Background
Action required
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Recipient contact information
Background
Islamophobia and Afrophobia run rampant within the Labour Party as has been well documented by the Forde Report and files leaked and released by Al-Jazeera in the Labour Files. Yet still, there is no response to these claims by the Labour Party. Many of these allegations began during the Jeremy Corbyn-led era of the party, and were often used by Corbyn’s political enemies within the party to intimidate, silence and suspend ethnic minority members, as most of them generally supported Corbyn. Although it is said that Jeremy Corbyn did not do enough to address this issue, he was not actively involved in that failure himself. However, this is not the case with Labour’s new leader Sir Keir Starmer, who appears to be playing an active role in suppressing complaints and even taking part in such racism himself.
This racist abuse has not only been faced by ordinary members of the party but even by MP’s, including Apsana Begum, the first hijab-wearing MP in Britain’s history. The targeting of Begum, for allegations relating to when she was a victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, is an illustration of how Labour is failing members from minority communities. To make matters worse, she received no support from Keir Starmer, whilst members of the Labour Party attempted to have her sent to jail for fraud.
It does not stop there, however, as hundreds of complaints have been brought to light, and messages displayed by both the Forde Report and the recent ground-breaking documentary, the Labour Files, have exposed the culture of racism within the Labour Party, from individual members to institutional racism. There has been a purge of Muslim, Black, Palestinian, and people considered the “wrong type of Jew”, and anyone who speaks out against racism, colonialism or Islamophobia within the party. A hierarchy of racism has also been exposed, where certain types of racisms were ignored, except in cases where antisemitism or Hinduphobia could be used for political ends, usually against Muslim, Black or Jewish members.
Such behaviour should not be acceptable in any mainstream party in the 21st Century, but to see it consume a supposedly progressive mainstream party such as Labour, a party which relies on the votes of ethnic minorities to stand any chance of winning a general election, is scandalous.
Action required
- Please send a letter to the Labour Party demanding that these issues are addressed and serious action be taken to end racism in the party. We have a template below that you can use.
- Also, if your local MP or counsellors are from the Labour Party, write to them; you can use the template below. If they are not of the Labour Party, you can also write to them asking them to pressure their Labour rivals on this subject.
- Please ensure you share verified stories and information. Please check for sources on anything you share and ensure they are genuine.
- Keep checking the IHRC’s website: https://www.ihrc.org.uk/ to see any updates on this campaign or others involving Islamophobia in the UK.
Model Template
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]
Re. Racism in the Labour Party
Dear Sir/Madam
I have been shocked and disgusted by the level of institutional racism that is currently being seen within the Labour Party. It is shocking to see such a high level of racism within a party that claims to be progressive.
Although many members have been speaking out about Islamophobia, Afrophobia and anti-Palestinian racism in the party in recent years, its full extent and support by members in top-level positions has recently come to light and is terrifying for minority communities. To think that such institutional racism could be allowed, especially from a party that is supposed to be progressive, is mind boggling.
The party has ignored this whilst only taking action on antisemitism, which is often just an excuse for anti-Palestinian racism, Afrophobia and Islamophobia, and even anti-Zionist Jewish members have been subject to antisemitism under the guise of fighting it. This shows a hierarchy of racism and a considerable degree of racism itself.
I request that the party
- takes the Forde Report, the Labour Files and complaints by Muslim, Black and Jewish members such as Apsana Begum and Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, seriously,
- moves swiftly to work with Muslim and BME organisations to root out this problem,
- suspends members who have been found guilty in these investigations,
- forces the resignation of Sir Keir Starmer, who has overseen, allowed and in some cases seems to have supported this racism.
Until then, you cannot expect to receive my vote in any elections from now on, and I will work to raise awareness within our communities of this racism and call on all anti-racists not to vote for you.
Yours Sincerely
[Your signature]
[Your name]
Recipient contact information
National Complaints Team:
The Labour Party
Southside
105 Victoria Street
LONDON SW1E 6QT
Or you can email them online at the following link: https://labour.org.uk/complaints/making-a-complaint/.
