‘No to Tommy Robinson, No to Brexit’ – mass protest called on eve of vote on deal

‘No to Tommy Robinson, No to Brexit’ – mass protest called on eve of vote on deal

• “The mask is slipping” on Brexit as massive far right march mobilises on eve of the vote on May’s deal
• Major left wing and anti-Brexit figures call for mass mobilisation to oppose Tommy Robinson’s march of “hate and division” and demand a final say on Brexit
• Tens of thousands expected to attend rally on eve of parliamentary vote, which will stake out a firm anti-Brexit stance
• “It is not enough to oppose racism in the abstract”, say campaigners, as they assemble under the banner of ‘No to Tommy Robinson, no to Brexit’

A host of key figures and campaigns (full list below) from the anti-Brexit movement and the left have called for a mass protest on December 9th against the far right and for a final say for the people on Brexit.

Tommy Robinson, who recently joined UKIP, has called a march on London on the same day, just one or two days before the vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal. As the far right marches under the banner of “Brexit betrayal”, tens of thousands will mobilise against Brexit and for a radical transformation of Britain.

The coalition behind the protest includes some of those who were involved in organising the 700,000-strong People’s Vote in October, and some of those who were involved in organising the 250,000-strong anti-Trump protests in July.

The statement, which is signed by Caroline Lucas, David Lammy, Manuel Cortes, Ann Pettifor, Mike Galsworthy, Peter Tatchell and a host of prominent campaigners, says: “In the face of this moment, it is not enough to simply oppose racism in the abstract. Brexit is being used to attack migrants, end free movement, deregulate the economy, divide communities and legitimise racism in the political mainstream.

It continues: “Tommy Robinson is not just using Brexit as a tool to attract followers. Brexit has from its earliest days been driven by the far right, and the far right will benefit from it for decades to come unless we defeat it and the conditions on which it feeds.

“The far right is growing because the economic and political system has failed us. We need decent homes and jobs, we need a transformation of the economy that gives people control over their destinies.

David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, said:

“The far right has become a global movement intent on demonising migrants, ending international cooperation, and bringing back populist nationalism on a scale we haven’t witnessed on this continent since the darkest days of the 20th century. We must stand up to this politics of hate and provide a clear message in favour of a new politics of solidarity, hope and common purpose.”

Shaista Aziz, an anti-racist activist and one of the main organisers of July’s Stop Trump march, said:

“The mask is slipping on Brexit. The project was rooted in racism, anti migrant and refugee rhetoric. On the back of divisive, toxic politics we are seeing the far right being emboldened – we must tackle their poison head on.

“Our response is clear: we reject the politics of racism, bigotry, hate and division that is at the core of Brexit. We will stand up for a society in which there are decent jobs and homes for everyone, where in the fifth richest country in the world thousands of people are not rough sleeping in the freezing cold, and people holding down multiple low wages jobs are not depending on food banks. We stand against the far right and the privileged elite men who treat working people with contempt – profiteering from the misery of austerity.”