TRADE unionists have been leading the united nationwide mobilisation for the upcoming march against racism in East London.
Organised by the TUC for 19 March, over one hundred thousand people are expected - making it the biggest expression of anti-racist sentiment in Britain since the 1970s.
Large amounts of publicity are available from regional TUC offices - their telephone numbers are listed under 'Saturday 19 March' on page 15 of this issue.
Reports from around the country give a flavour of the broad forces united by the demonstration, and the antiracist struggles that will give the march its militancy.
East London IN A SPATE of racist attacks in recent weeks, Bengali school-students have been attacked by gangs of 15 to.. 20 white youth. These are planned and organised attacks by thugs travelling around in a mini-bus who pile out when they find a victim.
These attacks have all taken place away from the electorally sensitive areas where the BP is standing candidates. However on the Isle of Dogs, where the BNP won a council by-election, even the police admit that FIGHTING RACISM there has been a four-fold increase in racist attacks over the last year.
The BNP are trying to push the idea that Derek Beackon is a 'local councillor' who is available for local people' in an attempt to portray him as an upright citizen.
Sensitive
Whilst the TUC march goes through East London it is avoiding all 'sensitive' areas, with the sole exception of the place where Qaddus Ali was viciously attacked. Tower Hamlets Trades Council is building for the demo but. unfortunately, there is no organised campaign across the borough.
YRE called for a school students strike on 9 March to protest both against racist attacks and the way in which some school managements have portrayed these attacks as interschool rivalry.
In February 70 people took part in a petitioning campaign, organised by the local Labour Party, demanding that unused land belonging to the London Docklands Development Corporation be made available for social housing at affordable rents and that the government should make money available to build the houses.
The BNP are planning to stand candidates for the local elections in Millwall, Wapping, Stepney and Canning Town -the areas which will form the new Parliamentary constituency of Docklands and Stepney.
It is quite likely that if the council elections were held now the BNP would win all 3 seats but they can be beaten if there is an organised campaign for Labour. The Labour Party is campaigning on the Isle of Dogs on 10 April and needs active support. There is a strong possibility that one of the Labour candidates will be from the Bengali community. IN JANUARY, after the racist murder of Sudanese refugee Ali Ibrahim, 500 demonstrators took to the streets in Brighton. Money was raised for funeral expenses by public subscription after an appeal by Brighton Council's Equalities Committee.
Meanwhile the plight of homeless Sudanese refugees in Brighton is ignored by the Labour council. After the Millwall by-election the leader of the Labour group Steve Bassam pandered to racist prejudices, saying that the Council's policy was 'Brighton homes for Brighton people'.
There will be coaches and a chartered train going up from Brighton to the TUC 'Unite Against Racism' demo on 19 March.
A meeting with George Silcott from the Winston Silcott Defense Campaign was reUNSON cently held by Brighton Young Labour. More than 20 people attended and will continue to take up issue of state racism.
Top fascist Tyndall, who lives locally in Hove, has attempted some "respectable' meetings in Brighton and has been met with pickets by antifascists every time.
For example he tried to hold a meeting in the Royal Albion hotel on the same day as the demonstration against the murder of Ali Ibrahim, which was prevented from going ahead by the demonstrators.
Leeds
THE SOCIALIST Campaign Group agreed at its AGM to set up a meeting to try to bring together different antiracist groups.
Their efiorts were rewarded at a meeting on 15 February which brought together supporters of ARA, ANL, AFA and YRE as well as unaligned individuals.
Agreement was reached to leaflet together for the TUC demo. Leeds Trades Council is also actively building for the demo and has organised coaches.
There appears to be a desire to try to continue with the unity in action that has so far been achieved, though no formal agreements have yet been made. Huddersfield ANTI-FASCIST activists are campaigning for the sacking of a hospital porter, a BNP activist and member of UNISON, at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. A campaign is being mounted throughout the local labour movement and demonstrations are taking place every Saturday outside the hospital.
UNISON is building for the TUC demo. Material has been distributed to every office where UNISON members work and Kirklees Housing branch is paying for people to go. Huddersfield Trades Council is organising coaches.
West London Coaches for the TUC demo are being organised by UNISON and Southall Monitoring Group. Ealing Trades Council is co-ordinating building the campaign.
Manchester ARA held a rally on Friday 4 March. Speakers were Joan Ruddock MIP, Alan Manning (N.W. TUC), Eddie Newman MEP and someone from the 'Checkpoint Charlie' campaign. This campaign is in response to a violent police raid on 'Checkpoint Charlie', a Black club, a few weeks ago.
Anti-racist activists are mobilising for the TUC demo and for the 'Communities of Resistance conference on 9 April at the Pakistani Community Centre in Manchester.
This is a national conference bringing together campaigns involved in struggles against a wide range of racist activities by the state.
It is organised by the Rahman Family Campaign. Invited speakers include those facing deportation such as Bayo Omoyiola, Hemlata Patel and Prakash and Prem Chavrimootoo, as well as the Rahman family themselves.
Victims of police frame-ups will be represented by the Winston Silcott Defence Campaign and the M25 Three Campaign.
The Joy Gardner Campaign will take up legalised murder by the state, whilst the Steven Lawrence Family Campaign, Qaddus Ali Campaign and others will deal with racist murders and attacks on the streets.
Bristol THE SOUTH West TUC has booked coaches for the 19 March demo and has sent out large amounts of publicity to local trade union branches, urging their support.
Midlands
A MOBILISING committee for 19 March has been set up in Leicester, with support from the Trades Council, YRE, Inter-Racial Solidarity, Young Labour and the University Labour Students. Unfortunately neither ARA nor ANL are participating, preferring to organise their own campaigns.
In Nottingham the Trades Council is very active in mobilising support for the TUC demo. The T&GWU and UNISON are organising support throughout the West Midlands.
Birmingham Trades Council, in conjunction with CARF and the IWA, is sending at least eight coaches. ARA is organising its own campaign.
There has been concerted anti-fascist leafleting in. Kirkby in Ashfield, near Mansfield, where the BNP are trying to build a base amongst unemployed white youth hit by the run down of the mining industry.
In Coventry the BNP attacked 'Wedge' bookshop, following up their recent attack on 'Mushroom Books' in Nottingham. They have succeeded in driving socialists off a regular papers sales pitch and are now openly peddling their filth on the streets of Coventry in gangs of 30 or 40.
The National Front, meanwhile, is trying to buy a pub in Tipton, Staffordshire to be used as their Midlands' H.Q.
Sheffield
THE TRADES. Council and ARA are the main forces involved in building for 19 March. Union branches throughout Yorkshire have been circulated and encouraged to mobilise. Sheffield Trades Council and UNISON are organising coaches lhe Trades Council has decided to resurrect its May Day march (on 30 April) under the theme of 'Sheffield Against Racism'.
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 58 12 March 1994, Page 3