NO-ONE should derive pleasure from the debacle of the ARA demonstration. Demonstrations as small as the one on March 23, together with the negative pub. licity, damage the credibility of the anti-racist movement as a whole.
As an ever-increasing number of asylum seekers are thrown on to the streets, we need now, more than ever, a strong united movement. This must be able to bulld the broadest possible base of support both in terms of fighting the racism of the state and the far right and defending A concrete programme of ac. tion is needed. not lust a series of on-paper demands to the state. The National Assembly should establish proper demo cratic structures to make this a reality and go beyond meetings which are merely talkingshops.
An immediate chance to unite is offered by the demon. stration called by the Campaign Asylum Bill on April 20. The CAlAb acmonse con earter this year, in February, was some 12.000 strong with a large the trade union movement.
2/16 A programme of action is needed The political standing of the Anti-Racist Alliance reached an all-time low when only two hun. dred people attended a natlonal demonstration against racism on March 23. The police added to the indignity by making the marchers walk on the pavement racher than the road.
The week preceding the demonstration saw accusations and counter accusatons wying around between the organisers and some of those who had in. Ielally agreed support.
ARA denied they had ever in. vited a speaker from the Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas. But when it was announced that Kalim Siddiqui, from Muslims against Racism, would be on the platform the damage appeared to be irreparable.
Siddiqui has been a long time advocate of the fatwa against Salman Rushdie.
The National Union of Stu. dents, Poale Zion, the Board of Jewish Deputies, the Commis. sion for Racial Equality all pulled VUL The TUC no made no public statement but one official said that up until the day before, twenty national trade union banners had been expected on the man our were assurece from attending.
Whatever the effects of the controversy, the march was never going to be large as ARA simply hadn't built it property. Many labour movement activ. Ists never even saw any leaflets.
In the end the tiny number present made it an easy target Tor tascists, who first attacked it as it pass d under the Embankment railway bridge and later on in somewhat greater numbers when it reached Trafalgar Square.
At this point police made several arrests of fascists. The unfortunate coincidence of a security alert meant that the demonstration was temporarily halted at Downing Street and there the national leader of ARA, Mare Wadsworth, made an Impromptu speech in which he castigated the entire trade union movement as a bunch of Islamophobes and racists.
At Trafalgar Square, Siddiqui argued that those who had withdrawn support from the demonSion occuse ons orche "were themselves the racialists".
ARA has been something of a spent force since approximately eighteen months ago, when a UNISON conferences Numerous UNISON branches have sent motions ence in May, calling for a nonco-operation with the provisions of the bill which require public officials to check the immigration status of their clients. large number of its members split to form a new organisation, the National Assembly has been flirting with fundamentalist groups who are, in many cases, anti-Jewish, anti-Hindu and Sikh, and often homophobic. suffer from a lack of internal de mocracy. Organisation tends to be in the hands of a small number of people and conferences and demonstration are called with long lists of sponsoring organisations who do not effec. tively participate.
In the absence of a concerted fight against ever-increasing racism, is is not surprising that some in the black community look increasingly to a religious Identity and sometimes even to fundamentalism for answers.
The Campaign for a Fighting Demo. cratic Unison is organising a conference against the Asylum and Immigration Bill on Saturday, may 11 in London. One of the key aims of the conference will be to examine how nonhow members who are threatened with disciplinary action can be defended.
Socialist Outlook 100 • April 6, 1996.