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Student politicos have written an open letter protesting York representatives’ attendance at a meeting they consider to have been organised by the Socialist Workers’ Party (SWP).
Since 2010, the far-left party has been marred by accusations that it has covered up the rape and sexual harassment of party members by the party’s senior management.
The event, organised by York Stands Up to Racism (SUTR), took place on 15th February, and was attended by Green Party Councillor for Guildhall ward, Denise Craghill, among others. York Centre MP, Rachael Maskell, was invited to attend but withdrew at the last minute, although the York Labour Party banner was displayed at the meeting.
The open letter contends that members of the SWP’s executive body are co-organisers of Stand Up to Racism and argues that co-operation with SUTR is inappropriate for this reason. Craghill was contacted by students from the UoY Green society prior to the event, asking her not to attend due to the alleged links between Stand Up to Racism and the Socialist Workers’ Party. The open letter, signed by the Uni of York Labour Society, Lib Dems and Greens, asks “those in York to avoid supporting and lending credence to Stand up To Racism” and says that anti-racism movements cannot be “organised and fronted by rape apologists”.
The letter has also been signed by a number of individuals, including YUSU BAME officer, Sophie Flinders, a York Labour councillor, several academic department reps and two College Wellbeing ViceChairs.
In a spat on Twitter, York students challenged the York Green Party for their co-operation with the event, writing that “stand up to racism is a known front for the SWP, a vile organisation with no place in progressive politics.”
The official York Green Party account responded that “if we only ever work with those we agree with, we will be hopelessly divided … some of us even worked with Tories during [the] referendum, and frankly they are much worse”.
A student, who ran in the recent YUSU elections, has been vocal in the past against Stand Up to Racism’s supposed links with the SWP and has criticised them for a “culture of institutional suppression of survivors of sexual violence within the group”. As a result, they have allegedly found that their campaign posters were disproportionately targeted by the group’s recent efforts to fl yer campus.
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Student criticises York Green Party for organising with Stand Up To Racism
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“Tories are worse”… York Green Party response
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Allegations… Another student says their campaign material was targeted
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Speaking to Vision, the student said “To be targeted by a group who have been accused of having a casual attitude towards sexual violence and is alleged to have treated survivors within the organisation abysmally, is pretty scary.
“Given the elections were ongoing I was having to have a very public presence during this week and knowing that these people were not only aware of who I was but were trying to send me a message was pretty terrifying.
“It made campus feel pretty unsafe for me and I can only imagine what seeing the flyers made students who are survivors of sexual violence feel.”
The students behind the open letter are also planning to submit a policy to YUSU, which would mandate YUSU officers not to share a platform with the SWP, or to take part in events that are considered to be organised by the SWP.
The policy would also commit YUSU officers to educate students on the allegations against the SWP “as a matter of safety”. YUSU does not usually take stances on party political issues.
Responding to the open letter, YUSU’s Wellbeing and Community Officer, Dom Smithies told Vision: “The content of this letter relates to racism, sexism and rape-apologism – these are all issues which the sabbatical team fi rmly oppose. It’s great to see such a broad range of York student and student groups express their views on what is and isn’t acceptable to them.”
The York Green Party said in a statement to Vision: “York Greens are active in many campaigns including against racism, against austerity, to stop the war and to defend the National Health Service.
“Many other people are involved in each of these campaigns, and they come from a variety of different parties including Labour and the SWP.
“It would be absurd to not work with groups simply because members of the SWP are also involved in these groups. It would divide campaigns and lead to ineffectual campaigning.
“We are not rape apologists, and do believe that the SWP nationally have a serious case to answer of rape by one of their leaders, and the way that they handled it by expelling the victim.
“We, obviously, condemn both the rape and the treatment of the victim by the SWP. It would be wrong to condemn all members of an organisation for the actions of a few and futile to only attempt to work with perfect organisations.”
Vision contacted York Stands Up to Racism for comment, but they did not respond before Vision went to print.
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