Stand up to Racism
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UnityAnti-racist and anti-fascist magazine July/August 2016 Issue 16 £2 (where sold) uaf.org.uk STAND UP TO RACISM The far-right Interview The Convoy Yarl’s Wood: after the with Gary to Calais life in referendum Younge page 6 detention page 10 page 8 page 14 2 May/June 2016 Unity Headline Standfirst BODY Standing up to injustice The NUT is proud of the work it does alongside Unite Against Fascism to campaign against racists and fascists. Thanks to the contributions of thousands of teachers to the union’s www.teachers.org.uk/edufacts political fund, the NUT is able to sponsor Unity magazine and to support campaigns against racist and fascist election candidates. nut.campaigns The fight for justice will continue until we have equality for all teachers and students. @NUTOnline Unity July/August 2016 3 United against prejudice and intolerance I AM pleased to write my first column in our opposition to this. for Unity Magazine and proud to be The ‘Refugees Welcome Here—Racism out of the Acting General Secretary of the the Referendum’ rally, which the NUT hosted in National Union of Teachers. late May, as well as the huge Refugees Welcome I would like to begin by paying tribute to demonstrations and the response to provide Christine Blower. Christine’s sterling work at aid to Calais, shows the enormous solidarity the NUT and her unstinting support for Unite for refugees. This is in stark contrast to the UK Against Fascism’s work in standing up to Government which is yet to provide proper prejudice and intolerance deserves immense support. It is about time that our government credit. commits to accepting its fair share of refugees. Like many others, I have been disappointed Refugee children arriving in UK schools can Unity magazine is distributed free by the unpleasant tenor of much of the expect the safe and welcoming environment to members of the National Union of debate on migration in the run that they deserve. I would like to take this Teachers for use with young people in up to the EU referendum. The opportunity to remind readers of the schools. To get copies for your school, use of the humanitarian crisis fantastic teaching resources that the NUT NUT association or division, please and vicious scapegoating of has produced on welcoming refugee email info@uaf�org�uk. The magazine refugees to try and advance children to your school. These can be is also sent free to members of Unite political arguments has found at teachers.org.uk/equality/ Against Fascism. Other individuals, union been lamentable. We know equality-matters/refugee-teaching- branches or organisations who would the drill, and that racist and resources Please do make use of them like to receive copies should email the fascist parties seek to use if you can. UAF office on info@uaf�org�uk For concerns over issues to build Best wishes, advertising or editorial enquiries, please their electoral base. We must Kevin Courtney email info@uaf�org�uk or write to: always be vigilant Acting General Secretary Unity magazine, c/o UAF, and determined National Union of Teachers (NUT) PO Box 72710, London SW19 9GX Production team Ken Olende, Weyman Bennett, Contents Sabby Dhalu, Mary Phillips Cover photo Alf Dubs: Let the refugee kids in for the new term .....................................................4 By Guy Smallman. Convoy to Calais protest at being stopped in Dover News round-up: Trump in Scotland ..................................................................................5 Unite Against Fascism Convoy to Calais: Aid blocked at the border ....................................................................6 020 8971 7426 info@uaf�org�uk Gary Younge interview: Don’t be apologetic over support for refugees ���������������8 uaf�org�uk Facebook: Unite Against Fascism The far-right after the referendum ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������10 Twitter: @uaf Unite Against Fascism Stirring up the Olympic Games ........................................................................................12 PO Box 72710, London SW19 9GX Interview with former Yarl’s Wood detainees: ‘It takes you to a dark world’ .....14 Stand Up to Racism Standing up to injustice info@standuptoracism�org�uk Austrian rerun election shows Freedom Party threat ��������������������������������������17 standuptoracism�org�uk Facebook: Stand Up To Racism The Civil Rights Movement Birmingham & the March on Washington �������������18 Twitter: @AntiRacismDay SUtR, PO Box 72710, London SW19 9GX Social workers are determined to be a part of the solution ���������������������������� 21 The NUT is proud of the work it does alongside Unite Against Fascism to campaign against racists and fascists. Love Music Hate Racism LGBT+ Solidarity with Orlando victims ���������������������������������������������������������� 22 info@lovemusichateracism�com