Following the recent rise in far right violence across Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Equity's General Secretary Paul W. Fleming has issued the following statement:
“Equity stands against the shocking far right violence in recent days in cities and towns across Great Britain and Northern Ireland. We offer our unequivocal solidarity to our members and their communities who face these threats directly, and indirectly.
"Equity will continue to mobilise as part of our wider movement to protest, but also to counter-demonstrate and offer practical solidarity to those under attack. As we have organised successful direct action to defend drag artists in their places of work, we must mobilise to defend Muslim, Black, migrant and other communities who are the targets of the current unrest.
We know our members, the labour movement, and the working class abhor fascism. We will mobilise to win this fight, as we have won before.
Paul W. Fleming, Equity General Secretary
"We will not let those who have stoked this violence off the hook. This includes mainstream and fringe media outlets who have stoked fear and hatred in recent years. It includes right wing politicians and commentators from the extreme, but also at the heart of the last government - those who demonise migrants, and readily reach for Islamophobia. It includes politicians in the current parliament, and current government, who have equivocated on right wing extremism with their language on asylum seekers, trans people, and migrants. It includes the police and security services whose light touch approach to fascism demonstrations has deepened the mistrust they have created through their institutional bigotry. It includes the hateful and inaccurate narratives spread about the Palestinian peace movement, and those taking action for climate justice.
"The material circumstances for fascism are upon us. The new government needs a different economic plan to empower the working class in all its diversity to take back the capital which they have created - and reduce the gap between the billionaires who thrive on a culture of division and fear through the media outlets they control. We know our members, the labour movement, and the working class abhor violence and fascism. We will mobilise to win this fight, as we have won before.”
