Anti-Racism March Protests Far Right Populism

The Guardian Reports 30,000 people attend a’ March Against Racism’ in London over the past Saturday in a stand against racism all over the world.

Brexit and the election of Donald Trump have given rise to a shocking wave of populism and far-right politics all across Europe and America. The UK has seen a dramatic increase in hate crimes against Muslims and Arabs since Brexit. The election of Trump and his administration’s proposed Muslim ban has also emboldened hated and a disturbingly open sense of white pride that hasn’t been seen in decades.

30,000 people marched in peace, unity, and love— carrying signs that read “Migrants Make our NHS” and “Black Lives Matter.” The crowd made its way through Regent Street, Haymarket, as well as in places like Glasglow and Cardiff.

Moazzam Begg, a former Guantanamo Bay Prisoner and a British Pakistani from Birmingham, expressed his disdain for Trump at the march:

The rise of the far right and the Nazis and fascists has seen a new wave with the election of Donald Trump, who said when he came to power, ‘I’m going to load up Guantánamo with some bad dudes”

He said,

So my response is: ‘When are you going, dude?”

Beggs spent three years at Guantanamo Bay from 2002-2005 on suspicions of terrorist related activity. Since then, Beggs has used his voice to educate the world about his experiences as a prisoner as well as his knowledge about other similar US detainment camps.

Also in attendance was, Labour MP for Tottenham, David Lammy. Both Beggs and Lammy had to shut down a counter protest during the anti-hate march from the English Defence League (EDL,) a far-right political group.

We have smashed the EDL. They are no longer of any consequence. But let’s not pat ourselves on the back too early, because some of their views have become mainstream.”

Said Lammy.

Lammy also made it clear that the meeting between Brexit Campaigner, Nigel Farage, and far –right French politician, Marine Le Pen, was a message to the world that facism and xenophobia is a rising tide:

My parents arrived in this county in the 1950s to signs that said, ‘No blacks, no Irish, no dogs’, and we thought … that by the time we got to the 21st century we had turned our backs on racism. And then, we get June 23rd. We get a rise in hate crime across the country almost by 50%.”

Original Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/

Teshura Adams-El