Around two hundred trade unionists, politicians and members of
faith and community groups joined together at the Aberdeen St Andrew’s Day March and
Rally on 28th November to give a clear and unequivocal message that in the name of our shared humanity, refugees are
welcome here in the North East of Scotland – racism and fascism are not!
As the march snaked down Union Street to the rhythm of the Guarana
Drummers, passers by again stopped to watch the colourful procession created by
the banners of trade unions and community groups, led as always by the red and white banner of the ATUC.
At the rally in the Castlegate, speaker after speaker spoke
passionately about our shared humanity with all those fleeing war, poverty and
oppression.
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| Kate Ramsden |
Opening the rally, Kate Ramsden, President of the ATUC told
those gathered that, like the people of Paris, Beirut and Mali, refugees are
ordinary people who had ordinary lives.
“But for an accident of geography they could be you and me,” said Kate, calling for us “to take all the humanity and compassion that we have rightly brought to bear to support all those affected by the Paris attack, and give it also to all those hundreds of thousands of victims fleeing war and oppression in the Middle East and across the world.”
“But for an accident of geography they could be you and me,” said Kate, calling for us “to take all the humanity and compassion that we have rightly brought to bear to support all those affected by the Paris attack, and give it also to all those hundreds of thousands of victims fleeing war and oppression in the Middle East and across the world.”
Brian Carroll, speaking on behalf of the Aberdeen Trade
Union Council, who organised the event, condemned the use of terror, violence and aggression against innocent civilians no matter where it takes place.
"We oppose individual as well as state sponsored acts of terrorism," said Brian.
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| Brian Carroll |
He also slammed the rise in hate crime which
has followed the terrorist atrocities in Paris, Beirut and elsewhere and
pledged that the ATUC would campaign vigorously against racism and the far
right “wherever these blights and scars on society occur.”
“We stand for peace, freedom, tolerance, diversity and democracy,” said Brian.
He condemned the government’s response to the attacks “which appear to us not to have learned the very grave lessons of the past.
He condemned the government’s response to the attacks “which appear to us not to have learned the very grave lessons of the past.
“Aberdeen Trades Union Council recognises that peace and
stability are not borne from silence. We need to respond to these horrors but
we need to respond with inclusion, compassion and an understanding which
ultimately brings those who commit acts of terror to justice... or we will
perpetuate the cycle of hate and violence that these terrorists so desperately
cling to.”
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| Christian Allard |
Christian Allard, MSP and "immigrant from France" quoted from the
Proclaimers.
“All through the story the immigrants came, The Gael, the Pict, the Angle and Dane, From Pakistan, England and from the Ukraine, We’re all Scotland’s story and we’re all worth the same,” a song he was thinking about when the French community in Aberdeen came together with many Scottish friends to show solidarity with the people of Paris and France after the terrible terrorist attack.
“All through the story the immigrants came, The Gael, the Pict, the Angle and Dane, From Pakistan, England and from the Ukraine, We’re all Scotland’s story and we’re all worth the same,” a song he was thinking about when the French community in Aberdeen came together with many Scottish friends to show solidarity with the people of Paris and France after the terrible terrorist attack.
He welcomed that the first of the Syrian refugees
are coming to Scotland but added, “If people tell you we are doing enough, tell
them we could do much much more,” and called on pressure to be put on
Westminster to take more refugees.
Calling on us all to watch our language, Christian pointed out the difference between refugees and migrants. “I am a migrant,” he said, “I am not a refugee. Don’t say migrant when you are talking about people fleeing war and oppression and seeking refuge.”
Then he asked us to simply smile. “Smile at people as you
walk along the road. Scotland has become a mongrel nation and welcomes people
from many shores. The best way to welcome people is to smile at them as we
would greet a guest in our own home.”
The gathering then held a minute’s silence for all the
innocent victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut and Mali and for all
those killed as a result of war and terrorism across the world.
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| Youssef Aziz |
Our next speaker, Youssef Aziz, himself a Syrian refugee, spoke of his own
situation, saying that he was one of the lucky ones, coming here to study in
London then RGU. He spoke passionately about the importance of welcoming
refugees from Syria and across the world.
