FBU Conference 2024 Activists vow not to put pressure on the government’s racist policies on the fringes of the FBU

SHAREHOLDERS have vowed “not to ease the pressure” against the government’s racist policies following news that deportation flights will not take place before the election.

Speaking on the sidelines of Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) at the FBU conference in Blackpool, SUTR national officer Nahella Ashraf warned that with neither side having an answer to easing the cost of living crisis, “the only thing they are going to do is keep fighting , is how racist they can be.”

As shock raids continue to take place across the country, Ashraf said: “The fear this has caused in people who have just arrived here, having already been through trauma, is terrifying.”

She warned that over the next six weeks politicians would seek to demonize such people: “This has a direct impact not only on refugees and migrants, but also on the type of society we are creating.”

Ms Ashraf summoned delegates to the SUTR rally held outside Colnbrook detention center on June 29, saying: “They would like to distract us with the elections.

“But we have to hold them accountable when it comes to this policy.”

The group is also helping to organize a mass vigil for Sheku Bayoh, who died in police custody in 2015.

Speaking on the sidelines, the lawyer representing the case, Aamer Anwar, reflected on comparisons to George Floyd: “The only difference is that in America, five days of protests led to the prosecution of four officers.

“In Scotland, five years of trust in the justice system led to family betrayal and lies.”

Kadi Johnson, Bayoh’s sister, thanked the trade union movement for its support and asked delegates to join a vigil as the public inquiry into the matter reopens in Edinburgh on June 6.