FRFI 223 October/November 2011
The August uprisings punctured the veneer of democracy in imperialist Britain. For a short period, the ruling class lost control of the streets in areas of the country. This will be remembered. Once again the most determined resistance has not come from the British trade unions, but from the poorest sections of the working class, particularly the youth. We can now see that the state will do everything in its power to smash any challenge to its rule, including breaking its own laws and suspending supposed ‘human rights’. If you agree with the need to fight back and build an organisation capable of defending people targeted by the state then this is no time to delay – organise with FRFI.
Below is just a part of the work done by RCG and FRFI supporters since the uprisings, alongside anti-racist work, opposition to imperialist interventions in the Middle East and North Africa, solidarity with the Palestinian liberation struggle, and support for the residents of the Dale Farm Travellers site against eviction and the electricians against attacks on pay and conditions.
Opposing the vengeance of the state in London
London comrades have contributed to defence work with the families and communities of those targeted by the state in revenge for the uprisings. On 13 August comrades took part in a 3,000-strong march from Dalston to Tottenham, and since then they have attended court hearings and are involved in the Tottenham Defence Campaign, whose first priority has been taking legal advice door to door to communities under threat. South London FRFI supporters have campaigned against threats by the Labour-controlled Southwark Council to evict tenants where any member of the household is convicted of a riot-related charge. Comrades took part in a demonstration outside the town hall on 1 September and attended the council’s phony ‘Conversation’ exercise about the riots, with placards and megaphone speeches exposing their vicious criminalisation of local communities. The council has now said it will not evict families, but sole-occupancy tenants remain at risk. On 13 September FRFI organised a public meeting in London, ‘The Riots and the Vengeance of the State’, to discuss how we can defend those arrested, including the need to go beyond a purely legal defence to build active political defence campaigns.
Fighting political policing in Glasgow, Newcastle and Manchester
Alongside our defence of those targeted following the uprisings, we continue to fight all police attacks on political activity. On 6 September, the Glasgow Defence Campaign, established by FRFI supporters, issued a statement celebrating one year of continued resistance to state harassment of anti-cuts protests. The statement reiterated the point that ‘the defence of working class living standards is the defence of democratic rights.’ See Events for future court dates; please show your support (http://glasgowdefencecampaign.blogspot.com).
In Newcastle, a court appeal for two supporters, Mark and Patrick, arrested in December 2010 during anti-cuts protests at an HSBC branch, is scheduled for 27 and 28 September. The HSBC 3 Defence Campaign is planning protests outside the court on both days – join us. Political benefit gigs have also been organised by supporters of the campaign (http://defence campaign.wordpress.com).
Political activity in Manchester has also come under attack. On 17 September an FRFI stall on Market Street was harassed by officers from the Labour council and the police, who claimed the stall was an ‘obstruction’ under the Highways Act. After comrades refused to back down the stall was confiscated and they were told they would have to pay to get it back. This also happened to a nearby SWP stall. On 20 September FRFI participated in a meeting with the SWP and other socialists and campaign groups to discuss this harassment. The meeting committed to a joint mobilisation of stalls on Market Street on 24 September.
Raising the level of debate in Manchester and London
The work of FRFI in Manchester has new significance since the uprisings, with new people participating in events and discussing the issues involved. On 1 September we held a public meeting on the uprisings, where an FRFI supporter spoke about the context of the events in Manchester, including the Labour council’s £110 million cuts, and condemned their hypocritical witch-hunt for ‘thugs’ and ‘looters’. On 17 September FRFI supporters intervened at Islington People’s Assembly in London, calling out the Labour Party for its attacks on the working class, and distributed a leaflet: ‘Meet the Challenge – Break with Labour’.
Building independent community organisations in Glasgow and Newcastle
FRFI Glasgow consistently fights for working class politics and organisation outside the control of the Labour Party and its supporters. As part of this work, on 20 September we hosted a meeting in the working class area of Govanhill: ‘The Great Deception? Ten years of the struggle for Govanhill Baths’, where local FRFI supporters who were active in the campaign against the baths’ closure ten years ago called for greater accountability from the Trust that has now taken over its running.
FRFI Newcastle has been working with residents in Byker to oppose the transfer of council housing to a private Trust. A vote endorsing the stock transfer, which closed on 21 July, is disputed by many residents because the community had been flooded with glossy pro-Trust literature and family fun days. On 27 August the campaign against the Trust held a demonstration in the city centre, using tents to represent the ‘tent city’ that could be created as the Trust gains powers to increase rents and service charges and decide on repossessions and evictions. Meetings in Byker continue.
Seize the time!
A communist organisation is needed today to make a prin-cipled defence of those targeted by the state, to raise the level of political discussion to equip new movements with an analysis to guide their struggle, and to organise in communities and workplaces independently of the Labour Party and other false friends of the working class. We urgently need your help to expand the scope of our work. Contact us today to discuss how you can contribute.
Free the Cuban 5: RATB joins international days of action
On Saturday 10 September, as part of the international days of action for the Cuban 5, on the 13th anniversary of their incarceration in US gaols, Rock Around the Blockade held street rallies and stalls in Newcastle, Manchester and London (rained off in Glasgow), and showed the documentary, Will the real terrorist please stand up, which exposes 50 years of US terrorism against Cuba.
We gathered under banners demanding freedom for the five political prisoners, Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labanino, Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero and Rene Gonzalez. With petitions, leaflets, flags and placards, speeches and music, we ensured people understood the importance of the Cuban 5, the need to build the campaign for their freedom and solidarity with the socialist revolution in Cuba. The Cuban 5 may have exhausted their legal avenues in the US, but the political struggle on the streets around the world goes on – because in the struggle for a more just future for humanity, socialist Cuba and the Cuban 5 are showing the way.
