The last two months have seen FRFI supporters out on the streets fighting racism and imperialism on a number of fronts. Comrades in Scotland and from the north of England supported the mobilisations against the G8 summit in early July (see page 9).
In Manchester, supporters have been campaigning with Eucharia Jakpa, a Nigerian asylum seeker. Eucharia and her 7-year-old son Timeyi have been refused leave to remain in Britain, and have been told that they will be deported in the near future. Lively street stalls have been held in the Gorton and Longsight areas as well as door-to-door campaigning to gather support and signatures for a petition for them to stay. The fight against deportations and against immigration controls is part and parcel of the struggle against imperialism and the Defend Eucharia and Timeyi Campaign (DETC) highlights Britain’s parasitic role in Nigeria which is responsible, through the actions of multinational corporations like Shell, for thousands of murders and disappearances, forcing many like Eucharia to seek asylum. Get involved in the DETC campaign: email defend_ [email protected], phone 07904 880 039 or send donations, letters of support and for more info on getting involved write to: Defend Eucharia and Timeyi Campaign, c/o PO Box 20, Bridge 5 Mill, 22A Beswick Street, Manchester M4 7HR.
Defend Eucharia and Timeyi! Oppose all immigration controls!
M&S pickets continued up and down the country. In London a special demo was held to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the International Court of Human Rights declaration that the Apartheid Wall is illegal and should be torn down. On Thursday 15 July supporters were out in numbers ensuring that the protest was not disrupted either by police or Zionists in the wake of the London bombings the previous week. Frequent pickets of Marks & Spencer have also been held in Manchester, Rochdale and Preston, as well as stalls in Longsight and Chorlton. These included an energetic protest outside the flagship Market Street store in Manchester centre on 9 July, the International Day of Action Against the Wall. This came two days after the bombs in London but the picket went ahead as planned – after all this was an international day called by the Palestinians, and they wouldn’t be calling off their protests. Supporters handed out leaflets exposing the real nature of the Apartheid wall and about M&S’ continuing support for Zionism, as well as a statement on the London attacks clearly exposing the reactionary role of British imperialism in the Middle East. The usual gang of Zionist counter-demonstrators was present to disrupt the protest, singing the national anthem and waving Union Jacks. However, their efforts were in vain, and they made themselves look ridiculous when they accused our group of supporting, and even carrying out the bombings! Lots of people gathered round to watch and we used the opportunity to speak about what was going on in Palestine. Thirty people joined an all-day picket in the centre of Newcastle on Saturday 25 June. Spread out on a number of stalls, supporters found there was significant support for the Palestinian people, and there are plans to continue with regular events after the summer break.
Fighting racism and imperialism also means taking up the defence of democratic rights in this country. On 18 June FRFI joined other members of the Anti Imperialist Bloc for a street stall in Dalston, east London. Called to urge people to ‘Stand up for your rights’, participants exposed the many-sided attacks on basic rights in this country: the use of ASBOs, the racist nature of immigration controls, continuing police harassment and brutality and the new anti-terrorist legislation. The event coincided with news that 17 members of the Turkish MKP, some of whose supporters were present, had just been murdered by the Turkish state. Supporters made speeches denouncing the attack, chanting ‘down with fascism, down with imperialism.’ In Manchester a street meeting held in the city centre focused on Labour’s attacks on working class youth and in particular the council’s use of ASBOs. The response was positive, especially from teenagers who had been on the receiving end of police harassment. Given that Manchester is the ASBO capital of England, comrades will be doing more work in this area.
Other activities in London included:
• On the Saturday of G8, an event in Angel, Islington which exposed the role of British imperialism in the impoverishment of Africa.
• A stall at this year’s RISE festival, focusing on Cuba, a society building socialism and confronting racism and exploitation.
• Supporting two demonstrations protesting the brutal deportation of a Kurdish family.
• Joining a demonstration outside the US embassy to demand the extradition of the CIA terrorist Louis Posada Carilles back to Venezuela to stand trial for the murder of 73 innocent people in 1976 when he bombed a Cuban airliner.
• Weekly Thursday evening pickets of M&S in Oxford Street.
Events
LONDON
Every Thursday:
Picket of M&S, Oxford Street
(Marble Arch End), 6-8pm
for details email [email protected]
Street stalls every Saturday/Sunday,
12-3pm For details email:
[email protected]
call: 020 7837 1688
or write to BCM Box 5909,
London WC1N 3XX.
MANCHESTER
Every Saturday:
Picket of M&S, Market Street
Manchester City Centre
For details of our work on Iraq and Palestine email: [email protected]
For details of the August Anti-Imperialist forum, or to get active with Manchester RCG email
[email protected]
call: 07816547066, or visit
www.manchesterfrfi.5u.com
ROCHDALE
Every Saturday pickets of
M&S, Rochdale town centre
12-3pm
For more information email:
[email protected]
MIDLANDS
For information on activities email:
[email protected]
NORTH EAST
Regular pickets of
M&S in Silver Street, Durham and
other events in Newcastle
call: 07813 073 846
SCOTLAND
For details of FRFI activities in Scotland
phone: 07779 785 529 or email:
[email protected].
For more information on anti-war activities email:
[email protected]
In September and October FRFI student society stalls will be held at university freshers’ fayres in: Durham, Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian, LSE & SOAS (London), Newcastle, Salford, Strathclyde.
FRFI 186 August / September 2005
