Britain: For Mass Protests up to an indefinite General Strike to stop Johnson's Coup, to abolish Monarchy and to bring down the reactionary Tory Government!
For Open Borders and Free Movement for All! For the right of EU Nationals and all others to remain in Britain even in case of Brexit! Fight Immigration Controls, Racism and Fascism!
By Joseph Adams, www.thecommunists.net
Boris Johnson’s new Home Secretary Priti Patel, an extreme racist, has decided that European nationals living in Britain will not have the right to remain in Britain after the Brexit deadline of 31st October.
“Ending freedom of movement for EU citizens immediately after a no-deal Brexit would be reckless and could create a hostile environment for European nationals, a campaign group has said.
The 3million, a citizens group that represents the rights of EU nationals in the UK, was responding to the news that the home secretary, Priti Patel, intended to impose new border restrictions overnight on 31 October if Britain left the EU without a deal, despite reports that an internal government discussion paper had warned that doing so could present “legitimate concerns of another Windrush.”[1]
Islamophobia and racism is rife in Britain with threats against migrants from fascists irrespective of Theresa May’s promise to honor her pledge to allow EU nationals to remain after Brexit. Border security has been stepped up and Patel a fervent Brexiteer and Zionist sacked by May previously is now the Home secretary. She is willing to deport and lock away anyone she deems not fit to stay irrespective of both Johnson and May, who had said that EU Nationals had the right to stay.
“The muddle arises from reports that home secretary Priti Patel has been pressing for an immediate end to free movement in the event of no deal. This appears to mark a significant shift in policy. Until now, the government has said that in a no-deal scenario, EU citizens will generally continue to be able to come to the UK to live and work until the introduction of a new system in January 2021. While their legal status will change, in practice the main difference is that they will have to apply for European temporary leave to remain for stays of more than three months. Given this status is freely open to all EU citizens, provided they pass certain criminality checks, a version of freedom of movement will in effect continue for at least another year”. [2]
The reactionary and racist policy of Patel and her civil servants to refugees and migrants is shown in her attitude to the living accommodation of refugees and asylum seekers, who live in rat infested hostels.
“Hundreds of asylum seekers have been crammed into a network of “guest houses” provided by a Home Office contractor that are overrun by cockroaches, rats and mice, the Guardian has learned.
Lawyers shown footage recorded by the Guardian – which reveals that families of four are sharing small double beds and are being crammed into spaces so small that they are barely able to walk around their rooms – said that the conditions could constitute statutory overcrowding and an environment unfit for human habitation.
One lawyer branded the conditions “depraved” and accused the home secretary, Priti Patel, of being slum landlord in chief”. [3].
This climate of fear and loathing perpetrated by extreme chauvinism and Islamophobia has led to attacks on anyone defending migrants and their families. The use of anti-terror legislation was brought in by the Tony Blair government and is already on the statue book in Britain. This anti-terror legislation is being used to label anyone a terrorist especially from Muslim or Arab countries. Recent evidence and profiling shows this to be the case.
“Muslims are being detained at ports and airports for up to six hours by law enforcement using controversial counter-terrorism powers so disproportionately that the practice has become Islamophobia, according to human rights group Cage.
The organization added there is growing anecdotal evidence that Muslim women are being forced to remove their headscarves when stopped, even though the rate that such stops lead to a conviction is 0.007%, according to Cage’s analysis of 420,000 incidences.
Cage said it had made a compliant to the policing regulator, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, on behalf of 10 people, and had written to MPs on the all-party group on British Muslims to spell out the extent of its concerns with so-called schedule 7 stops”. [4].
Fascist Attacks in Britain multiply threefold
The election of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister and his stoking up the fears of attacks by migrants and others has led to the perception that anyone who does not embrace extreme chauvinist and Anglo-Saxon views of a white Britain is a danger to our so called democracy. Johnson and his chief ally Donald Trump in the United States are hostile to Muslims migrants and anyone they perceive as anathema to their reactionary culture of Islamophobic racism and sympathy with fascism. This has led to attacks on Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party, while attending a Muslim mosque in Finsbury Park North London as well as to attacks on Steve Hedley, the Assistant General Secretary of the RMT (Rail Union) and to the recent homophobic attack on Owen Jones, a Momentum activist and supporter of Jeremy Corbyn. In all these attacks it has been noticeable that the police would rather stand by and condone the racist and even fascist attacks. This was certainly the case with the attacks on Steve Hedley who had to protect himself while there were scores of police doing absolutely nothing but watching them.
“Assault on RMT members by supporters of Tommy Robinson
As you may be aware RMT members who had been involved in a peaceful counter protest to the “Free Tommy Robinson” rally in Central London at the weekend were subjected to a cowardly and unprovoked
attack in broad daylight by supporters of Tommy Robinson. Whilst our members naturally protected themselves and vulnerable supporters nearby, a number of our members and officials and supporters
sustained injuries, including Senior Assistant General Secretary Steve Hedley who was taken to hospital and subsequently discharged.
The union issued a statement condemning the attack and is providing support to those caught in this despicable act of pre-meditated violence. We are also raising our concerns with the police authorities and politicians.” [5].
Other instances of attacks by Fascists in support of Robinson took place in the Arndale Centre in Manchester, where muslims and socialists protested against Fascism and Islamophobia. Again the police have stood by and done nothing to prevent these attacks on Anti-Fascists and Socialists.
The RCIT has been consistent in its police of open borders and free movement for all. Even some Centrist groups like the CWI (their section in England even supported a backward and racist campaign called “British Jobs for British Workers” in the Lindsey Oil Refinery in 2009), not to speak reformists like Jeremy Corbyn advocate controlled immigration.
For Open Borders
“The RCIT in BRITAIN has always fought against racism and Islamophobia amongst sections of the working class. We live in a multi-cultural society and as such should respect customs and practices of all peoples. Migrants and refugees are the most exploited section of the working class often working in low paid employment and bad housing conditions. The RCIT campaigns for Open Borders and for migrants to have the right to wear their own dress and speak their own language”. [6]
With the date of the No-Deal Brexit approaching on 31st October it is imperative that a campaign in the Labour and trade union movement is started for open borders and free movement for all.
The RCIT in BRITAIN puts forward the following transitional demands to unite the Working class around a programme of Open Borders and Free Movement for all.
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Campaign for Open Borders and Free Movement! Demand from Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Leadership to support a campaign against both Brexit and Remain, which should be based on the decisions and mobilisations of the rank and file! Pro-Imperialist and Pro-Zionist bureaucrats must be expelled from the Labour Party by democratic vote of the rank and file! No Immigration Controls!
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For demonstrations and mass mobilisations up and down the country towards an indefinite general strike to stop the right-wing politics of Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage and their reactionary parties and for the abloishment of the Monarchy! Build action committees in the workplaces, schools and communities to organize the struggle. For self-organized defense guards to protect migrants and refugees from fascists or police provocations!
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For a programme of full equality for all migrants and refugees - equal access to housing, employment and full citizenship rights! For the the right of all migrants and refugees to use their mother tongue, to follow their own customs and traditions in all public institutions!
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For the convocation of a Constituent Assembly made up of workers, peoples assemblies and local community organizations. In such a constituent assembly Revolutionaries have to argue for a truly Socialist society and explain why the Bourgeois Parliaments are no proper organs of real democracy.
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For a Workers Government. Neither Brexit, nor Remain! No support for any Imperialist State! For Revolutionary Defeatism and the United Socialist States of Europe!
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