“This racist propaganda campaign is simply a distraction from the government’s cost of living crisis, or to put it more accurately, the cost of profit crisis, which is plunging living standards to levels not seen for centuries.”
By Sabby Dhalu, Stand Up To Racism
Suella Braverman’s speech at the ‘National Conservatism Conference’ earlier this week left us in no doubt that the Tories intend to pursue an exceptionally racist campaign in the run up to the 2024 General Election.
As well as repeating a false slur about the ethnicity of the majority of grooming gangs, Braverman made a thinly veiled claim that nations such as Britain should not apologise for slavery, stating “White people do not exist in a special state of sin or collective guilt.”
She also declared that stopping what she claims are illegal immigrants (in fact the majority of those claiming asylum have their claims upheld) is not enough, and that a major reduction in legal migration is on her to-do list.
The same conference heard from speakers promoting far-right antisemitic talking points – Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, attacking “The new left, greedy, elitist, woke and globalist” for being at the head of “a gathering storm” threatening Christian values.
Braverman is also putting forward plans to deny refugees basic housing protections, as part of efforts to house asylum seekers in extremely cramped conditions not fit for human habitation.
At the recent Council of Europe summit Rishi Sunak attempted to win support for extreme anti-migrant policies in Europe, attempting to bypass European Court of Human Rights rulings to push the Rwanda plan and promote his “Stop the Boats” crusade.
This racist propaganda campaign is simply a distraction from the government’s cost of living crisis, or to put it more accurately, the cost of profit crisis, which is plunging living standards to levels not seen for centuries. Unite the Union has found that if the energy system had been run for the benefit of all and not the profits of a few, households could have saved £45 billion.
The Resolution Foundation think tank has found that food prices will soon overtake energy bills as the cost-of-living crisis enters a “new phase.” Households could soon be paying an average of £1,000 more on food each year compared to before the Covid pandemic, compared to £900 more on energy.
The government is determined to decimate the living standards of the many so the few can rake in billions of pounds of profit. This latest racist tirade is yet another attempt to scapegoat and distract from its deliberate policy of making people worse off.
Unfortunately, these racist policies are not being met with resistance from the official opposition, with Labour Leader Kier Starmer instead attempting to attack the Government from the right, claiming recent migration figures show the Government has ‘completely lost control’ of migration, and stating he would not repeal the Government’s “Illegal Immigration Bill” if elected.
All of this means building a powerful anti-racist movement is more important than ever. We need to build a united movement that amplifies the voices of those who oppose racism and support the rights of migrants.
- Sabby Dhalu is Co-convenor of Stand up to Racism (SUTR). You can follow her on Twitter here and SUTR on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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