It’s later than we think: Time to Unite against Fascism

We are witnessing an unprecedented resurgence of fascism and the far right in British politics. This has been marked by a wave of attacks on the Muslim community and on people of colour throughout the country. Hotels housing refugee families have been set on fire; mosques have been attacked and people beaten in the streets.

Muslim-owned premises have been destroyed and whole neighbourhoods terrorised by gangs of white youths. This has been organised online and via social media. A core of hardened fascist activists have been at the heart of these Islamophobic and racist riots. These attacks have taken the form of pogroms designed to induce fear into the minority communities. These are political riots with high levels of organisation and co-ordination which have been able to mobilise large numbers and to deploy an extensive social media campaign. Many of the riots were live-streamed by the rioters themselves.

This reactionary street movement has its roots in the deep social crisis within capitalist society which has been driven by decades of neo-liberal economic policy. This has led to the massive weakening of the labour and trade movement in many areas through de-industrialisation. Membership of the trades unions has been more than halved since the 1970s and in many areas of employment it no longer exists. It has been reduced to a shadow of its former self. Whole regions of Britain in the North West and North East and the former pit areas have been left to rot. Poverty is endemic in these areas and the active labour movement in those areas has been decimated. The benefits from Brexit that these communities were promised have never materialised. All this has been accompanied by decades long demonisation and scapegoating of migrants and Muslims by the political establishment – both Tory and Labour and the media as a whole – blaming them for the social and economic decline in these areas. The rise in Islamophobia has also been driven by the policies of the west in the Middle East, plundering resources, waging war for regime change, and dehumanising the refugees that fled the terrible consequences of western intervention.

This has created the conditions for the potential emergence of a powerful British fascist movement. In these riots the far right is testing its new-found influence and exploring just how far it can go. It is being egged on by sections of the political establishment and the media who refuse to recognise these racist attacks for what they are – calling them ‘protests’ with ‘legitimate grievances’.

The recent election saw the Labour party elected with a massive majority of seats. However this majority was achieved on only 34% of the vote. It is a politically unstable and weak government which has pledged to continue with nearly all of the economic policies of the previous Tory government. Labour has also doubled down on the Islamophobic and anti-migrant tropes, blaming Muslims for the few seats it lost to pro-Palestine candidates of the left, promising to step up migrant repatriation and targeting the Bangladeshi community. Labour bears a good deal of responsibility for the situation we now face. Very few Labour MPs have signed the recent Stand Up to Racism statement pledging to oppose the far right. We need to convince those who haven’t to do so and to join with us in confronting this threat. A powerful united front is necessary, with all those prepared to stand against fascism.

The election also saw the first steps of the far right into parliament. The Reform party won 4 million votes and 5 MPs. Its vote was significant in those areas which have seen the worst outbreaks of racist violence. It refuses to condemn the rioters and acts as the Parliamentary wing of this street movement. Reform leader Nigel Farage while carefully distancing himself from the acts of violence said ‘What you’ve seen on the streets of Hartlepool, of London, of Southport is nothing to what could happen over the course of the next few weeks.’

The left and the labour movement must organise to defeat this reactionary movement and to defend our communities. The statements from Dave Ward of the CWU, Sharon Graham of Unite and Mick Lynch from the RMT, FBU and others, pledging to oppose the far right are important. They need to be accompanied by active mobilisation of union membership. The existing anti-fascist and anti-racist movements have mobilised in towns and cities across the country, as they always do. However in some areas they have been overwhelmed and in some areas they need to be rebuilt. We need to urgently expand the scope of our work and build a mass anti-fascist movement capable of turning back this tide. The forces exist, as we have seen with the millions-strong Palestine solidarity movement and the Muslim youth will organise to defend their communities. Where they do so they must be supported. Self-defence is no offence. MPs such as Zarah Sultana, who has taken a courageous stand against the attacks and fought against the Islamophobic prejudice in the media, are at the heart of our work. Moreover, there is a well of opposition to these riots in all communities – witness the hundreds of local people in affected areas who have come together to help clear up after the riots and express their solidarity with those under attack.

The immediate tasks are to develop and strengthen this united front movement against fascism and the hard right, while arguing and organising for serious forces on the left to unite and help build a single organisation to meet the political challenges facing the working class.

The rise of the far right is taking place internationally as we see in France, Germany, Italy and elsewhere.

We can learn from those fighting fascism in those countries and we must build international links. Together we are stronger.

Time is short. Left Unity pledges itself to this struggle.