Main speakers
Opening session included Paul Kenny from NUT noted Trump messages were a massive shift to sell US citizens a ‘Dream ticket’ to get elected as President but what happens when he fails to deliver?
Trump told Palestine and Israel to ‘Just sort it out yourselves’
In schools black and Muslim schoolchildren are scared after Trumps election.
Trumps travel ban targets travellers from 7 Middle East counties, who happen to be muslim travellers.
Trump is anti-abortion, sexist, anti- women (except as sex objects), anti- migrant/refugees homophobia and denies climate change. He is also a war monger with his finger on the nuclear weapon button so extremely dangerous.
The backlash was 3 huge demos in London and all major cities. A spontaneous women’s march, stand up to Trump march and the anti Trumps demo outside the American Embassy for ‘No state visit for Trump’. Also massive petitions on line with comments and views posted on facebook and Twitter networks. The US struggle is our struggle.
In the US women organised marches of over 100,00 in many cities against Trumps Inauguration but 45% of US population and 33% of UK population support Trump and his views.
Suzanne Jeffries:
Trump is a climate change denier, no doubt a disaster for the planet. He is encouraging mining,, fracking and undermines previous plans to contain pollution. There are moves to withdraw scientific funding for climate research. Trump has appointed Scott Pruitt, a climate change sceptic.
Mya from Egypt Revolutionary Council. Announced solidarity with the anti trump campaign,
against Fascism, ways to stifle freedom of speech, and a return to torture, rendition and Guantanamo bay detention for ‘bad dudes’
Video link with Portland USA. ‘Trade Unions Against Trump’
Good news, Andy Posner withdrew his nomination as he would not protect workers as Secretary of Labour. Bad news, Trump is responsible for a nominee to the department of Education with zero experience of education and charged with privatising schools from the public sector schools. The message from US is ‘fight together with us, the UK is a beacon of light.’
Tariq Ali, Muslim council of Britain
Trump has made himself into the ‘anti-establishment’ figure of hope for the American people despite Trump being a billionnaire and most of his cabinet multi-millionaires. Trump is wrong to link his success with Brexit, wrong and it is wrong to invite him to the UK.
Jewish Socialist Group
This year is the 50th anniversary of Isaac Deucher who supported Internationalism. Jews in US showed solidarity recently by signing a register of Moslems and when a Mosque was burned down gave the Iman the keys to the Synagogue as a place for Moslem prayer.
Get Trump out of UK visit, out of US Presidency and May out of office. Bannen did not want his children going to school with Muslim and Jewish children.
Trump has had some positive effects, he has created unity in opposition , SUTR is stronger thanks to the opposition of his travel bans. Bernie Saunders achieved 13 million supporters of ‘Socialism’ a word commonly associated in US psyche as ‘Communist’ an unprecedented achievement so there is hope for the future. Very noisy parties of gays have been held outside Pence’s house in US.
Afternoon session
May is just as racist as Trump, she extended the PREVENT programme and has reneged on the Alf Dubs amendment by refusing entry of any more child refugees. (10,000 refugees promised but only 350 arrived). The cost of Trump’s visit to UK estimated at £10 million pounds, money that could be better spent on supporting child refugees. Trumps visit may sift to Birmingham as the Government suspects protesters won’t travel to Birmingham, calling it a no-go area.
Trump is not a fascist but his view encourages and gives hope to right wing extremist groups
Turkish Representative.
Theresa May has a racist and anti-working class agenda against public services and the welfare state Her policies persuade the population to blame migrants and refugees instead of the rich corporations. In Turkey gender violence and rape evident and hate crime increasing. Turkey government has been silent over the travel ban against Muslims and has banned proactive groups and freedom of speech.
Statement from UNISON
Walk outs at 1pm Monday 20 classes rescheduled to support EU workers in UK.
Nursery School teacher
Travelled around France and saw first hand the prejudice against both Jews and Muslim. Danger is Marie Le Pen as she wants to ban any religious symbols or clothing such as the wearing of burkas for Muslim women and caps for Jewish men and boys, her view gained her 10% of vote in preliminaries before the 2017 elections.
Stuart Richardson TUC and Stop the War group
No left wing MPs in Birmingham. MPs do not want more refugees so concentrate on mending divisions within the multicultural city. Word of caution- do not canonise Obama as he was also a war monger and dropped bombs on communities.
Jeremy Corbyn video message
Trump is abusing so many people including Mexicans. Trump is closing down pregnancy advice centres and repealing Abortion laws. Our PM rushed over there to meet Trump to create relationship for a trade deal that could threaten our public services including the NHS. Trump has threatened the 1951 convention on refugees and 2001 ruling on torture as he knows it ’gets results’ undermining peace, justice and democracy. Attack on media and communication workers no surprise as the media in US has gone from colluding with the oppressors and the demonising of the Muslim population to being shocked at Trump’s win and his extreme views and now on the side of the oppressed.
Roger Lewis DEPAC.
Solidarity with SUTR which has emerged from a civil rights movement to fight for inclusion and equality. Governments have tried to separate and divide us by identifying the disabled as people who did not want to work and prefer to exist on benefits. We need to be unified in our efforts because of being ‘different’ and stop discrimination and unfairness.
Other speakers included Lindsay German ‘Stop the War’, Andrew Murray ‘UNITE the Union’, Sam Fairburn ‘People’s Assembly’, and Weyman Bennett ‘Unite Against Fascism’
Key Messages and Action Plan
*All descend on Birmingham, Scotland, London wherever Trump is expected, block the roads, rail, airport runways. Ake some noise!
*Devise a motion to get your Councils to deny any money and support for Trumps UK visit. (eg Gateshead Council.)
*Continue trade union support, demos should include all unions and their banners
*Get the model motion to Trades Councils and all union branches.
*Use the opportunity to build unity with disparate groups (remember PRIDE and the Welsh miners!), LGTB, Autism groups, DEPAC, anti-frackers. (Many other unions joining us such as haulage drivers). Broaden the movement to include climate change as potential for mass evacuation of refugees from areas of the world affected by severe climate change.
*Avoid/stop sectarianism. No arguments between brexiteers and remainers , irrelevant as we have more in common and are stronger together. Ignore Blair’s rantings.
*Campaign to close refugee detention centres.
*Support refugees, many still drowning in the Mediterranean sea, fleeing the terror of wars.
*Allow refugees into UK, many are dying of hypothermia or of carbon monoxide poisoning as refugees use stoves to keep warm in poorly ventilated tents.
*Reverse the ‘no entry for child refugees’ ruling.
*The Junior Doctors and BMA are backing refugees and condemn the burning of the camps and blockades.
*Protest against PREVENT Strategy in all public sector industries and the checking of passports prior to care in the NHS. Nurses and teachers are not border guards. Nurses and Doctors are not accountants presenting medical bills and collecting payments.
*Support ‘One day without us’ action. Show solidarity with migrants, refugees, EU workers and Muslim groups locally.
*Oppose damaging Trade deals.
*Focus on SUTR, wear a SUTR badge and be prepared to say why in conversations and to dispel the lies and myths of racism and Islamaphobia.
*Support the Mass protest and Demo on March 18, remember such action wake up the public to the big issues through media coverage.
*Should Trumps visit go ahead and you cannot get there to protest the walk out of work, stop classes in schools, colleges and universities. Make the UK ungovernable for the short time of Trumps visit.
*STAY ANGRY, STAY HOPEFUL AND STAY TOGETHER IN SOLIDARITY!