RATB / RCG raise £1,000 for Cuba
Rock around the Blockade and Revolutionary Communist Group supporters have raised a donation of £1,000 for the Cubanos En UK medical supplies fund. This money will be used to purchase medical supplies to assist the Cuban people in vaccinating their whole population against Covid-19. In particular, funds will help to complete the drive to administer Cuban-developed and approved vaccines Soberana 2 and Soberana Plus, the first Covid-19 vaccines specifically approved for 3- to 11-year-olds in the world.
Cuba is saving lives within the country and around the world through its outstanding socialist achievements in biomedical science and medical internationalism. It is urgent at this time to show solidarity with Cuba, as the genocidal US blockade has been tightened during the pandemic, depriving Cuba of sources of funding and medical supplies needed to carry out the state’s plan to vaccinate its whole population by the end of 2021. 243 new sanctions, measures and actions were introduced by the Trump administration, and the Biden administration has done nothing to reverse these despite Biden’s promises made on the campaign trail. Cuba’s world-leading public healthcare system which guarantees free, universal public healthcare to all its citizens has been battered by the new sanctions and the economic fallout caused by the pandemic. We urge others to support the efforts to develop safe and effective vaccines in Cuba which will benefit the whole world.
We thank all of our supporters for their fundraising efforts and donations. Venceremos!
1981 uprisings
After watching Steve McQueen’s ‘Uprising’ about the 1981 New Cross fire in which 13 young black people were murdered, I felt empowered by the militancy of the youth movement that began in response. The three-part series documented the outrage of the predominately black youth supported by white working-class youth after the New Cross massacre, which clearly demonstrated the deeply entrenched racism in British institutions as the police and politicians covered up the attack.
The series showed the development of the movement to other cities around Britain as people rose up. Following the documentary, I read an article in FRFI 9, which stated ‘[the] demonstration showed that the vanguard forces of the British revolution are the black youth who will fearlessly take on and do battle with the forces of the state. In doing so they are showing the rest of the working class the only way forward in the struggle against oppression.’
The article reinforced the spontaneity of the uprisings and the impacts it had on the working-class on a national scale. The article, coupled with the documentary series, was uplifting and inspirational. It reminded me the power to make a change is in our hands.
Destinie Sanchez
LONDON
Praise for FRFI George Jackson article
I am here with a comrade from California who is currently fasting for Black August and who was moved to tears by the story by Cat Wiener about comrade George Jackson. There are very few people on the East Coast (especially younger generations) who are even aware of who George Jackson is, and so the fact that those in the struggle from Europe would pay tribute in such a meaningful way was very special and meant more than I could describe.
Bear in mind, my brother is about 6’4’’ and built like a rock. He has a tattoo of comrade George, and is a member of JAAMA from California… I just wanted to relay to this sister that her words honoring comrade George were felt clear across the Atlantic by a member of George’s cadre.
DJ Taylor
DJ Taylor is a prisoner in the United States. You can send him letters of solidarity to:
Corrigan-Radgowski cc, 986 Norwich New London Turnpike, CT 06382
Liverpool protest against arms fair
On 11 September, I joined up to 3,000 people demonstrating against the Liverpool arms fair organised by AOC Europe, due to take place from 11 to 13 October. Liverpool’s Labour Council, which owns the centre where the fair is being held, says it has no legal powers to ban the event since the venue is run by an arms-length company it set up and it cannot break the contract.
The line-up included left MPs John McDonnell and Dan Carden, Natalie Bennett of the Green Party, Maxine Peake and the star of the show – Jeremy Corbyn himself. It was rumoured that ex-Labour MP Chris Williamson and now de facto leader of Resist was also invited, but that Corbyn had refused to share a platform with him as Resist was now proscribed by Labour, and it would undermine Corbyn’s bid to return to the Parliamentary Party.
