The Communist Party has strongly condemned what it called the “ethnic cleansing” of East Jerusalem and Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
“The murderous assault of the Netanyahu regime and what can only be described as the Israeli Offence Force has exposed – yet again – the brutal character of the Israeli state’s illegal occupation and incarceration of Palestinian lands“, Robert Griffiths told the Party’s Executive Committee on Sunday (16 May 2021). Britain’s Communists also condemned the refusal of the US, British and European Union governments to take any meaningful action against the Israeli state’s “crimes against humanity“.
“This only underlines the need to renew and escalate the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign in order to force Israel to respect United Nations resolutions and international law“, Mr Griffiths declared, welcoming the mass protests across Britain and around the world in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
In an analysis of the 6 May election results, the CP leadership identified three main factors behind the Tory gains and Labour defeats.
Firstly, there was the ‘feel-good’ factor flowing from a successful roll-out of the vaccine, which indicated that the worst of the Covid crisis might be coming to an end. “This may not last too long, when the inquest into the Tory government’s criminal mishandling of the pandemic last year hits next year’s headlines“, Mr Griffiths noted.
Secondly, Chancellor Sunak’s £352 billion aid package for business had staved off a catastrophic collapse of the British economy – “although the workers and peoples of Britain will be presented with the bill, probably after an early General Election“, the CP general secretary suggested.
The third factor was the fact that Boris Johnson had ‘got Brexit done’, albeit on the basis of transferring EU neoliberal free-market principles and policies into UK legislation. “In the face of these realities, and with honourable exceptions in Wales and some English cities, the Labour leadership had nothing to offer except a policy vacuum, Boris Johnson’s interior decorating extravagances and an internal purge of the Labour left“, Robert Griffiths accused.
But Britain’s Communists said the removal of Keir Starmer and Labour general secretary David Evans would not be enough to turn back the forthcoming ruling class and Tory offensive. Democracy needs to be restored in the Labour Party and the labour movement must campaign for policies that challenge big business market forces, including a new system of ‘progressive federalism’ with powerful parliaments and assemblies in the nations and regions of Britain.
The CP executive committee also congratulated its own party candidates, agents, activists and staff who secured more than 13,000 votes on 6 May, “promoting class politics, winning new members and friends and raising high the red banner of socialism“.
On May 24, the Communist Party of Britain will be hosting an online meeting for an independent Palestine and sanctions against Israel, with speakers from the Palestinian People’s Party and the Communist Party of Israel. Register here.
Challenge News Desk
