Friday 3 February 2017

Route and speakers for tomorrow's Stop the Muslim Ban march

March route (click to enlarge
Tomorrow's march starts at the US Embassy Grosvenor Square (assemble 11am to set off around midday) Bond Street is the nearest tube and goes via the above route to Downing Street. Those unable to march the whole route could join at Picadilly Circus or Trafalgar Square.

Please bring your friends, colleagues and family members along: let us send a powerful response to racism and bigotry.

The list of speakers will include Dawn Butler MP, Catherine West MP, Andrew Murray (Unite the Union), Kevin Courtney (General Secretary of NUT), Moazzam Begg (former Guantanamo prisoner), Giles Fraser (parish priest of St. Mary's, Newington and former Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral), Rebecca Johnson (Green Party), Salma Yaqoob (anti-racism and anti-war campaigner), and others. Video statements from Jeremy Corbyn and Peter Hain will also be shown.

3 comments:

Meg Howarth said...

I'm sure you're aware, Martin, of calls from other sections of the left to boycott this march, organised as it is by what is widely seen as an SWP-front organisation, Stand Up To Racism (SUTP). Here's a link to the controversy around the SWP's handling of allegations of sexual assault which is currently being cited as reasons not to participate

https://mediadiversified.org/2016/10/06/stand-up-to-rape-culture/

Martin Francis said...

Hi Meg. I am aware and have heard that there was some discussion about this in the Green Party leadership. It appears to have been resolved with Rebecca Johnson speaking for the Greens. At a personal level I have worked with SWP members in Brent on anti-cuts, Stop the War, ant-racism, NHS and found them non-sectarian and not just interested in promoting their organisation. On Owen Jones'intervention I broadly concur with what Allan Gibbons said on Facebook:

@OwenJones84

I'm not taking part in tomorrow's Trump demo because of the leading role of the SWP in it, a cult which covered up rape.

I have replied:

Alan Gibbons
@mygibbo

@owenjones84 This is silly. Groups like the SWP turn up. Big deal. The movement is a broad one. Grasp the key issue and that is Trump.

I condemned the SWP's handling of the Comrade Delta assault affair, but the anti-Trump movement is one of the most important and promising moments for the Left in a long time. To abstain from a broad movement because of the history of one left-wing group is so wrong. I was furious with the Labour Party over Iraq, but joined Labour to support Corbyn. I have had furious arguments with Mayor Anderson over cuts but we both supported the NHS demo in Liverpool. There are many other examples. Jones should reverse his position.
This is both immature and damaging.
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Meg Howarth said...

My brief direct contact with SWP members is the opposite of yours, I'm afraid, Martin: sectarian and also involving blatant lying. I hold no brief for Owen Jones, but I avoid any activity organised by the SWP.