Islington councillors unite to condemn racism and fascism following summer unrest

Town Hall equalities boss Cllr Sheila Chapman. Photograph: Islington Council

Thursday’s full council meeting saw a significant show of unity as members approved a cross-party motion to stand together “against racism and fascism” following far-right protests over the summer.

The motion, proposed by Cllr Sheila Chapman (Labour) and seconded by Cllr Benali Hamdache (Green), condemned the riots in Southport that erupted after the murder of three girls in the town.

Cllr Chapman said: “Over the summer we witnessed right-wing fascists use social media platforms to whip up Islamophobic, anti-migrant and racist hate.

“That violence we saw, which swept the UK, was the worst that we’ve seen for over a decade.

“Islington moved swiftly to ensure the safety of our diverse communities, with community impact assessments, assurance patrols, and standing in solidarity at the anti-racist rally outside the Finsbury Park Mosque.

“There is no place for hate in Islington. We will root it out wherever we see it.”

Councillors agreed social media had created a “perfect storm” for far-right conspiracy theories and extremist ideology and led to “domestic terrorism” up and down the country.

Cllr Chapman said she was “very pleased” to see colleagues putting political differences aside to put the motion forward.

She added that she was moved to hear experiences of people receiving help from an refugee and asylum-seeker support event, organised by Muslim Welfare House.

The motion resolved to support the government’s review of tech companies’ role in the riots, but also urged the government to crack down on the press and “instigators of hate”.

It also stated that “years of austerity” had created a culture of hate and blame.

Cllr Benali Hamdache. Photograph: Julia Gregory

Cllr Chapman said the aim of the motion was to call on the council to  not only take a clear stand against racism but to “redouble efforts” to promote the work of Islington’s Hate Crime Prevention Champions, to engage residents, take ownership and tackle hate crime in the borough.

“We want to be purposeful and explicit in our communications. We want to be anti-racist organisation, and we want to make sure we call these riots what they are: racist and Islamophobic,” she added.

Before discussing the motion, Chapman asked that all members born outside of the UK to raise their hands in a “powerful” demonstration of the borough’s diversity.

Cllrs Cinko-Oner, Ibrahim, Hyde, Graham and McHugh spoke passionately in support of the motion.

Cllr Cinko-Oner (Independent Socialist), who leads the council’s main opposition group, said she was “very proud” to back the motion.

“As a parent, I don’t know if I can even imagine the pain of what people went through. But what followed, I think, had been coming for a long time.

“We’ve heard rhetoric from politicians belittling immigrants, and blaming others who don’t look like them for anything: for being poor, for taking their jobs.

“We have always looked out for the other in Islington, and I’m very happy as the opposition be standing together with you on this.”

Cllr Cinko-Oner suggested the council takes part in the Show Racism the Red Card day of action by wearing red on 18 October.

Cllr Benali Hamdache (Green) also linked the “proliferation” of racist incidents over the last decade with the Conservatives’ austerity politics “pulling away the fabric of our communities”.

The show of unity reflects elected members’ zeal in speaking out in stark terms against the far-right.

In August, Cllr Bossman-Quarshie (Labour) criticised the framing of the conversation around the riots.

She accused some politicians, including the Prime Minister, of “diluting” the matter, and argued that labelling the riots as “protests” was wrong.

“[London Mayor] Sadiq Khan is unapologetic in his language. He’s called it what it is — violence against black and brown people. This isn’t protest, this is terrorism.”

Update: this article was amended at 2.52pm on 3 October 2024. It originally had Cllr McHugh as ‘McKee’.