A TUC Congress fringe meeting organised by campaign group, Stand up to Racism, called for trade unions to mobilise to counter the far-right.
At a Congress fringe meeting last night (10) PCS president Martin Cavanagh said that the latest tragedy in the Channel where 12 people died, including six children and a pregnant mother, was the result of a political culture in which the globally recognised right to seek asylum has been demonised.
He said: “They weren’t killed by accident. They were killed by politics.”
Referring to our union’s calls for a safe passage for refugees, Martin added, “the solution to this tragedy is about policy, not policing.”
Charlotte Khan, from Care 4 Calais, the charity that produced the Safe Passage policy document with PCS, said: “The people smuggling gangs would be out of business if the government introduced safe routes. Increased policing means people are taking more risks. The so-called deterrent isn’t working.”
Speakers at the meeting warned that the far-right had been emboldened by the success of The Reform Party in the general election and there was a call to action to outnumber fascists when they take to the streets.
Martin said that PCS would mobilise for the forthcoming counterdemonstrations being organised by Stand up to Racism.
He said: “It is always important to show that there are more of us than there are of them; that they do not speak for the majority of working-class people.
“And the call by Tommy Robinson for a mass demo on Saturday 26 October requires the same response. So we will be supporting the national demonstration called for that day by Stand Up to Racism.”
Martin concluded by saying, “Racism will never ever be allowed to get a grip in this country and if we’re determined to stop it, we will.”
