If Donald Trump’s march into fascism is the illness, Jeremy Corbyn and his allies are the antidote. And Corbyn confirmed that yet again on 16 July as he stood up to Trump’s latest bout of very public racism.
In the fight for a better world, we need to speak out against injustice
On 14 July, Donald Trump told four US congresswomen of colour – three of whom were born in the US – to “go back” to their home countries. Like many others, Corbyn stood up to Trump, calling this out for the racism it was:
Telling four Congresswomen of colour to “go back” is racist. But the Tory leadership candidates can’t bring themselves to say so.
We should stand up to Donald Trump, not pander to him for a sweetheart trade deal which would put our NHS at risk.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) July 16, 2019
Trump’s argument was that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley should ‘put up or shut up’; they should stop trying to change the US for the better, and just be happy with everything that’s wrong in the country. As Ocasio-Cortez said:
He does not want to be a President to those who disagree.
And he’d rather see most Americans leave than handle our nation’s enshrined tradition of dissent.
Another part of Trump’s argument was essentially that these congresswomen should be more American, by apologising to one specific foreign country: Israel. They have all called out Israel’s occupation and its human rights abuses – in stark contrast to Trump’s shamelessly pro-Israel stance.
In the UK, Corbyn has shown that he stands firmly alongside these progressive women. They have opposed destructive US interference abroad, inhuman treatment of people seeking asylum, called for firm action to deal with the climate crisis, and held exploitative corporations to account. They are allies in the fight for a better world.
‘Centrists’ will save no one. We’re fools if we think they will.
Trump has had a long relationship with racism. But since entering the world of politics, he’s learnt to use that to his advantage, tapping into a deep history of discrimination. And in Britain, his Conservative Party allies are much the same. Seeking to court racists, prime ministerial candidate Jeremy Hunt has defended Trump’s previous racist attacks. His competitor Boris Johnson, meanwhile, has a long record of racist comments. So it was no surprise that these two politicians have refused to call Trump’s latest comments racist.
In general, the Conservatives’ response to “endemic racism” in their own ranks has been woeful. And widespread Tory Islamophobia has attracted very little corporate media coverage.
As US attorney and politician Bakari Sellers responded to Trump’s latest words:
Racism ain’t new, it just doesn’t wear a hood anymore.
In spite of this toxic environment, many so-called ‘centrists’ apparently prefer to side with the right than with Corbyn and his allies.
Corbyn has faced accusations of antisemitism from his enemies. But many prominent Jewish voices on the left have long accused these people – and their corporate media allies – of using antisemitism as a political football to attack Corbyn. Regardless, Corbyn has taken firm action, consistently, against antisemitism and all forms of discrimination.
As a recent poll suggests, however, the majority of Liberal Democrats (Britain’s so-called ‘centrists’) would apparently prefer to side with Trump apologists like Hunt over Corbyn. That means a preference for warmongering, privatisation and racism over peace, democratic ownership, and equality. And it means destructive business as usual over firm climate action.
Of those intending to vote Liberal Democrat, nearly three in five believe Jeremy Hunt would make the best Prime Minister (57%), in comparison to just one in four who say Jeremy Corbyn (26%).
— Savanta UK (@Savanta_UK) July 15, 2019
Of those intending to vote Liberal Democrat, over three in five believe Jeremy Hunt is best suited to lead the UK out of the Brexit crisis (62%), in comparison to just one in five who say Jeremy Corbyn (22%).
— Savanta UK (@Savanta_UK) July 15, 2019
Revolution is coming. Its biggest challenger is fascism.
In 2016, Corbyn spoke of the need to resist the failed austerity politics of neoliberalism and present a real, meaningful alternative. He said:
Unless progressive parties and movements break with that failed economic and political establishment it is the siren voices of the populist far right that will fill the gap
And ever since he became Labour Party leader in 2015, he’s been focusing on building the alternative that can truly challenge the far right and its global leader, Trump. He has stood up to exploitation and oppression around the world. He has also promised a green industrial revolution to create jobs and tackle climate breakdown:
Labour will kick start a green industrial revolution as part of a multi-billion pound programme to tackle the North-South economic divide.https://t.co/sRySMSTiu8
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) July 13, 2019
“Where the mines fuelled the first Industrial Revolution, renewable energy will deliver Labour’s Green Industrial Revolution & 400,000 new jobs.”
Let’s do this 💪🌹#GreenNewDeal #PowerUpTheNorth https://t.co/im1STemy6r
— Labour for a Green New Deal (@LabGND) July 13, 2019
In the US, the congresswomen Trump is attacking (and Corbyn is defending) are proposing the same alternative. As Ocasio-Cortez said after Trump’s racist attack:
You know what we’re going to do tomorrow?
Same thing we do every week. Fight for:
✅ Living wages & unions
✅ A humane border
✅ Healthcare + edu as rights
✅ Loosening the grip of corp lobbyists on our democracyThey can stay busy defending racism.
We’ve got things to do.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 15, 2019
Unlike their strongest opponents, Trump and his allies have no positive proposals for creating a better world. That’s why they’re trying to mobilise racists to push forward their corporate, elitist agenda. We must all stand up to that. And we must unite behind a truly radical vision of the future: one that protects the planet, encourages democracy, and seeks the wellbeing of all people.
Featured image via Wikimedia – Rwendland / Wikimedia – President.gov.au
