Last Friday evening, at least 1,000 local residents demonstrated outside Hackney Town Hall in East London to show their solidarity with Diane Abbott, following Tory donor Frank Hester’s disgusting, racist remarks.
This was a huge crowd for a local demo called at short notice. The mood was one of absolute fury and disgust at the blatant racism and hypocrisy of the British establishment and the Labour Party.
Support
Before Diane herself arrived, a series of speeches were given by local black activists. They expressed gratitude for the hard work she has done representing her Hackney North constituency through the decades.
Speakers pointed out that Diane is the longest serving black MP, and was the first female black representative in Parliament.
Lucie Scott, an activist from Diane’s CLP, stated that she has always stood up for the oppressed and the vulnerable of Hackney and beyond, whatever their background. She said that Diane stands for the unity of the poor.
What was abundantly clear – not just from the speakers, but even more so from the crowd, who constantly shouted out their own slogans and feelings – is how immensely popular Diane is with many constituents, and how strongly people want to defend her.
This was reflected in the chants that echoed around the town hall’s square, such as “stand with Diane” and “if you mess with Diane Abbott, you mess with us”.
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Extremism
It is well known that Diane Abbott receives far more abuse than any other MP.
Quite a few times throughout the rally, people in the crowd declared that Frank Hester should be arrested for inciting hatred. This got a real echo on each occasion.
This is absolutely correct. The Tories’ double standards highlight the disgusting hypocrisy and injustice of capitalist society.
Right now, Tory ministers are claiming that the country is descending into ‘mob rule’; that demonstrations should be banned because they are costing the police too much time and money. And Michael Gove has just ‘redefined’ extremism, in order to make it easier for the government to ban organisations and protests.
Frank Hester, meanwhile, the largest ever donor to the Tories, said that Diane Abbott makes him “want to hate all black women”, and that she “should be shot”.
It is an open and shut case that Hester is promoting “an ideology based on violence, hatred, or intolerance that aims to negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others”, as Gove’s definition of ‘extremism’ states.
But we all know that, despite the businessman’s abusive words being plastered all over the media, he will face no action of any kind. He will remain a rich and powerful man.
Indeed, Hester’s influence over the Tory Party shows no sign of waning. Not only has Rishi Sunak refused to return the donor’s £10 million in contributions from the last 12 months, but there are also reports that the Conservatives have accepted a further £5 million offer from the CEO.
In capitalist Britain, in other words, you can say and do whatever you like, if you are wealthy enough to be able to donate millions to the party in power.
Opportunism
Not to be outdone, Keir Starmer and the Labour establishment have given a masterclass in two-faced hypocrisy and opportunism. They have exploited this scandal for all it is worth, demanding that the Tories hand back Hester’s money, and posing as anti-racists.
But the Labour leaders have done nothing to support Diane. She currently sits as an independent, refused membership of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP). And Starmer has ignored personal requests from Abbott for the party’s whip to be restored to her.
All the while, she endures yet more racist and misogynistic abuse.
It is deeply ironic that Diane had the whip removed for ‘racism’, after she wrote an article stating that black people suffer the worst racism in this country.
Then there is the case of Neil Coyle – another Labour MP suspended from the PLP for racism. In this instance, however, he was guilty of actual racist abuse against journalists, and of bullying staff members.
Strangely, however, unlike Diane, Coyle has had the whip restored. Could this have anything to do with the fact that he is a right-wing, pro-Starmer MP?
All of this goes to show the cynical attitude of the Labour right wing towards the question of racism. In reality, Starmer and co. have no genuine interest in tackling racism or fighting oppression – as has been demonstrated on countless occasions.
Abuse
Many people will say that Diane receives this abuse because she is a black woman. That is undoubtedly true. But it is also because she is a left-winger.
This is why Abbott is vilified, insulted, and denigrated far more than, say, Kemi Badenoch – a black, female member of the Tory cabinet, and a prospective candidate to replace Sunak as PM.
This is why disgusting reactionaries like Frank Hester feel emboldened to say such blatantly racist things about Diane.
And it is also why Jeremy Corbyn, a white man, also receives so much violent abuse – to the point where far-right lunatics try to kill him, and British soldiers use his picture for target practice.
There is no doubt that Diane Abbott receives an enormous amount of racist and misogynistic harassment and harm because she is a black woman. But it is this fact, combined with being one of the most prominent left-wing MPs, that leads to this.
And this is all aided by the hateful, racist, toxic vitriol that is constantly pumped out by the Tories and the capitalist press.
Capitalism
Hester’s comments, in this respect, are a window into the real attitudes of the British ruling class; the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the bigotry and degeneracy that pervades the rotten establishment.
This latest scandal, in turn, is fanning the flames of burning anger that millions of people in this country feel. Day-in, day-out, everyone can see the hypocrisy and injustice that is woven into the fabric of capitalism.
What is needed is a powerful organisation that can gather up all this fury, and direct it at the cesspit of liars, hypocrites, and racists – the den of capitalists and their sycophants – that they call Parliament.
What is needed is a party with a programme to fight racism at its root: the capitalist system.
What is needed is a Revolutionary Communist Party.
