Workers Solidarity is Strength - IWW
- IWW Ireland
- 8 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in Dublin along with hundreds of other trade union and community activists gathered at the GPO, (Sunday 14th June), to condemn and oppose the recent wave of racist hate and violence against migrant workers.
Throughout the weekend, similar anti-racist demonstrations took place in other towns and cities.
Fellow workers from Derry, Belfast and Newcastle participated in the union led solidarity demonstrations in their respective areas, against what has been described as orchestrated racist pogroms.
Numerous homes had been deliberately targeted, health workers physically assaulted or threatened and news of a 'hit list', documenting the homes of migrant families, emerged.
When migrant workers homes and vehicles were attacked many within the community and the labour movement took part in a number of rescue attempts to ensure people's safety.
Over the past number of days, other stories came to light from people coming together to cook meals and offer food to families isolating, while others offered transportation to schools or hospital appointments. These acts of solidarity and kindness helped show the best of humanity in times of unimaginable hate and violence.
During the anti-racist demonstration in Derry (Saturday 13th June) a member of the IWW spoke of the need for continuing workers solidarity:
"It has been a terrible week, one that many will need time to recover from. We reached out to friends, coworkers and members from the migrant community to let them know that we were here for them. We talked with workers who had left work early, just to be home with their families, stories of people not even feeling safe to go to the shops or school due to the reports of road closures and planned demonstrations by the far-right.
"Many have been mentally scarred by the anger and destruction directed towards them, but seeing ordinary workers, members of both sides of the community, taking to the streets of towns and cities it actually spreads hope.
"The trade union movement and all worker organisations must remain vigilant and vocal. Racism and racist attitudes must not be allowed the oxygen that it has had. Each of us have a role to play.
"We need to increase not only the anti-racist education within school, in our factories and in our homes, but we need to begin to look at ways of ensuring working class communities are safe from such acts of terror. We have seen grassroots acts of solidarity over this past week and that has to be continued and built upon.
"We have witnessed the state apparatus stand by when migrant family homes, workers homes, have been targeted and attacked. Many conversations have shown us that we, as workers, can only depend upon ourselves to defend our rights and our safety. Through acts of genuine working class solidarity we can and will realise our own power and strength as a class. We demand nothing less."
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