Dear Brother/Sister,
On 29 July 2024, an attack took place in Southport. The attacker stabbed a total of 13 people, murdering three young children.
The Fire Brigades Union sends its thoughts and condolences to all those affected, especially the victims’ loved ones. Firefighters attended the incident, and we applaud their dedication, bravery and professionalism.
Since the attacks on 29 July, there has been an outbreak of racist violence and intimidation organised by the far right. Mosques and hotels housing migrants have been targeted, as have migrants and people of colour going about their business. These are shocking developments, and the FBU condemns them unequivocally.
This situation has been decades in the making. Politicians and sections of the media have whipped up hatred while driving down the living standards of most people. Austerity, cutting pay and trashing public services were choices made by right wing politicians in the interests of big business – not by migrants.
Firefighters have been on the front line of responding to the far-right disturbances. We are still assessing the experience of FBU members on the ground, but there is evidence to suggest that firefighters have faced obstruction, and that fire appliances have been deliberately damaged. Resources being deployed to fires resulting from rioting could impact response times to other incidents.
If you have information or experiences that you would like to report, please do so by emailing [email protected] or contacting your Brigade Secretary.
The FBU stands in solidarity with those facing racism, violence and intimidation, and we stand for the unity of all workers against a cynical divide and rule agenda.
We have written to Brigade Secretaries today to ask them to make contact with local mosques, migrant groups and civil society organisations to offer support and build links.
The trade union movement has a proud history of mobilising against the far right, and this role will become increasingly important in the period ahead.
Yours in solidarity,
Ben Selby
Assistant general secretary
