Think You're Poor? Think You're Free?

Last night, I went to a Question Time event held at Canterbury Street Mosque. 

Unfortunately, I did not think through the cultural implications of this and wore the silliest, frilliest socks in my drawer. 

Vote TUSC!

You can always rely on the nation's press whip up racism and Islamophobia. In a world where oil is gold, it suits the interests of Western big business to demonise Muslims. 

I'd invite the beneficences of questionable broadcasting to go into a Mosque and meet people who are constantly marginalised by the world's media. 

I can imagine if white women were subject to the constant stream of hate-fuelled propaganda, I'd be pretty annoyed about it. 

Especially if that propaganda is used to justify illegal wars in search of undiscovered Weapons of Mass Destruction, resulting in the deaths of over half a million civilians. 

Proclamations of peace and love aside, the establishment parties have all at one stage or another used fear of Islam to stoke up division between working class communities. 

The only way you can combat Islamophobia is with solidarity. 

Last year, hanging on the coat-tails of UKIP, far right thugs from Britain First used the Rochester and Strood by election as a platform to spread racial hatred. I was on the front line of the protests to stop them marching down the High Street.

People from across communities and religions came out in a show of unity against the vicious lies of Britain First. We stood shoulder to shoulder and made sure that the Britain First thugs did not pass. 

There was a hilarious moment when Mark Hanson from UKIP confused Britain First with the British National Formulary medicines handbook. 

Solidarity is not just about turning out on one day. It's about having the policies that cut across race and religious lines. 

We all need jobs, homes and public services, yet we live in a world where power and wealth is concentrated in the hands of a tiny minority. 

Global capitalism breeds poverty, war and crisis. Western big business interests will never allow peace in the Middle East. TUSC poses socialist solutions, based on public, collective ownership and the co-operation of working people internationally. 

It's only far fetched if you don't believe in the power of ordinary working class people to change things. 

Share at Will. 

Oh and PS. I asked Mark Hansen if he'd join me in condemning the assault on anti UKIP campaigners by members of the English Defence League. He got a bit flustered but then agreed. I asked him if Nigel Farage would do the same. He said can't speak for Nige, but I got him to say he'd ask.