Youssef said, “My messages to you are firstly, refugees are
normal humans like any of you. Secondly, they only want to set up a secure
home for themselves, to start again after their homes in their own countries
have been destroyed by war.
“And lastly, they are not terrorists. They are fleeing terrorism. They want to study, work and make friends.”
Aberdeen City Councillor Barney Crockett told the rally that Aberdeen was proud to welcome refugees and would be doing all it can to make them feel at home. He pointed to Aberdeen’s proud tradition of welcoming immigrants and said that as a result Aberdeen is a vibrant, multi-cultural city.
Aberdeenshire too has pledged to welcome refugees and it is
good to see the North East of Scotland at the forefront of this initiative.
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| Amanda Murray |
Amanda Murray from the Aberdeen Anti Fascist Alliance
brought home how real the threat of fascism is even here in the North East,
reminding us that a month ago the Chair of the National Front was elected on to
Garthdee Community Council.
She slammed the anti-refugee rhetoric that the NF amongst
others peddle. “We must dismantle the apparatus of intolerance that makes these
attacks possible,” she said.
“Let’s realise its all connected as part of a larger struggle and that we need everyone on board,” adding a call to action for us to ensure that right wing extremists win no votes in the forthcoming Scottish elections.
“Let’s realise its all connected as part of a larger struggle and that we need everyone on board,” adding a call to action for us to ensure that right wing extremists win no votes in the forthcoming Scottish elections.
Karolin Hijazi of Aberdeen’s Scottish Palestinian Solidarity
Campaign asked those gathered to reflect on what it means to be a refugee and
reminded us that many Palestinians are
also living as refugees often in squalid conditions and denied basic rights. “They are
prevented from returning to their homeland at the same time as Israel welcomes
any Jewish person from around the world and grants them full citizenship
rights,” slammed Karolin.
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| Karolin Hijazi |
“Palestinian civic society has called on the international
community to join a campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions against
Israel with three main demands, all dictated by international law – equality for Palestinians living inside
Israel; and end to the Israeli occupation and the right of return for
Palestinian refugees.”
“It is outrageous to see millions more people have to flee
their homes in the 21st century, from Syria, Afghanistan and across
Africa. It’s all of our responsibility to hold our government to account and to
demand that colonial wars are not carried out in our names and that millions
more people do not face the same fate.”
Colleagues from Dundee Trades Union Council travelled to
join the
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| Hamish Drummond |
Hamish said, “We must challenge terror and stand together
against it wherever we see it and whoever creates it.”
The final speaker, Lewis Macdonald, MSP said that today’s
march and rally “marks this city’s rejection of racism and fascism."
He thanked
previous speakers for their passionate speeches which reflected the common
humanity that we all have with all those fleeing war and oppression.
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| Lewis Macdonald |
“The Castlegate has always been an appropriate place to hold
the St Andrew’s Day Rally against racism and fascism because it was from here
that men and women from this area went off to fight fascism in the Spanish
Civil War,” said Lewis, reminding us of the need to continue that fight now
against racism and fascism in the North East.
The Rally ended with two poems from Tommy Campbell of Unite
the union.
Following on from Christian Allard's call to smile at everyone, he read out a poem by Samuel Beckett
When a bit of sunshine hits you
After the passing of a cloud,
And a bit of laughter gets you
And your spine is feeling proud,
Don’t forget to up and fling it
At a soul that’s feeling blue,
For the moment that you sling it
It’s a boomerang to you.
Resistance in Nazi
Concentration Camps"
At the cut edge of a chain of
circumstance
In a prison yard,
here a man risks death-by-beating
To pick a daisy
for his cell mate, who can’t walk.
In the gruesome
dark of the camps, sparks flare.
Shared bread,
light from hope that glimmers on, undimmed
There’s one who
unsuspected sprinkles petrol over the roof
At his comrades’
signal, a new bright flame
Consumes the Nazi
crematorium as prisoners rebel.
The dead call us
in harsh voices – Listen,
Buried tales tell
of what we strove to do,
Men, children,
women, to save each other
And peoples of the
world… including you.
More pics from the day with thanks to Morag Lawrence and Tommy Campbell
