Caribbean Labour Solidarity stands in solidarity with our friend and comrade Diane Abbott. Diane has a record second to none in publicly opposing racism, antisemitism and xenophobia. We have stood beside her on demonstrations against racism and in defence of immigrant workers. We recall in particular her wholehearted support of the Stansted 15’s practical attempt to stop the illegal deportation of asylum seekers.
Whether you agree with the formulation of Diane’s letter to the Guardian or not, we must be clear that this is not the real issue at stake here. She has been suspended from the Labour Party for being a socialist who opposes the class-collaborationist position of the Starmer leadership. We may wish to discuss with Diane the terms in which we discuss the nature of racism, we do not doubt her commitment to the struggle against racism in all its manifestations. We cannot say the same about Keir Starmer. She has apologised and withdrawn the statement. Let that be the end of the matter. We demand that she be reinstated forthwith.