The Racist Trump Defeated; the Struggle Goes On.
United Against Racism (UAR) warmly welcomes the defeat of the racist, misogynist bigot, Donald Trump.
No US President since the Civil Rights movement has invoked racism so openly. From his campaign pledge to ‘Build that Wall!’ to his ‘Muslim Ban’ on immigration, his separation of children from their parents at the US border, through to his defence of police murders of black people Trump has repeatedly incited racial hatred. He has also given encouragement to outright fascists through his comments on the Charlottesville events, the Proud Boys and QAnon.Clearly a Trump victory would have encouraged and emboldened every far right racist and fascist around the world, including here in Ireland.
But if UAR celebrates Trump’s defeat, we cannot place any confidence in a Biden presidency. The United States was founded in genocide and built on slavery. Racism in the US was not created by Trump and will not end with his departure from office. It is deeply engrained in the national consciousness and in all the institutions of the State, especially the police and the judiciary. There is nothing in Joe Biden’s record or policy platform to suggest his presidency will seriously tackle this systemic racism.
It is significant and welcome that a woman of colour, Kamala Harris, has been elected Vice President. However UAR does not believe that an individual’s ethnicity or gender is any guarantee they will pursue progressive or anti-racist policies. Look at Margaret Thatcher, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Judge Clarence Thomas, Priti Patel and many other examples. We will judge Kamala Harris on her actions.
We send our greetings and solidarity to the Black Lives Matter movement and to all those in the US who have fought and will continue to fight racism and all other forms of oppression at every level. We in UAR will continue to stand with you – the struggle goes on!
United Against Racism
