Earlier this week, during an appearance at a debate hosted by the reactionary and divisive news-outlet The Sun, Keir Starmer made a direct attack on Britain’s Bangladeshi community.
In an attempt to outdo the Tories, Starmer promised that Labour would deport immigrants “back to where they came from”. When pressed on who would be targeted with these plans, Starmer singled out Bangladeshis.
“At the moment,” the Labour leader asserted, “people coming from countries like Bangladesh are not being removed.”
Why is @UKLabour targeting our #Bangladeshi brothers and sisters who have greatly contributed to our economy? @Keir_Starmer and @JonAshworth seem to be attacking every subcontinental nation. This is the real face of @UKLabour. Let’s make July 4th our Independence Day. pic.twitter.com/NM3WRqb8xm
— #TahirMirza4EastHam (@TahirMirza01) June 25, 2024
These comments were later repeated by Labour MP Jonathan Ashworth, who lamented that “people coming here from the Indian subcontinent do not get returned”.
What makes these remarks particularly absurd, as well as deeply reactionary, is that the Bangladeshi community does not have high numbers of illegal migration.
We have been in this country for decades, after being intentionally brought over to prop up the British economy after World War Two.
With this latest racist attack, ‘Sir’ Starmer is only continuing in the fine traditions of the British establishment, which has a heinous history of carrying out colonial oppression and massacres against the Bengali people.
It is abundantly clear that Starmer made a calculated choice to throw our community under the bus, in an effort to appeal for cheap votes from rabid Sun readers.
The fact is, Starmer’s Labour has nothing to offer but further austerity and continued support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
As a result, just like the Tories, Starmer is whipping up culture wars to divide and distract the public.
These war criminals oppress, pillage, and murder us – and then blame us for the crisis-ridden society that they have created!
But Starmer has missed something. People are not stupid. The Bangladeshi community is well aware that we have far more in common with our white and black neighbours than we do with the likes of his rotten party.
Workers and youth of all backgrounds can see this, as clear as day.
Our community has been here for decades. And we won’t be used as collateral damage by capitalist politicians. Instead, we will organise to fight them and their entire system!
Look at this Labour LIAR.
Here’s the full clip. “I’ll make sure we’ve got planes going off” “For who?” “People coming from countries like Bangladesh”
You’re turning communities against each other while you laugh all the way to the bank. You’re a stain on Stratford & Bow https://t.co/i0IrpihZxM pic.twitter.com/gBhuaHHrP2
— Fiona Lali (@fiona_lali) June 27, 2024
