As Labour's Jack Straw lends his weight to the Tories' racist immigration laws and the spectre of racism stalks much of Europe, how should organise to fight back? Socialist Outlook spoke to UNMESH DESAI of the Newham Monitoring Project. SO NMP was involved in the launch of the Anti Racist Alliance. What did you hope it would achieve? UD We felt it was important to develop an independent mass anti-racist movement that could draw on the experience of grass roots campaigns and place these on the national agenda.
There was, and still is a vacuum on this front. The other national organisations were either sectarian or fronts for far left organisations. ARA was seen to be a breath of fresh air, but that has not proved to be the case. SO Why do you think the ARA project failed? UD It had an obsessive aim not of becoming a mass movement, but of allowing individuals to promote their own agendas or careers within the Labour Party and the trade union movement.
This took priority over the needs of grass roots camTitte R ite imite inst aramnst- R4CISM LI RACISM st agamst AM paigns. It is important to recognise that both wings of ARA were guilty of this.
The split cannot be seen simply as a division of personalities between Marc Wadsworth and Ken Livingstone, but as the outcome of a wrong political method on both sides.
The lessons of ARA are firstly that a mass based antiracist movement must be independent of any particular political party, it must develop its own agenda; and secondly that it must have an orientation towards all progressive torces within the Labour Party, the trade unions and so on.
The worst aspect of ARA is that it dragged the name of antiracism through the mud. Both Wadsworth and Livingstone appeared throughout the media denouncing the Welling "Unity" demo. This could only aid the
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state in its fight against the anti racist movement. SO What possibilities do you see with the National Assembly Against Racism? UD We are supporting the National Assembly because a lot of the people involved are genuinely concerned with the sectarianism of ARA and want to build a serious national alliance of antiracist activists.
Of course there are still those who simply want to push their own agendas, but we must attempt to unite the forces of the anti-racist movement.
The Assembly must recognise that the vast majority of anti-racists aren't part of the structures or apparatus of any existing organisations. Groups such as Newham Monitoring Project on a local level, play a crucial role in campaigning E* unite against AN .... in Germany because it is a 'terrorist' organisation. There is no doubt that the majority of people in Britain see the IRA and Sinn Fein as terrorist organisations. Would they be banned under the same law? SO What can we do to fight against Fortress Europe and against racism and fascism on a European level? UD What is needed initially is a network of grass roots organisations, exchanging information and organising joint activities.
For example if German fascists were to visit this country, then German anti-fascists could give us advance intelligence so we could sabotage their activities in this country. The European far-right do this: why can't we?
What is also needed is a European-wide common antiracist manifesto setting out a clear ideological, political agenda, so we can then start pushing elected representatives, both in the European parliament and in the media, to counter the dominant type of nationalism and xenophobia that rules Europe today.
Fortress Europe is based around the whole notion that "you've got to suspect them all if they've got a black face". This is how an 'illegal' immigrant is identified.
The only way that this can be challenged is through a solid, unified movement in each coun try which shares information, and can hold joint campaigns and promote a common set of policies which it can popularise FIGHTING RACISM throughout Europe. All that is being done at present is a few good, brave MEPs trying to battle against the wind.
In this country it is important that we raise an alternative 'equal rights for all' slogan. The TUC has got to promote this slogan through practical measures, especially in the working class communities where the slogan of 'rights for whites' has gained an audience.
The problems we faced in this country 10-15 years ago are now occurring throughout Europe. We have anti-racism of the lowest common denominator, up against racism of the highest qualitative level. Tory minister Charles Wardle's resignation is but a symptom of the continual bubbling of the race issue at a national level.
Racism remains at the centre of not just British party politics but of any project to construct a new Europe. It is the one thing that unites politicians from left, right and centre. • The Newham Monitoring Proiect can be contacted at PO Box 273, Forest Gate, London E7. 24-hour emer+ gency line 0181-555-8151