Fight cuts, racism and war
By Aaron Kiely, NUS Black Students’ Committee
» download the full SBL NUS Conference 2011 newsletter
The Tories have unleashed the biggest assault on ordinary people for generations. Students are in the firing line alongside public sector workers, the vulnerable, women, Black people, LGBT communities, disabled people, the unemployed and the majority of society.
Whilst we have already seen inspiring resistance to their attacks, it is crucial that we take the fight back on to the next level. We must continue to lead the way, joining with trade unions and the
wider anti-cuts movement.
We need to be mobilising tens of thousands of students on the streets, occupying our campuses, walking out of our schools and colleges and supporting the wider labour movement in their strikes and industrial action to defend jobs and public services. We need to raise the banner ‘investment not cuts’ – making the moral, social and economic arguments for jobs, growth and social justice.
As the cuts bite the Tories are using the classic weapon of mass distraction: racist scapegoating of Muslims, Black people, immigrants and asylum seekers, blaming these groups for a crisis caused by the bankers. David Cameron claims that multiculturalism is dead. The fascist BNP got over one million votes at the last general election. The EDL are organising dozens of anti-Muslim ‘protests’ across Britain.
We need to step up our campaigning for equality and liberation to drive back this reactionary tide. From actively opposing the BNP and EDL at the ballot box and in our communities, fight cuts, racism and war to organising multi-cultural
celebrations such as Love Music Hate Racism gigs in our students’ unions – NUS must lead the way.
It is an inspiring time to be alive – from the Middle East to Latin America ordinary people are rising up and showing that another world is possible. But war, environmental chaos and the colonial aspirations of the West also make these dangerous times for billions of people across the world. It is time our government started supporting peace and justice in the Middle East. We need to stop bombing Libya, withdraw British troops from Afghanistan and demand once and for all an end to the siege on Gaza and justice for the Palestinians. We would save hundreds of thousands of lives and billions of pounds if we pursued a policy of peace not war. The money saved could be spent on tackling the greatest threat to
the future of humanity – climate change – as well as providing free education and public services for
all.
