Your Party Materialist Left Statement: Defend Ameen Hadi!
Your Party Materialist Left stands in solidarity with Ameen Hadi, and supports the Salford City UNISON Branch Lobby of Salford Council, to defend Ameen and Salford City UNISON against the Far Right.
Ameen is a respected trade unionist and lifelong anti-racist campaigner who has been placed under investigation by Salford City Council following a malicious allegation of assault.
We believe that this campaign has been initiated and whipped up by the same Far Rght YouTubers who harassed and tried to intimidate Hannah Spencer, the newly-elected Green Party MP for Gorton and Denton, on Sunday 9th March when she spoke at the launch rally of Manchester Together Alliance in Piccadilly Gardens.
As Ms. Spencer was leaving the rally she was followed by a group which included Far Right YouTubers and their supporters who proceeded to harangue Ms. Spencer with questions such as “Can a woman have a penis?” The group also attempted to surround Ms. Spencer.
Ms. Spencer was protected by police officers and event stewards, resulting in a fracas that continued until Ms. Spencer was driven away in a police car. Ameen Hadi was one of those event stewards.
Such tactics of harassment and intimidation are used by the Far Right in an attempt to demoralise and demobilise popular opposition to their odious politics.
These same Far Right YouTubers have tried to disrupt other campaigns in Greater Manchester, including: the Manchester Climate Justice demonstration; Palestine Solidarity vigils; a recent Stop the War Coalition public meeting which Zarah Sultana MP was attending.
Whilst we have political differences with the Green Party, especially over the question of women’s rights to single-sex spaces and facilities, we condemn those who cynically use this issue as a pretext to harass, intimidate or attack the anti-racist movement and the Left.
We stand firmly in solidarity with Ameen Hadi against this Far Right witch-hunt and urge our supporters to do the same.
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Defend Ameen Hadi- Defend Salford UNISON
CALLING ALL ANTIRACISTS - LOBBY OF FULL COUNCIL MEETING
8am Wednesday 18 March.
Salford Civic Centre. Chorley Road. Swinton. M27 5DA
Stand up to Racism is supporting the Salford City UNISON Branch Lobby of Salford Council, to defend Ameen Hadi and Salford City UNISON against the Far Right.
We stand in Solidarity with Ameen Hadi, a respected trade unionist and lifelong anti racist campaigner who has been placed under investigation by Salford City Council following a malicious allegation of assault. This was driven by followers of Tommy Robinson and YouTube channels and includes the flooding of Salford City Council with threatening and abusive emails demanding Ameen be sacked.
A newly elected woman MP, Hannah Spencer, was abused, intimidated and threatened by a number of far right agitators at a TOGETHER Alliance Unity Event on International Women’s day on 8th March in Manchester. Ameen was surrounded and attacked. It is unacceptable that Ameen is now facing investigation from his employer Salford City Council. In addition, numerous abusive, racist, homophobic, anti-trans comments and threats of violence were made to the Salford City UNISON Branch office, forcing it to temporarily close on the grounds of safety.
These far right, monetised YouTubers have regularly disrupted, abused and physically attacked a number of campaigns including: the Manchester Climate Justice demonstration; Palestine vigils; the MP Zara Sultana and stewards at a stop the war meeting; people defending refugees outside hotels, as well as targeting asylum seekers and other vulnerable groups.