Refugee support

Conference condemns and opposes the recent uprise in anti-refugee and anti-migrant activity being seen across the UK.

In February this year the Times Newspaper published a report on the increase in anti-refugee activity in the UK. The report found that hard-right protesters visited hotels housing asylum seekers 253 times last year amid a surge in anti-migrant activity.

Conference applauds Care4Calais (C4C) and all others, who have organised to resist this activity, often in hostile circumstances.

The tactic of setting working people against each other along lines of race and nationality is a tactic seen used throughout history to divide working people and disrupt our unity and organisation. This is ever more apparent in the recent far-right organising under a false banner of “protecting women and children”. There is much work to be done to stop violence against women and girls, but racist and xenophobic attacks on some of the most vulnerable people in our society is not the answer.

Conference is proud of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) refugee solidarity work with C4C and beyond and notes the Executive Council (EC) recent endorsement of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) and C4C Safe passage Policy as an alternative to the Government’s inhumane Rwanda Policy.

As wages and living standards fall due to the cost of living crisis, now more than ever we need to stand as a class and resist any attempts to disrupt our unity as we see workers and unions organising to make a stand across the UK. Now more than ever we must stand with refugees and migrants to oppose racist, divisive scapegoating attacks aimed at them.

Conference demands that the EC refresh and restart the FBU refugee solidarity trips and wider projects at the earliest opportunity. This must expand to include exploring how the Union can offer full support to those organising to resist anti-migrant and anti-refugee activity in our workplaces and our communities in the UK.