Throughout the protest Labour speakers presented themselves as anti-war and against arms production. Yet they had all signed up to the 2019 general election manifesto which not only maintained a commitment to Trident renewal, but also to the imperialist NATO alliance and its requirement for member countries to spend 2% of their GDP on defence.
An FRFI speaker gave an eloquent speech on our open-mic as we marched, providing a 10-minute history lesson on the Labour Party’s war-mongering and imperialism. Many people marched alongside us, but members of the Socialist Workers Party criticised us as ‘sectarian’ for talking about Labour’s brutal record. The only way the fair will be stopped is by a massive blockade: it remains to be seen whether Labour is prepared to take on the responsibility to organise this.
El Fox,
LIVERPOOL
Unite the Union defending British imperialism
In another example of British chauvinism, on 17 August Unite the Union posted a statement on their website denouncing what Steve Turner, current Unite Assistant General Secretary for manufacturing, called the ‘rash of US private equity raids on UK defence companies’. Turner declared that the aim of Unite is ‘to protect UK strategic assets, protecting jobs, skills and our national security’ and that in opposing these sales Unite are ‘defending our vibrant, specialised and world leading defence companies.’
As Anti-Imperialist Action Ireland have pointed out Turner ‘has been at the forefront of defending British imperialist interests within the Union, and that includes in the Occupied Six Counties’, playing a leading role in the 2017-2018 campaign ‘to ensure that the Bombardier factory in Belfast would be sold to Spirit Aerosystems, a corporation that produces unmanned flying death machines for the British air force, personally meeting with the CEO of Bombardier to negotiate the sale.’
Despite being endorsed as the ‘United Left’ candidate for the Unite General Secretary elections, in which he came second to Sharon Graham, and serving as National Chair for the People’s Assembly Against Austerity, Turner is no socialist. He is an imperialist and as a member of the imperialist Labour Party he fits in well!
Ruby Morris
GLASGOW
Donation
Our Unite the Community Tayside Branch is happy to have made a contribution to the FRFI Fighting Fund. We have also donated to Medical Aid for Palestine, a local food bank called Lochee Larder and are sending on money to the recently sentenced Kill the Bill protesters in Bristol. Much better spreading out the funds to these vital causes than sitting watching the ‘Morning Star’ and Labour Party contributing to… the ‘Morning Star’!
We are all very well convinced that nothing progressive will come out of the craven, Labour Party supporting unions… but we can at least for the moment spread support for all those bravely battling this unjust system.
Michael Taylor, Branch Secretary of Unite the Community Tayside
FRFI a threat to the ‘good order’ of prisons
We reprint below a letter sent to FRFI from HMP Frankland, Durham, providing the spurious reasons why they withheld the publication from subscribers within the prison. We will always oppose all censorship of our newspaper by the prison authorities:
‘The said publication you are enquiring about was withheld by a Governor due to the content. It was deemed, as you have said, to be potentially inflammatory and inappropriate for circulation within the establishment. The article in question was relating to Kevin Thakrar “end solitary confinement”. It was withheld to maintain good order of the establishment for the wellbeing and safety of prisoners and staff. There are extra precautions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring the safety of prisoners and staff comes first.’
CM L Gladders, Custodial Manager, HMP Frankland
Met Police and CND
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) has been granted Core Participant (CP) status in the ongoing Undercover Policing Inquiry (UCPI). CND, like many other political organisations, was targeted for infiltration by both Special Branch and the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) of the Metropolitan Police during the 1980s. Police spies under the cover names ‘John Kerry’ and ‘Timothy Spence’ also infiltrated CND’s head office and East London branch, sending regular reports to Scotland Yard and MI5 on the organisation’s activities. The true identities of ‘John Kerry’ and ‘Timothy Spence’ are still not publicly known.
We are urgently looking to hear from any current or past CND members who may have information about the activities of ‘John Kerry’ and ‘Timothy Spence’ so that this information can be brought before the Inquiry. If you have any information, please send to [email protected].
Saskia O’Hara,
Public Interest Law Centre
Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! No 284, October/November 2021
