PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: september/october 2024 :: RMTnews 23 Between 30 July and 5 August this year, far-right political activists set off anti-migrant, racist, hate-fuelled mob violence in towns and cities across England and Northern Ireland. Rioters targeted mosques, asylum seeker hotels, homes, cars and above all people who are identifiably Muslim, black, or foreign for assault, damage to property and arson. This was terrorism, plain and simple. Public transport workers were also targets for racist violence. As far-right activists zoned in on the latest social media disinformation, they left a trail of racist attacks on RMT members and other transport workers in their wake. They also left racist stickers on public transport concealing razor blades, intended to cause physical injury to Train Cleaners, or anyone else trying to remove this filth. Over 1,000 people have been arrested so far over the racist violence, with around 480 charged and at least 99 sentenced to prison terms, in many cases not for the first time. The sordid details of the convicted rioters can’t distract from the fact that the groundwork for these racist riots was laid by years of Islamophobic propaganda and anti-migrant hysteria in the pages of The Daily Mail, echoed by government ministers and leading Tory and Labour politicians. In this intimidating atmosphere, the role played by our trade union and others has been key, bringing courage and confidence to anti-racists and those standing up to defend their communities and their neighbours from racist mobs. On 5 August RMT asked branches “where possible to contact their local mosques, refugee centres and solidarity groups to offer our union’s solidarity and support on the ground at a time when they face severe threats and intimidation.” I want to thank the many RMT members, reps and activists who stepped up and stood shoulder to shoulder with local communities under threat of attack. I saw RMT flags on anti-racist protests from Merseyside to London. Your bravery and solidarity count for more than you may think. After recent years, when the sight of RMT flags and banners on picket lines has been plastered across newspapers and TV media, making us the most prominent union in Britain, knowing RMT is standing up against racist mob violence is an enormous support to the brave people who came out in Liverpool, Newcastle, Sunderland, Walthamstow and elsewhere and stopped the far right. This latest far-right violence comes on the heels of a National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) report in July 2024 acknowledging that violence against women in England and Wales is a “national emergency’”. The NPCC analysis shows 2 million women a year are victims of male violence, although NPCC admits this is an underestimate because many if not most offences were not reported. The figures are evidence of shocking levels of attacks on women in this society. RMT has denounced the huge (over 50 per cent) rise in violent crimes against women on Britain’s trains. RMT’s research finds that 40 per cent of women public transport workers have been sexually harassed at work. Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) highlights in an extreme form how women’s oppression is enabled by sexism often fuelled by extreme internet material and misogynist online ‘influencers’. Some of these online ‘influencers’ were the same ones spreading disinformation about Muslims and migrants in the aftermath of the tragic murders of three young girls in Southport on 29 July, whose deaths sparked the far-right riots. Violence at work and in our communities is a working-class issue. Workers rarely live in gated communities with private security. Trade unionists have a key role combatting racist and sexist violence. Alex Gordon President’s Column STOPPING VIOLENCE IS A TRADE UNION ISSUE Washington also bullies countries including our own into supporting this illegal blockade. The misery and shortages caused by this blockade effecting millions of Cubans has been classified as a genocide. The reason for this US blatant hostility, as we learned from a range of speakers and visits, is because since 1959 Cuba has been run by workers and trade unionists who put the interests of Cuba’s people ahead of profits for big US business interests. We saw this on visits to hospitals where all health care is nationalised and free at the point of need and meeting many people who had received world renowned Cuban education completely free from nursery through to university. Unlike the US exporting sanctions and terror, Cuba (despite being a poor country) has made its achievements open to all. We found out about Cuba’s medical brigades which go to other, often richer, countries and give medical aid often for free. Similarly, Cuba trains doctors from developing countries all over the world where training would be difficult such as Palestine. We finished the trip by taking part in the May Day rally in which saw hundreds of thousands take to the streets of Havana outside the US Embassy demanding an end to the blockade alongside millions of others across the country. Delegates also took part in a conference of solidarity in Havana with the final address by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel calling for the end to war and for peace across the world. Cuba is a very poor country with many problems. Unlike its neighbours and much richer countries in North America or Europe, Cuba is a country that puts the needs and well-being of its people first creating a sense of hope and solidarity throughout the country. There is nowhere else quite like it and I am incredibly honoured my union gave me the chance to see it not as a tourist but as a friend and comrade from another island nation which could learn much from Cuba, its revolution and its people.