Are the Tories cynically trying to exploit Gaza’s suffering to play the race card? Read the blatant racism spewing out of the Tory-leaning media and it’s hard to avoid that conclusion. Facing obliteration at the next election the race card is all the Tories have to fall back on.
How otherwise can we interpret the pressure Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, has put on police to arrest pro-Palestinian protesters? Does she not anticipate what would likely happen on Saturday 11th if police dive into a crowd of 100,000+ to snatch people, probably Muslims, ‘guilty’ of chanting or carrying the wrong placard? Does she seriously not see the mayhem that could result: scuffles becoming brawls becoming rioting becoming pandemonium, with lethal crowd surges at choke points?
The Workers Party is putting the Home Secretary on notice that her recklessness, or worse, intent, has been rumbled. She has put the police into an impossible position, risking police lives as well as those of protesters.
We appeal to marchers to be on the alert against trouble-makers in the crowd and of course to stay within the law themselves. Finally we appeal to Keir Starmer. He will be complicit if public order does break down, for failing to call out rampant racism, for condoning Israeli war crimes, and for failing to apply any kind of brakes on Tory playing of the race card.