Harlow TUC calls for support for Cllr Forman

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Red Youth reproduces here the letter we have received from Harlow Trades Council and we call on our local comrades to attend the demonstration called in support of comrade Waida this week. Whilst perpetually frustrated that brave comrades like Waida choose to remain in the Labour Party (when they deserve much better; Labour is after all a Party which itself is guilty of the worst racism and criminality) – Red Youth stands shoulder to shoulder with Waida and Harlow TUC in calling for support for her in the face of these disgraceful attacks upon her person:

“Labour councillor Waida Forman has suffered many months of harassment and intimidation, which has affected her health, because she was the ONLY councillor who attended an SWP/UAF initiated protest in defence of Travellers.

Cllr Forman, also Chair of Harlow TUC, gave the SWP/UAF handsome support in the campaign to defend equality. She attended the public meetings at Park Inn hotel in September 2014 and at the Civic Centre on 17 March and spoke in defence of Travellers having a long-standing need for a secure place to live.

Cllr Forman also wrote letters to Harlow Star and spoke in debate in both Group and Full council meetings to defend a principle of equal rights and fair treatment of Travellers.

Cllr Forman has now, after many months of a concerted campaign to harass and intimidate her, been racially abused by Malcolm Mitchell, the self-appointed leader of the anti-Traveller campaign in Harlow. Mr Mitchell used his Facebook group to incite people to trespass upon Cllr Forman’s home, commit criminal damage including defecating everywhere and racially abused her by saying: “let’s see how the Nigger likes it.”

The motion condemning such racist abuse goes before full council meeting commencing at 7.30 on 24 September and can be seen at the bottom of this email.

If some of you are not prepared to support a Labour councillor who has been generous in giving support for your causes – including defending public services, stopping Blacklisting and the closure of HWRA – when they’ve been racially abused, then you will show your indifference to a valuable ally.

The consequences of this indifference will be to give confidence to racists and fascists to intimidate elected councillors and trade union officials in the certain knowledge that they will not get the support they deserve from the labour movement.

In the event of poor support on 24 September, Labour councillors and Harlow TUC will naturally have cause to reconsider their relationship with people who start something but who are unable to deliver visible support to a brave councillor who carried the greatest burden for them.”

Motion to Harlow Council:
CONDEMNATION FOR DISCRIMINATORY COMMENTS
“This Council condemns the racist language and incitement to aggression against Councillor Waida Forman by the leaders of the campaign against Travellers and offers the full support of the Council to any Councillor coming under such attacks.

We call on all local political leaders to disassociate their organisations from those indulging in discriminatory rhetoric that only serves as cover for such racist attitudes.”