The Nazi Holocaust - never forget, never repeat

#HMD2015 Today, International Holocaust Memorial Day, is the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland. Angela Rayner, UNISON's North West Regional Convenor, reports on a recent union study trip and states that 'there is no better way to understand the true nature of the Nazi genocide than to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, and no better way to honour its victims, at a time when the far right is a growing political force across Europe, than stepping up our fight against fascism and racism in all of its forms'
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-478a-Inside-the-factory-of-genocide#.VMdIOiRFC1t

On D-Day – Remember why they fought

Watching the BBC broadcasting from Normandy, with Chuck, his Ma and her bidie-in, any socialist could almost be forgiven for disassociating themselves from the whole enterprise. Ceremonies like this always bring God, Queen and country to the fore. But the anniversary of D-Day deserves more respect, because we need to remember why they fought.

Thousands march against racism & fascism in Cardiff, Glasgow & London

Marches and rallies were held in Cardiff, Glasgow and London yesterday to mark United Nations Anti-Racism Day. In London a large and noisy march snaked through Whitehall from Westminster to a rally in Trafalgar Square where Diane Abbot MP stated "the objective is to say to politicians in all parties that we're tired of this anti-immigrant political narrative"
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/03/22/diane-abbott-ukip-appealing-to-racism_n_5013549.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-politics&ir=UK+Politics

Glasgow rally

'Glasgow Girls' Emma Clifford and Amal Mally Azzudin address the Glasgow rally

STUC cancels march after Glasgow tragedy

The STUC has cancelled the St Andrew's Day anti-racism march in Glasgow today due to the tragic helicopter crash. The march would have passed close to the scene. A statement from the STUC says: "As a mark of respect to all those affected by the tragedy at the Clutha Vaults last night and in view of the pressure which has been placed on the resources of Scottish emergency services, STUC has decided to cancel its annual St Andrew's Day anti-racism march. The march which had been due to leave from Glasgow Green at 11am will now NOT take place, but participants are invited to attend a short rally at the Glasgow Film Theatre at 12 noon as planned".
   Our thoughts are with those affected and the public service staff working tirelessly to deal with the incident. http://www.stuc.org.uk/campaigns-and-external-events/st-andrews-day

Show Racism the Red Card teams up with TUC

Show Racism the Red Card (SRTRC) and unionlearn (the TUC’s learning and skills organisation) yesterday joined forces to combat racism through education. The agreement recognises the particular roles of each organisation in using education and training to end racism in UK society. SRTRC will mainly work in schools and colleges, while unionlearn will use its network of 30,000 learning reps in workplaces across the UK.

Unions stand together against fascism

Over 5,000 anti fascists marched through Liverpool yesterday in a show of strength against racism and fascism. Hundreds of UNISON members joined the demonstration and riverside rally at the Pier Head. Roger McKenzie (UNISON Assistant General Secretary) spoke alongside Joe Anderson (Mayor of Liverpool), Len McCluskey (Unite), Christine Blower (NUT), Billy Hayes (CWU), Mohammad Taj (TUC President), Paul Nowak (TUC) and speakers from anti fascist and community organisations.


Roger McKenzie

A unifying message of the march was the importance of removing Nick Griffin as a North West representative in next year’s European Parliament elections:
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/thousands-take-streets-liverpool-anti-fascist-6178497

Merseyside march against fascism - 12 October

Next Saturday thousands of trade unionists and other anti fascists will be marching in Liverpool as the campaign to unseat BNP leader Nick Griffin as a North West MEP is stepped up ahead of the 2014 European parliament elections. The march will set off at 1PM from William Brown Street in Liverpool city centre and end with a rally at the Pier Head, where UNISON Assistant General Secretary Roger McKenzie will be one of the speakers:
http://www.unitetheunion.org/campaigning/events/march-against-fascism/

Challenging Immigration Myths

UNISON Northern Region and Show Racism the Red Card have produced a joint flyer to counter some of the myths about immigration that both the union and the campaign come across regularly. The flyer will distributed this weekend at the Newcastle Mela:
http://theredcard.org/uploaded/Unison_North_Mela.pdf
http://theredcard.org/resources/publications?publication=4604

UNISON deplores SDL festival march

UNISON's City of Edinburgh Branch has issued a strongly worded condemnation of the decision to allow an SDL march during the International Festival. Using its blog, facebook and twitter, the branch is campaigning to build the widest support among members, festival goers and artists for the counter demonstration this Saturday. The statement by Andy Barnett, branch secretary, is below.