www.teachers.org.uk/edufacts Thanks to the contributions of thousands of teachers to the union’s lovemusichateracism�com Rotherham 12: Self defence is no offence ������������������������������������������������������� 23 political fund, the NUT is able to sponsor Unity magazine and to Facebook: LoveMusicHateRacism support campaigns against racist and fascist election candidates. Twitter: @lmhrnational nut.campaigns Love Music Hate Racism The fight for justice will continue until we have equality for all PO Box 66759, London WC1A 9EQ teachers and students. © Unite Against Fascism @NUTOnline Printed by TU Ink 4 July/August 2016 Unity Immigration Bill Help for unaccompanied child refugees Let the kids in for the new term Labour peer Alf Dubs, who came to Britain as a child refugee from Czechoslovakia on the pre-war Kindertransport, told the Refugees Welcome—Racism out of the Referendum rally how he amended the immigration bill to help child refugees I PUT down an amendment to the government’s Immigration Bill saying we should take 3,000 unaccompanied child refugees from Europe. The government were not keen on this. They said, “We’ll take some more from the Middle East, but we’re not taking anyone who is already in Europe”. Save the Children produced a report that said there were 26,000 unaccompanied child refugees in Europe. That turned out to be an underestimate— actually there are 95,000. And 10,000 of them have disappeared. Isn’t that shocking, that 10,000 children could disappear in Europe? We felt their need was enormous. But the government said if you take children Geoff Dexter who have reached Europe that will just Photo: encourage more to come. Children on a refugee protest in Calais I said there is no evidence of that, and anyway, given the dire circumstances were desperate to stop it. Some chuffed me a bit. in which some of these people find Conservative MPs who had said they would I went to Calais with an NGO.. It is themselves, the possibility that a few more back it now dithered a bit. shocking that people have to live in such might arrive is neither here nor there. We I sat in the gallery looking at the conditions, but it is exhilarating because it must do something for them now. If we’d Tory benches and give them the eye. shows the triumph of the human spirit. gone with what the government wanted But there was a small majority against. I met nine Afghan kids who all had full then nothing would have been done at all.. It got a bit complicated because the documentation. Some didn’t know if their Now what amazed me and helped to get original amendment said we should parents were alive. They were basically on this thing through—apart from the effort take 3,000. Now I don’t want to bore you their own. I took their documentation with from NGOs—was public support. Normally with the British Constitution but there is me and when I got back I sent a copy to when you open your mouth about something called “Financial Privilege”. the Home Office. I said if the amendments refugees you expect a lot of abuse. God, it’s awful. It means if the mean anything it must be that these This time I hardly got any at all. government sends something people are on your list. Then came the day when the back to the Lords the clerks can I’ve since found out that four of them anti-refugee Daily Mail came out stop it because it will have cost had got to Britain anyway on the back in support of the child refugees. implications. So we removed the of a truck. Now that’s a dangerous thing I was so astonished specific figure which meant they and in the past children have been killed, that I bought couldn’t put a cost to it. so I would have preferred them to travel a copy for the We took more soundings properly. first time in my and even some of those Tories What else can we do? If there is a local life. I wanted a who had dithered said they group helping refugees, join it. Secondly souvenir. were coming round. So the bring pressure to bear on local authorities Anyway the government backed off. to give help finding foster parents. amendment I had the pleasure of What we’re seeking to do is get as many got through seeing the government of the kids as possible over for the new the Lords. So order paper with school year in September. This is about it got to the Home Secretary helping refugees like these and stopping Commons and Theresa May’s name on the word refugee being stigmatised. It’s a the government Alf Dubs at Racism Out of the Referendum the amendment which matter of fundamental human rights. n Unity July/August 2016 5 News round-up Stand Up to Racism national A wall of protest in Scotland conference: No to Racism, against Donald Trump’s bigotry Islamophobia & AROUND 150 anti-racists gathered Anti-Semitism at Trump Turnberry resort on STAND UP to Racism has called Friday 24th June to protest at the a major national conference in visit of Republican presidential London on Saturday 8th October.