After Charlottesville Nazi terror, Trump shows his inner racism
Trump is in an alliance with Nazi terrorists. That is the only reasonable conclusion that can be made following the murder of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville on Saturday. The Nazi ‘Unite the Right’ rally which was met by a counter-protest by anti-fascists, saw a motley collection of Nazi organisations come together to defend ‘Southern heritage’ in the shape of a memorial to Confederate traitor to the US, Robert E Lee.
Infamously, Trump refused to call out the Nazis, choosing instead to issue a mealy mouthed statement condemning violence ‘on all sides’. Make no mistake, this moral equivalence is an endorsement not just of racism and fascism but of terrorism.
As the world knows all too well, Trump is a prolific tweeter, but decent people still wait for him to tweet his abhorrence of the racist terror brought to Charlottesville by his supporters. And if anyone is in any doubt that they are his supporters, the fascist marchers themselves made it abundantly clear by chanting ‘Hail Trump’ as they rallied.
Trump is someone who respects loyalty, so we’re told. It’s why he remains loyal to the memory and the politics of his father Fred. Readers will recall that Trump’s father was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Fred Trump marched with the Klan in New York in 1927 and was arrested for fighting with police. Like father like son is an expression that springs to mind.
Be fair to Agent Orange they say, he’s ‘friends’ with Kanye West so he can’t be a racist.
But discriminatory practices by one of his real estate companies, the revolting campaign to execute the Central Park Five even after they were proved innocent and of course the blatantly racist ‘birther’ campaign against Barack Obama, all are evidence of Trump’s deep-seated racism.
The longer the white supremacist stays in power the more likely it is that he will sow the seeds of America’s next civil war. The lovers of the Confederacy should be able to remember how the first civil war turned out.
By their friends shall ye know them. So let’s take a look at some of his friends – the ones in his cabinet. Steve Bannon – white nationalist millionaire; Jeff Sessions – white supremacist Alabaman and add to that the assorted generals and billionaires, none of whom are known for their promotion of equality and diversity. OK, so he has one black man in his cabinet, but we can safely put that down to tokenism.
After what’s just gone down in Virginia, Americans should demand that those in Trump’s cabinet who claim to abhor white supremacy and anti-Semitism resign immediately. None have so far of their own volition, which tells us all we need to know about the priorities and politics of his appointees.
Sadly, the Nazis are not going to go away. They certainly will not go away if people follow the advice of respectable liberal opinion that thinks if you ignore this filth it will disappear. Intimidation and violence has to be faced own.
The Nazis say they will be back to terrorise Charlottesville. If that is so, then anti-fascist forces will need to mobilise much more widely and deeply. Violence isn’t the key to stopping fascism. It’s a numbers game. We are the many, they are the few. They need to be massively outnumbered and marginalised. In that battle we expect no help from Trump. In fact Trump is part of the problem. In addition, the Republicans in Congress and elsewhere have made it plain by their silence and inaction that they are prepared to go down with the racist White House bully.
Heather Heyer is an American Hero. Let’s honour her by redoubling our efforts to rid the world of fascism. Trump is an American racist and warmonger.
No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA
Justice for Darren Cumberbatch – Jail killer police!
by David Kersey, pictures by Geoff Dexter
Over 350 people attended a march in Nuneaton, Warwickshire yesterday, Saturday, to protest for justice for Darren Cumberbatch from Coventry.
Darren died following an incident with Warwickshire police on 10 July.
Witnesses and family have alleged that he was assaulted and tasered by the police that evening. Darren was placed in intensive care at George Eliot Hospital, Nuneaton, after being “dearrested” by the police.
He remained in a coma and died on 19 July.
Campaigners marched from Nuneaton railway station to the McIntyre House hostel where Darren had been staying. Candles were lit and flowers left in tribute at the hostel entrance.
The march then moved on to the police headquarters in the town.
Campaigners demanded the immediate suspension of the police officers involved and suspension of the use of tasers.
The march followed an angry and determined public meeting attended by over 200 people in Coventry last Wednesday.
Speakers on Saturday included Darren’s family, community activist Rev Desmond Jaddoo and witnesses from the hostel where Darren was interrogated by police on the night he ended up in a coma.
The march was led by Darren’s family and supported by his many friends as well as community activists and trade unionists from Coventry and beyond.
Family members gave solidarity greetings to the families of Rashan Charles and Edson Da Costa.
Desmond Jaddoo stated to big cheers, “We have brought one of the main roads in Nuneaton to a standstill. No one gets through, in the name of Darren Cumberbatch. We want Justice for Darren.”
