THE tragic events in Southport on Monday July 29, in which three innocent children lost their lives, saw the local community come together at a time of terrible pain and grief for the families and others affected.

There were still other children and two adults also lying in hospital dealing with serious physical injuries and left with unimaginable psychological trauma, trauma no doubt shared by many across our communities.

We now know, that those affected families and the wider community were not allowed to properly grieve and come to terms with the horror that had unfolded.

The far right, and other less politicised racists, hijacked this terrible tragedy and used it to spread malicious misinformation and mobilise against the Muslim community of Southport.

A wave of violence followed, with communities and places of worship coming under attack, the spread fuelled by racist and Islamophobic ideology, which is counter to the ideals shared by our society and union movement.

We saw how quickly the fascists mobilised, increasing the threats to communities and counter demonstrators, but we have also seen how important it is that we as a movement, work with communities to make a stand against racism in all its forms. 

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has been quick to respond, working with Stand Up To Racism to mobilise the amazing unity shown across the movement in recent days, supporting communities who have been targeted.

Our members in places such as Middlesborough, Bristol, Liverpool, and Newcastle are reported to have assisted in the clean up, and wider community response in the days that followed.

The union, alongside others, have publicly condemned the violence and attacks, particularly on our black, Asian, and Muslim communities, who have been disgracefully targeted by the racists within our society; but we are also clear that warm words, no matter how heartfelt, will not fix this societal problem or provide any respite for those communities on the receiving end of this hostility.

If we are to truly to counter the rhetoric of hate and division, PCS has long been convinced that a more systematic approach needs to be taken to tackle racism and fascism wherever they are displayed.

It is not enough for us to not be racist or fascist, we must be proactively anti-racist and anti-fascist, and we must seek to educate our communities against the narrative of the far-right and their political supporters. 

It is why we produced our Anti-Racist, Anti-Fascist (ARAF) Strategy in 2014 in consultation with our National Black Members Committee, as we witnessed a rise in support for far-right groups and ideas in the wake of the Tories’ austerity agenda.

Cuts to services and jobs providing fertile ground for those who wanted to pursue the politics of hate and division. 

The strategy aims to root out racism in workplaces and in wider society and seeks to give PCS members and reps the tools they need to identify and counteract dangerous, racist narratives. 

The strategy has been updated in 2019, and again in April 2022, to take into account the changing nature of the threat and to enable reps to continue to challenge racism.

The strategy gives context for the rise of the far-right ideas and groups, and provides key aims and objectives, as well as guidance and resources, on how to tackle racism in the workplace, while encouraging members and reps to discuss these issues across the union.

It is also why, with the support of our members in the Home Office, we as a union were at the forefront of challenging the racist policies of the previous government, and in particular its attempts to first push back refugees into the Channel and then introduce a policy which would deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda.

Alongside other campaigners, including Care4Calais, we campaigned and ultimately defeated both government policies, but more needs to be done.

To that end in 2023 we launched our own Safe Passage Policy for refugees and will continue to pursue its agreement with the incoming government. 

During the Covid pandemic we were also able to negotiate the Black Members Risk Assessment for workers within DWP, allowing the union to safeguard our black and Asian members from the disproportionate impact the disease had on their communities, and remove many from front-line danger. 

In the wake of the recent disorder, we have once again highlighted the ARAF strategy to our members and representatives, reminding them of the importance of standing together in the face of such hatred. 

Our communities and the working class have suffered from 14 years of austerity, 14 years of ideologically driven political choices which have demonised the most vulnerable in our society and across the globe.

We know the struggles facing many of our communities were not caused by our neighbours, or by refugees. They are the result of years of Tory decisions and policies which supported the wealthiest in society, while stripping away support for the many.

These are the messages we must continue to get across. 

Now more than ever we must come together as a movement, stand together whether white, black or Asian, Muslim or Jewish, who have been targeted in recent days, and our union sends our love, strength and solidarity to everyone who has been affected by these atrocious events. 

As we prepare for a further weekend of far-right thuggery, we want our members and all activists to stay safe, and our communities to be protected, while at the same time sending a strong and unequivocal message to racists and fascists, that united we are stronger and together we will defeat them.

Martin Cavanagh is president of Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS)