Tamil Solidarity links with RMT

Manny Thain

Tamil Solidarity's protest against the 2013 Commonwealth meeting, due to take place in November in Sri Lanka, received a boost from the London region executive council of the RMT transport workers union.

It took a unanimous decision to affiliate to Tamil Solidarity and to take up the protest, after hearing from Isai Priya, a member of the campaign's national coordinating committee.

She expressed the outrage of the Tamil community at the decision to hold the meeting in Sri Lanka, as this will give a world stage to the authoritarian president, Mahinda Rajapaksa.

His regime stands accused of the most vicious war crimes, including the massacres of many tens of thousands of Tamil-speaking people in the first half of 2009.

Isai also condemned the decision to send Prime Minister David Cameron and Prince Charles to represent the British government and crown at the Commonwealth.

Tamil Solidarity has drawn up a protest letter - available at www.tamilsolidarity.org - for union branches, student and community groups to pass.

Donate to the Socialist Party

Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.

Inevitably, during the crisis we have not been able to sell the Socialist and raise funds in the ways we normally would.

We therefore urgently appeal to all our viewers to click here to donate to our Fighting Fund.