Carla, Darren’s sister, said, “Numbers is power. I am going to make my voice heard in the name of my brother.”
Visit www.facebook.com/Justice4Daz/ to support the campaign.
Thanks to Socialist Worker
https://socialistworker.co.uk/art/45061/We+will+fight+for+justice+for+Darren+Cumberbatch
Police case collapses as IPCC reveals no drugs swallowed in Rash Charles killing
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has admitted that there was ‘no controlled substance’ in Rashan Charles’s throat.
In a statement last night the IPCC states: ‘The object did not contain a controlled substance.’
This confirms the suspicions of family and campaigners that the police made up the initial story.
Nevertheless, the IPCC still repeats the police claim that there was something in Rashan’s throat but the package has now turned into an ‘object’.
The IPCC state that they have ‘received results of forensic analysis’ of an ‘object’ but, in another alarming and distressing lack of transparency, fail to disclose what it is.
Weyman Bennett, co-convenor of Stand Up To Racism, said: ‘This is totally outrageous and deepens the anger in the community. All the police officers involved must be suspended immediately. The IPCC statement throws up more questions than it answers and the family and community will want urgent clarification.
‘Why has the IPCC failed to reveal the nature of the claimed object in Rashan’s airways? Why are the police officers involved in his death still on duty?
‘We demand that the IPCC holds an immediate press conference and provide full disclosure of what they know. The reality is that far from “helping” Rashan as the police account claimed, the officers’ forceful arrest resulted in his death.
‘Are the IPCC failing to disclose the nature of the object in order to help the police sustain their line that by putting Rashan in a headlock and another kneeling on his back they were somehow trying to clear his airways?
‘As was said by family and campaigners from the beginning, and as everyone can see for themselves in the video, the police were doing no such thing. Their actions killed Rashan.
‘There must be accountability now. Three black men have been killed by police in the space of a month. Are the police trying to start a community uprising?’
The IPCC statement drives a coach and horses through the attempted justifications for his death.
Of course whether Rashan had been swallowing drugs or not his death would never have been justified but now attempts to explain police actions look even flimsier.
In recent weeks three young black men, Edson Da Costa, Darren Cumberbatch and Rashan Charles have died while in contact with the police.
In Birmingham one black man is in a comma after being shot by police while plain clothes officers were filmed kicking a young Asian man.
All this happens almost to the day of the sixth anniversary of the death of Mark Duggan.
Recently published figures show that while BME people are 13 percent of Londons population they were 36 percent of those he faced the use of force by police.
Bennett added: ‘What we are seeing is institutionalised racism working its violent way though police operations with the end result more dead young black men’.
Hackney police kill young black man Rashan Charles
Twenty-year-old Rashan (Rashman) Charles was killed by police on Kingsland Road, Hackney, in the early hours of Saturday morning. A video posted on Twitter shows Rashan being taken to the ground and held in a headlock by a uniformed officer, followed shortly after by a plain clothed policeman who ‘assists’ his colleague by kneeling on Rashan’s back.
The police as always have got their cover-up story out early, claiming that Rashan was trying to ‘swallow an object’ and that the uniformed policeman was trying to prevent Rashan ‘from harming himself’.
The killing of Rashan by police follows hot on the heels of the death of Edson da Costa at the hands of police in Newham a month ago. In that case the police also came out with the line that the person they killed was trying to swallow something, although Edson’s family says there is no evidence of this. Likewise, the video of Rashan’s killing shows no package being swallowed and there is no discernible attempt by police to remove the mystery package.
Far from ‘preventing harm’ the police are clearly seen killing Rashan. The police claim that Rashan was ‘taken ill’ during the encounter. Even after Rashan stops moving the police keep him in handcuffs even though he is likely dead at this point. The plain clothes officer continues to kneel on his back even after this point.
Rashan was initially in a car being pursued by police before he ran into the shop.
From Twitter:
This is the video of officers that work for the @metpoliceuk killing a young black man in Hackney and no news have covered it @linkuptv
This is the video of officers that work for the @metpoliceuk killing a young black man in Hackney and no news have covered it @linkuptv pic.twitter.com/btc2lMCa9M
— #JusticeForRash ✊? (@_coinz) July 22, 2017
The police officers involved in the killing must be arrested. At minimum they must be suspended from duty immediately. Instead all we have is the IPCC opening yet another inquiry into racist police killers from which nothing will come – unless we mount a ferocious campaign for justice for Rash, for Edson and all those who have died after coming into contact with police officers.
Justice for Rash!
No justice No peace
Racist police killers off our streets!!
Self-defence is no offence!
One solution, revolution!