Into the Fire: The Hidden Victims of Austerity in Greece

Into the Fire is a powerful documentary which shows the plight of refugees and migrants in austerity riven Greece - increasingly at risk of racist violence from supporters of the fascist Golden Dawn party.
http://vimeo.com/64230453

Anti-Apartheid: An interview with Ronnie Kasrils

'The struggle in such cases as Polisario and Palestine will be protracted, but I am sure will culminate in victory because these are struggles of heroic peoples who are steadfast in their objectives and just do not give in. South Africa and Nelson Mandela are illustrations of this', anti-apartheid veteran Ronnie Kasrils tells Frank Barat in a captivating interview on Aljazeera. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/
2012/09/2012925114242310461.html

Hope Not Hate Glasgow Founding Meeting 20 Sept

Get along to the STUC on 20 September at 7pm to join with UNISON, the GMB, STUC, Show Racism the Red Card and a range of other organisations and activists to launch a Greater Glasgow Hope Not Hate Group.

Communities rise against fascists

Racists were sent packing in Dundee and Walthamstow yesterday as communities joined together to drive hate off our streets. The numbers, hope and inspiration of people who joined ‘Dundee Together’ and ‘We Are Waltham Forest’ dealt another major humiliation to the SDL/EDL hatemongers.

26 Arrests As Liverpool Faces Down The EDL

Around 300 demonstrators defied the threats of violence and abuse from the far right to march through Liverpool. Led by the James Larkin Flute Band (who had also led the 20,000 strong march in Liverpool on the day of the National Pensions Strike on November 30th last year) the marchers were surrounded by a heavy police presence after the EDL and a scattering of other far right groups had vowed to stop the march.

International Brigades Commemoration 7 July - Video

A video of the IBMT commemoration held in London on 7 July including stirring anti-fascist words from former UNISON General Secretary Rodney Bickerstaffe and excellent music: http://www.youtube.com/user/IBMTnews

Spanish civil war heroes remembered

On Saturday the International Brigade Memorial Trust (IBMT) annual commemoration took place at the International Brigade memorial in Jubilee Gardens, London.
Here are two photographs from the event, including one of International Brigade veteran David Lomon, 93, being presented with a Spanish Republican flag by Almudena Cros of the Madrid-based Friends of the International Brigades. Rodney Bickerstaffe reminded those present that in 1936 the Spanish republican government boycotted the Berlin Olympics because they "knew what the Nazis were about".
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/121172

Songs from Blantyre to Barcelona

Songs of the Scottish anti-fascists and International Brigade: Original songs written and performed by the Lanarkshire Songwriters Group to commemorate the International Brigade’s struggle against Spanish Fascism and those from Blantyre and Lanarkshire who fell in the struggle.
Copies only £3 from local outlets and UNISON South Lanarkshire Branch 01698 454690

Austerity & Racism

As the media spotlight falls on racism in Poland and Ukraine at the Euro 2012 football championship, Kailash Chand warns in Tribune that ‘increasing numbers of people are reeling from a succession of policies that will further increase racism and inequality. The austerity policies of David Cameron and Osborne are ignoring the social consequences of their approach to the economy and housing. Unprecedented cuts will provoke ideological racism and institutional racism’
http://www.tribunemagazine.co.uk/2012/06/austerity-uk-may-be-harbinger-of-racism/

Glasgow protest against fascist attacks on left activists

UNISON Scottish Council delegates meeting in Glasgow joined a Unite Against Fascism protest against the Scottish Defence League who have recently attacked Saturday solidarity stalls in the city's Buchanan Street. UNISON, the STUC and many others have also written to the city council to object to an SDL application to march in the city on 25 March.

Dobson 15 years, Norris 14 years

UNISON has supported the Lawrence family campaign for Justice for Stephen Lawrence from its inception, through previous trial disasters, and through the MacPherson inquiry. The conviction and imprisonment of Dobson and Norris today for Stephen’s murder is only a partial victory. They have admitted nothing, and shown no contrition or understanding of what the acts that they have committed.