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Next SWP meeting - all welcome
“Class and coronavirus - what is the socialist response?"
There has been an outbreak of a new cornavirus - Covid19. The virus is thought to have originated in bats and become contagious between people, after intial infections at a food market in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. Tens of thousands are have become infected since the beginning of the year, with an estimated 2 in every hundred people infected dying. The outbreak has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization as it sreads outside China, and it has the potential to threaten the health and lives of millions of people. Major cities in Hubei province in China are on lockdown, with travel bans and curfews forcing millions of people to stay at home in an attempt to limit the spread. The UK government has announced high profile quarantine for some people returning from China. GP's have rasied concern's about poorly coordinated advice to the public, and lack of protective equipment for healthcare staff.
During this meeting we shall be inviting discussion on issues such as how workers can best protect themselves, racism, the state of the NHS, food production under capitalism, our analysis of the Chinese regime and our response to quarantining and travel bans.
Campaign for action on climate change
Enough Is Enough : Together We March
Saturday 22nd February: Assemble 1 pm Russell Square
This is about the right to peaceful protest, and saying enough to harm. Bring your organisation/movement/group's own banners, placards, voices and love.
- Enough of police clamping down on peaceful protesters.
- Enough of being labelled extremists for standing up for each other.
- Enough fires decimating wildlife and homes from the UK to the USA, Australia to Amazon & Africa.
- Enough racism. Enough separation.
- Enough devastating droughts, floods and storms.
- Enough of the media controlling our story.
- Enough government failure.
March 7 4-6 PM - Next Oxford XR general meeting - a chance to discuss climate campaigning at Cheney school (Chadwick gym), Headington, OX3 7QH
May 23rd is set to be a day of mass national action by Extinction Rebellion, and a major focus for climate campaigns is the COP 26 conference which will be held in Glasgow between 9 & 19th November. If you would like to help coordinate support from trade unions to send delegations to the these events please contact oxxrunions@gmail.com
To join Oxford Extinction Rebellion and find out more about their activities visit www.xroxford.org and for a calender of local XR events visit https://www.xroxford.org/events/
contact@oxfordstanduptoracism.org.uk
The racist deportation flight that happened in spite of a public outcry this week are another reason why we need to build the 21 March demonstrations as big as possible.
Johnson had already set the tone with new attacks on unaccompanied child refugees, migrant workers and travellers. His government will continue to ramp up racism to divide opposition to Tory austerity attacks.
March 21st - March Against Racism - for a #WorldAgainstRacism will see hundreds of thousands mobilise around the world against the rise of raicsm and the far right.
Follow worldagainstracism.org for updates on the international plans for #M21.
Book your seat on the Oxford coach to the London demonstration online here
With 14 days of strikes about to begin - UCU strikers need our solidarity
Tens of thousands of UCU members at 74 universities across Britain are set to strike from 20 February for 14 days in two intertwined disputes over pensions and the "4-fights" anti-casualisation, workload, equalities and pay.
After action by more than 43,000 staff for eight days last term now 14 more universities joined the action after re-ballots.
The 14 days are listed below (although there may be local variations because of reading weeks).
- Week one - Thursday 20 & Friday 21 February
- Week two - Monday 24, Tuesday 25 & Wednesday 26 February
- Week three - Monday 2, Tuesday 3, Wednesday 4 & Thursday 5 March
- Week four - Monday 9, Tuesday 10, Wednesday 11, Thursday 12 & Friday 13 March
UCU members will need your solidarity and support. The tens of thousands of casualised staff that will be striking are certainly not all highly paid professors.
We want to get UCU members into every trade union and campaign meeting and raise solidarity and collections in our workplaces. Can your union branch "twin" with a striking university UCU branch?
On the first day of the strikes we need to help get trade union and campaign delegations onto UCU picket lines to show union members they are not alone.
Oxford Tenants Union Open Meeting
6 PM, Monday 17th Feb
We are a group of renters and campaigners trying to build a fairer housing system in Oxford, and make renting more secure and truly affordable for everybody. We are sick of paying too much rent for rubbish to bad landlords. It doesn’t have to be like this, and we need people to join us who want to create change. Join the fight for renters rights! All welcome