On Saturday 30 January neo-Nazis and violent racists from across the UK will head to the coastal town of Dover for an anti-refugee protest. Far-right groups are trying to exploit the “migrant crisis” to whip up racial hatred and bring about ever-harsher controls on those coming to the UK.
Across Europe the far-right have been organising against refugees and encouraging governments to increase their hostility to migrants. While governments close borders with fences and batons to keep those in need out, fascists fire bomb refugee housing. In the UK fascists have tried to organise their own patrols of trucks entering the country, looking for migrants.
This will be the fourth far-right protest to take place in Dover in the last two years. In September an anti-refugee protest in Dover saw more than 200 neo-Nazis rampage through the town calling for the border to be closed. They tried to attack anti-fascists, throwing bricks into crowds including pregnant women and elderly people. Anti-fascists were more than capable of defending ourselves, but the demo served as a reminder to take seriously the threat of fascist violence.
During this time, immediately across the channel, migrants living miserably in ‘the Jungle’ have to endure sadistic attacks from fascist and the police on a regular basis. As usual, the nationalist far-right took advantage of a series of extremely saddening events to spread its xenophobic venom among people and to scare an economically shaken French working class, viciously achieving historic gains in December’s regional elections.
We are calling on anti-fascists from across Europe to join us in organising mass opposition to the anti-refugee protest on Saturday 30 January, to show solidarity with migrants and prevent an escalation of racist violence.
This mobilisation is part of the global struggle between those who wish to see the murderous divisions of nations, borders, and class further entrenched and fortified with razor wire and racist rhetoric – and those who fight for freedom of movement and solidarity among the exploited, oppressed and excluded of the world.
We will be standing with Kent Anti-Racist Network and a growing list of trade union and community organisations to show working class resistance to the neo-Nazis. A victory in Dover on Saturday 30 January will be a victory for the range of movements involved in this fight back.
Organise, make plans, spread the word and see you on the streets!