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COP26 and climate chaos - build for mass mobilisations on 6 Nov 

The global climate strike of 2019 was exactly two years ago today. That week some seven million people joined protests across the world. In part they were prompted by the IPCC report of 2018 which warned that we hjd just 12 years to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown. This year it put the world on a "code red" in terms of the urgency of the situation. 

The enormity of the climate crisis continues to be shown daily. Last year was the hottest year on record, this summer has seen unprecedented floods and wildfires across the globe from the US to Germany and Greece. Already millions of people in the Global South have been living with the terrible effects of climate change for years. 

The COP26 climate talks which will take place this November in Glasgow will be a huge event. They will also be a forum of debate about how to solve climate change. Despite the liberal veneer the talks will present - hosted by Nicola Sturgeon, and with Biden in attendance - the solutions of the ruling class are false solutions. Their onus will be on technological changes that mean capitalism does not have to break from the fossil economy and the logic of profit making.  

But the COP climate talks offer an opportunity to refocus the climate movement after the momentum of 2019 and the climate strikes was interrupted by Covid. The COP26 Coalition is mobilising for actions during the talks. The key date is Sat 6 Nov, when flagship demos are planned for Glasgow and London, plus protests in every town and city. See the new SW article here.

The COP26 Coalition is both broad and radical. It brings together just about every NGO, climate organisation and some of the main trade unions including Unison, PCS, Unite and UCU.  The Campaign Against Climate Change (CaCC) is part of this coalition.  The focus of the 6th November day of action is on fighting for climate justice, with the slogan "The era of injustice is over - the time is now". 

Flagship mobilisations on Sat 6 Nov:
Glasgow: Assemble 12 noon, Kelvingrove Park
London : Assemble:12noon  Bank of England, Rally: 3pm Trafalgar Square

The vision for Sat 6 November is big. The coalition aims in total to put a quarter of a million people on the streets - including 50-100 thousand people in both Glasgow and London. See below for local activities to build the COP26 climate mobilisations.

Next Oxford and Thames Valley SWP branch meeting - all welcome

Education, racism and class

7 PM Wednesday 22nd September

Zoom meeting ID: 861 2001 6477  Passcode: 967537 or   http://bit.ly/OxTVSWP

Earlier this year, the Tory-commissioned report on racial disparity rejected the idea of institutional racism as “flimsy”.  The report put school education at the centre of its claims that racial discrimination is largely imagined.
It said that children from most ethnic minorities do as well or better than white pupils, with black Caribbean pupils the only group to perform less well.  Yet, another report, published last year by the Institute of Race Relations showed that Black Caribbean boys are nearly four times more likely to be permanently excluded than other children. 

Pimlico school students organised fantastic resistance to the racist and sexist policies of the head teacher. 

What impact does race and class have in education today?  Come and join the discussion.

Future meetings

7 PM 29th September - Why the COP process has failed to tackle climate change - Zoom meeting ID: 861 2001 6477  Passcode: 967537 or   http://bit.ly/OxTVSWP

Sat 2 Oct, 5pm: SWP Live event: Work and resistance in 21st Century Britain - a booklaunch with Jane Hardy, FB event here.

Cancel the £20 cut Universal credit rally

Assemble  2PM Saturday 25th September Bonn Square, central Oxford - called by UNITE Community BOB branch

Six million people rely on Universal Credit to get by. Over a third of them are in work. Cutting the £20 a week pandemic top up at the end of September risks pushing even more people into deeper debt and poverty, just as furlough is also due to end, and energy prices are rocketing.

The fact is the UK has one of most un-generous social security systems in comparable European countries.  The £20 a week increase has only highlighted that the level of benefits were simply not enough to protect the growing number of households forced to turn to them when the crisis hit. It provides a vital boost to the economy as well through higher household spending!

Climate emergency action

Extinction Rebellion - Stop the greenwash - building for COP26 protests every Thursday evening 6pm-7.30pm Bonn Square.

24th September - Global Strike 4 Climate - assemble Broad St, 1PM

6th November - COP 26 summit - protests across the UK to demand emergency action on climate change - details tbc

Stand Up To Racism

Global Climate Strike - join the Stand Up To Racism delegation to say climate refugees welcome here

Assemble 1 PM Friday 24th September,  Broad St, central Oxford

The latest IPCC report on climate change highlights the urgency of action needed to avert climate catastrophe.  Already we are witnessing record global temperature, extreme weather events, floods, droughts, wildfires, crop failures and destruction of ecosystems on an unprececdented scale.  Increasingly this will force more and more people to migrate.  We need to ensure that this is not met with a tide of racism.

Contact us if you would like to join the Oxford Stand Up To Racism contingent on the global climate strike demonstration in Oxford on Setember 24th.

Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 October: SUTR international conference

An international conference against all forms of racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism and opposing the far right and fascism #BlackLivesMatter

Register here