lazenby in Britain:

Sunday, January 20, 2019

Fascists try to intimidate striking train guards in Leeds

SIEG-HEILING fascists unsuccessfully attempted to intimidate striking train guards at Leeds City railway station at the weekend.

The fascists’ … movement announced its intention to demonstrate in the city yesterday in advance.

Leeds trade unionists and anti-fascists organised a counterdemonstration and reinforced the picket line mounted by striking guards from the RMT union on their 45th day of strike action.

Opposing demonstrations were also staged by about 100 fascists and 50 anti-fascists near the BBC’s studios in Leeds city centre.

Fascist thugs clashed with police and there were six arrests, one for assault of a police officer. The arrests were made after the fascists marched to the station in an attempt to confront the RMT pickets.

“There was an incident where a couple of fascists came close to the picket line and tried to intimidate people there, but the police quickly moved them on,” an unnamed activist told the Star.

“A little later in the morning the police escorted the anti-fascists through Leeds to St Peter’s Square where BBC Yorkshire is based and, on the way there, there was a face-off with both sides outside the Regent pub in the city centre.

“Not long after the anti-fascists were in place, the fascists gathered very close by and broke through the police lines to stand very close to the anti-fascists.

“The fascists were seen with white supremacist flags and … their usual racist chants…

Strikes are continuing every Saturday on Northern Rail against plans by the company to remove safety-critical guards from its trains.

Striking guards were attacked at Manchester Victoria railway station on January 5.