Summary
30 years ago, in 1993, Stephen Lawrence, a Black 18 year-old, was murdered in a racially motivated attack by five thugs in south east London. The anti-racist movement that followed his death exposed the institutionalized racism of capitalism. There were demonstrations and campaigns organized to fight the British National Party (BNP), which was believed to be closely linked to the murders. The YRE campaign organized community defense campaigns and launched a “jobs, homes, not racism” campaign to cut across the divisive rhetoric of the far-right. The MacPherson report of 350 pages ended with 70 recommendations, but racism is still prevalent, especially within the police institutions. Hate crimes, racist killings and police brutality continue to occur, and the government is not addressing the issue effectively. Racism is used as a tool by the bosses and right-wing politicians to attempt to divide communities and encourage working-class people to blame each other rather than the capitalist system. The Socialist Party has continuously campaigned for the trade union movement to be the backbone of an anti-racism campaign to defeat the government’s divisive policies.
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