Ealing Coucil Leader To Address Anti-Racism Rally

Seeking support for national demonstration to be held next month

Ealing's Council Leader Julian Bell will be addressing an anti-racism meeting in Ealing next week.

The West London Stand Up To Racism group are organising the public rally, under the title of ‘Stop the Rise of Racism and Fascism’

The rally will be discussing the rising threat of racism and fascism in this country, Europe and beyond. It's seeking to build support for the national demonstration being organised by Stand Up To Racism, together with the TUC and others, which will be held on 16 March, in central London. That demonstration will be in support of the ‘United Nations Anti-Racism Day’ being organised, on that day, across Europe, America and many other countries.

Balwinder Rana, spokesperson for West London Stand Up To Racism, said,  ”A new far-right street movement, led by the likes of Tommy Robinson, is attempting to take advantage of the political crisis of Brexit by scapegoating migrants, EU citizens, refugees and the Muslim community. Thus, islamophobia, antisemitism and racist attacks are on the rise, while the Windrush scandal has starkly revealed the inhumanity of the government’s ‘hostile environment’.

“The austerity, with cuts in welfare and the NHS is creating insecurity which feeds hostility towards foreigners, the very people who help to keep our NHS and other public services going. The threat is huge but together we can turn the tide”.

He appealed for people to attend the rally which is open to all and is being held Wednesday 27 February from 7:30pm till 9:30pm in St Mary’s Church Hall, St Mary’s Road, South Ealing.

Also speaking at the meeting would be Steve Hadley, Senior Assistant General Secretary of National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), who himself suffered a serious attack in a pub in London during last summer. Another speaker would be Nahella Ashraf, a long-standing anti-racist and women’s rights activist who herself was a victim of a racist attack in Hammersmith Broadway, a couple of years ago. She would be representing the national body of Stand Up To Racism organisation. They would be joined by Ian Saville, speaking for the Jewish Socialist Group, and the meeting will be chaired by Eve Turner from the Ealing Trades Union Council.

18 February 2019