🚩 Are you coming to LP conference? September Storm of Protests

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Dear <<First Name>>

Are you coming to this year's Labour Party conference in Brighton (September 25-29)? There is a lot going on - even if you are not a delegate. LAW is centrally involved in the Resist at the Rialto Event, a three day festival of resistance. We'd love to see you there!

We are planning on setting up a special email group and WhatsApp group for comrades in Brighton to help plan our various interventions, inside and outside of conference. Email us (info@labouragainstthewitchhunt.org) with the following info:

Are you a conference delegate, conference visitor or Resist attendee?
The email address where we can reach you before and during conference
Your mobile number

Labour Party conference 2021 will kick off with a vicious bang – the afternoon of Saturday September 25 will see the general secretary’s speech and, we presume, the attempt to have him ratified. We are urging all delegates to vote AGAINST.

Saturday will also see a discussion on rule changes proposed by CLPs and the NEC. The latter is particularly important, because they will probably contain further attacks on the left, including bans and proscriptions and the de facto abolition of the National Constitutional Committee (which investigates disciplinary issues referred to it by the NEC – despite its many failings, it sometimes cleared an accused). We write ‘probably’, because the NEC can spring anything it likes onto delegates without prior warning – so Keir Starmer might consider the balance of forces in the delegations before deciding how far to push things.

There is also a terrible motion on Palestine, backed by Labour First, which criticises and rejects the BDS movement and says Israel has the "right to defend itself" (a carte blanche to use its overwhelming fire power - financed by imperialism - to continue to attack Palestinians).

-> We urge delegates to vote against these attacks, but also try and ‘reference back’ the report presented by the Conference Arrangements Committee on Saturday at start of conference. Get in touch if you are interested in discussing this strategy further: info@labouragainstthewitchhunt.org

Labour Against the Witchhunt is one of the founding organisations of 'Defend The Left', which campaigns against he bans and proscriptions of left-wing groups from the Labour Party.

Defend the Left is taking part in a 'September Storm of protests Against Starmer' - please find more details in this email and online here. The Morning Star has already reported about the plans. Please come along, participate and get your group/branch/CLP to sign up to this important campaign!

September Storm against Starmer - please participate!

TUESDAY 14 SEPTEMBER: The September fightback will begin with an emergency Zoom meeting on Tuesday 14 September at 6pm to be addressed by film-maker Ken Loach, Unite’s Howard Beckett, former ANC member with Nelson Mandela, Andrew Feinstein, and chaired by Leah Levane of Jewish Voice for Labour. More details and registration link here

SATURDAY 18 SEPTEMBER: On Saturday 18 September there will be a one day event aiming to unite the left against what’s happening in Labour. “Labour Left For Socialism: Building the Resistance”. Part-in-person and part-virtual rally, this initiative includes groups like Labour Left Alliance, Jewish Voice for Labour and the Fire Brigades Union and Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union and will discuss the attack on the left and Labour Party democracy. LAW is also in (critical) support of the conference. More details here

MONDAY & TUESDAY 20 & 21 SEPTEMBER: Defend The Left has designated two dates in September for days of local action against the ban. These are Monday 20 September and Tuesday 21 September. Labour members and activists are encouraged to stage protests in their area on one of these dates. (See below for tips on putting together your protest.) Please email us if you are putting on a protest and we will help to publicise it: info@defendtheleft.co.uk

SATURDAY 25 SEPTEMBER: Defend The Left have called a protest against the ban on the first day of the Labour Party conference on Saturday 25 September in Brighton at 12 noon.

MONDAY 27 SEPTEMBER, 6PM: A Defend the Left meeting against the ban will be held on Monday 26 September in Brighton. The venue will be announced by email a couple of hours before it’s due to start – email info@defendtheleft.co.uk to receive a notification.

SUNDAY 26 – TUESDAY 28 SEPTEMBER: During the conference, a number of left-wing groups, including three of the groups Labour has banned, will hold a series of events at the Rialto Theatre in Brighton, on themes including free speech and the purge in the Labour Party. Click here for more info.

SEPTEMBER DAYS OF ACTION – A GUIDE

This is a guide for those wanting to protest against the banning of left groups and members being expelled on Defend The Left’s September days of action, Monday 20 and Tuesday 21.

1 Put out a call to anyone in your area you think might be interested in taking part in a protest against the ban on left wing groups in the Labour Party.

2 Between Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 September choose the day that works best for you and your comrades, and agree a time, too.

3 Choose a location for your protest that works best for you and your comrades. Might be your local Labour Party office, a Labour Party Regional Office or the office of an unsympathetic Labour MP. If all else fails, then choose some public spot, maybe with a sign to identify where in the country you are.

Email info@defendtheleft.co.uk when you have fixed a date and time as we may be able to put others in the locality in touch with you.

4 Produce some protest materials — placards, banners, or just some plain bits of cardboard — with simple, short slogans like …

NO TO BANS! DEFEND THE LEFT!
STOP THE PURGE!
HANDS OFF KEN LOACH!

Or whatever you think.

You might also want to buy a life-size cardboard cutout of Keir Starmer online, for example here.

5 Contact as many people as possible to your chosen location at the fixed time and date. The more the better — but doesn’t matter if there’s only three of you. Email us the details of your protest so we can also help to spread the word.

6 Take photos of your protest. If there’s a lot of you, try chanting one of your slogans and video it, too. But whatever you do, get some good still photos. We will be spreading these far and wide.

7 Send your three best photos to Norman Thomas on norm6344@gmail.com. If you do a video, put it on YouTube and send the link to Norman in same email.

8 If you can come to Brighton for Saturday 25 September bring your protest materials with our mass protest at 12 noon. Details of where to meet will be provided nearer the time on the Defend The Left website.

Jackie Walker calls on comrades to get involved in the 'Not the Forde Inquiry II' at Labour Party conference.

What has Labour done to YOU? Been on tenterhooks waiting for the repeatedly delayed Forde Inquiry to report? Enough we say!!

Do you have a story of injustice, undemocratic process, or other dirty goings on in Labour? This is your chance to talk back!

As the dwindling resources of Starmer’s Labour continue to be spent paying erstwhile spies and those on short term contracts to search for signs of dissent, “Not The Forde Inquiry” will reconvene to give witness to face to face testimony from victims of the biggest political witch hunt in British history at the Resist Event in the Rialto Theatre, Brighton, during the Labour Party conference this September.

Expect the most unexpected, as Dorothy Walker (Jackie Walker’s allegedly deceased mother), rises once more from her world touring show “The Lynching” to act as judge to your witness. Send an outline of your story in under 300 words to norm6344@gmail.com. We will put your story online, and, who knows, you may even get the chance to put your case in person, on stage, in Brighton!

LAW's sponsors include:

Alexei Sayle, comedian
Ken Livingstone
Professor Moshé Machover, Israeli socialist and founder of Matzpen
Ken Loach, film director
Noam Chomsky, author and activist

LAW’s honorary president is Moshé Machover

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LAW, BCM Box 1488, LONDON WC1N 3XX.

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