UCU Congress Votes to Stand Up To UKIP

Last week, UCU congress passed the motion below by an overwhelming majority in direct opposition to UKIP, and sounding a warning about the rise of the far right in Europe.

UKIP successes – National Executive Committee

Congress

Notes:

1. UKIP’s Euro-election winning 27.5 percent vote, and 160 council seats
2. all the main political parties have responded by pandering to UKIP’s anti-immigrant propaganda
3. other European far-right successes: the French Front National win and Greek Golden Dawn Nazis winning 9.5 percent.

Believes:

1. UKIP is a racist party
2. anti-immigrant racism must have no place in colleges and universities
3. UCU must campaign against any of the main political parties’ attempts to bend to UKIP’s racist populism
4. government, bankers and big business are responsible for low pay, privatisation, unemployment and lack of workers’ rights, not immigrants.

Supports:

1. UAF’s 14 June conference
2. the lobby of UKIP’s 27 September conference, and aday of action on June 1st
3. initiatives called by the broadly-based Stand Up to UKIP organisation
4. production of a UCU poster on immigration celebrating multiculturalism and diversity and briefings systematically rebutting UKIP policies.