Don’t give in to fear and hatred!

Across Europe the far-right are making frightening gains. In the US there is real fear that Trump could win again. Here, wannabee racist and fascist leaders, such as Tommy Robinson, want to put themselves centre stage. He is planning a show of strength in central London this Saturday, but we will be joining many thousands of other antiracist campaigners, activists, students and trade unionists, to oppose them – to show that he and his followers do not and cannot control the streets. We urge you to march and demonstrate with us!

We will show by our diversity and unity, and by the positive and inclusive political messages that we put out, that a society where all are free from fear and hatred and discrimination is possible.

In the longer run, though, it will take more than counterdemonstrations in city centres to push back the far-right resurgence. Right now, they are exploiting a perfect storm: years of state-sponsored Islamophobia since 9/11; manufactured anger about asylum-seekers encouraged by right-wing media and populist politicians across the Tory/Labour divide; a widening gap between rich and poor leaving many feeling neglected, excluded, unjustly treated, hopeless and embittered.

Robinson and Farage cynically provide them with easy scapegoats. Just a few weeks ago, rumours and lies spread by the far right brought mayhem to many urban centres. The political establishment condemned these events as “riots” and “mindless thuggery”. The principal targets though were Muslims and asylum seekers. These were not “riots” but pogroms. And the establishment also condemned victims for fighting back.

Far-right demagogues are far from neglected. They don’t represent homeless Britain, foodbank Britain, zero-hours-contract Britain. Some, like Farage, are extremely wealthy themselves, others, like Robinson, are bankrolled by well-heeled, well-educated racists and fascists. Robinson and Farage have high profiles and access to many platforms.

Capitalism constantly creates winners and losers. The far right seek to harvest the losers. They promise them a sense of belonging and pride around the flags of nation and “race”.

But they sell people short of the real things they need in their lives – solidarity, community support, decent homes, secure well-paid work.

Racism ruins lives. It is not enough for us to simply and ritually denounce racism as evil and immoral; we need to link the fight against it with the fight against poverty and neglect, for affordable housing and well-paid jobs for all, and fight against all discrimination. And we need to expose far-right myths to the very people their demagogues are targeting for support.

Robinson largely focuses his attacks on Muslims, but he has been part of the far-right scene for nearly 20 years, since his early days in the neo-Nazi British National Party, which had a very versatile approach to racism, switching targets quickly or focusing on more than one target at a time. Fascists never really replace targets. They accumulate them. And every time they transfer their hatred to other targets, every time they “share the hate”, they also tell us the kind of alliance that we need to build to defeat them.

We can only defeat Islamophobia, antisemitism and all racism by building a solid antiracist and anti-fascist majority in society and winning that politically in our localities. In the 1930s, Jewish and Irish communities united against Mosley’s fascists in Cable Street, and fought for better housing for all through the Stepney Tenants’ Defence League. After today’s march we urge you to continue to campaign with us and with people across different communities where you live.

Join us this Saturday. We will be marching with the Jewish Bloc that will meet at 12 noon outside Jermyn Street Theatre, 16b Jermyn Street, London SW1Y 6ST. At 12.30 we will join the main assembly on Regent Street St James’s for the march and rally.