“I can’t breathe”, said George Floyd, neck pinned to the floor, his face caught in a rictus of pain.
“I can’t breathe”, he cried out, as he fought for his life, a plea which we take up again.
We can breathe, sweet, fresh air, we protest, we revolt, but the White House, enclosed in a wall, spews venom and hatred, anger and gall.
Workers rise up in the land of the free, where Kaepernick bravely took the knee.
Killer cop charged with manslaughter, third degree; the others get away, scot free.
And thousands of black men, confined to their cells. Don’t think it is solely an American crime.
Mark Duggan, Charles De Menezes, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
So let’s fight for a world which treats us all equally, police elected from the whole community.
Let’s fight to get rid of this capitalist system, it breeds inequality and hate.
Let’s fight for a world that is free of oppression, sow seeds of freedom, rather than a police state.
Posts Tagged ‘racism’
I can’t breathe
June 6, 2020Adrift
October 29, 2016They came – a few hundred, not thousands as claimed
Fleeing fear and persecution – they should not be blamed.
Desperate people, not a swarm, horde or flood
The same as you and me, made of flesh and blood.
Ils sont arrivés – quelques centaines, ce n’est son pas des milliers selon
Qui fuyaient la peur et la persécution – ils ne devraient pas être blâmés
Des gens désespérés pas un essaim, une horde, ou une inondation
La même chose que vous et moi, de chair et de sang.
The Express and Daily Mail bleat unsparing, vile attacks
Some people sadly taken in by lies of right-wing hacks.
You might think World War III was on its way
If you read the tabloid press – so we need to sway
«Aujourd’hui en France>> avec des attaques viles, impitoyables
Malheureusement certains croisent les mensonges de la droite.
Vous pourriez penser que la troisième guerre mondiale était sur son chemin
Si vous lisez la presse tabloïd donc nous aurons besoin de tangeur
the balance back – fight for the oppressed and the poor.
Unify against bosses, politicians who waged war
which created refugees; dispossessed, homeless –
It was not poor people who got us into this mess.
lutter pour les opprimés et les pauvres.
S’unifier contre les boss, les politiciens qui font la guerre
Qui a créé des réfugiés; dépossédés, sans-abri:
Ce ne fut pas de pauvres gens qui nous ont mis dans ce pétrin.
Immigrants were not responsible for the financial crisis
While bankers rake in billions, the media divides us.
We need solidarity, not racism against fictitious “angry mobs”
Who are no threat in reality, just want the chance to get jobs.
Les migrants ne sont pas responsables de la crise financière
Alors que les banquiers râtissent des milliards, les médias nous divisent.
Solidarité, contre le racisme fictif «des foules en colère»
Qui sont pas une menace en réalité , ils veulent une chance de trouver un emploi.
But they cannot work, just get by on an Azure card
Not welcome in certain places. Bureaucracy gone mad.
The system treats the asylum seeker like a criminal
No independence, singled out – the message is subliminal.
Mais ils ne peuvent pas travailler, juste obtenir une carte Azure
Seulement accepté dans certains magasins. Bureaucratie devenue folle.
Le système traite le demandeur d’asile comme un criminel
Pas d’indépendance, persecuté – le message est subliminal.
And the police respond with Operation Stack
COBRA is convened: we are under attack.
The refugee is dehumanised, feared by all and sundry
But millionaires are fêted, when they come to the country.
Et les flics réagissent avec l’Opération Stack
Le comité d’urgence est convoqué: nous sommes sous la menace.
Le réfugié est déshumanisé, craint par toute l’humanité
Mais les millionnaires sont acclamés, quand ils viennent au pays.
Tide of purple filth
May 6, 2014UKIP are a laughing-stock, the butt of all our jokes
Whether blaming gays for flooding, or European folks
For bringing skills and culture to Britain’s drizzly clime,
Farage sends a barrage of abuse – ‘cos “foreigners cause crime”.
Regardless of statistics, science or commonplace
Sense, their leaflet goes on, till purple in the face
It runs out of insults and expletives. Explodes in a rant,
A putrid purple shower of racism and cant.
Nick, the con-man, not the common man, fiddling Brussels’ expenses,
A millionaire stockbroker, with views I find offensive,
And the cheek to claim that he’s anti-establishment.
Sometimes I wish he’d met his end in that plane accident.
No – that’s too harsh – just let his neurons be rearranged
To make him less xenophobic, bigoted and deranged.
We need to counter UKIP’s propaganda and deceit.
You see, their policies are designed specifically to cheat
Us of our hard-earned cash, rip up human rights,
Privatise the NHS, rob us of the power to fight
Back against austerity – stop this tide of cuts
That’s swamping public services, threatening to shut
Our libraries and schools, turned into academies.
Tired teens trundle through education factories.
They don’t want us to think, just give UKIP a big cross,
Vote racist, angry, malevolent – do the bidding of the boss.
The working class need to find a common cause
To unite us, across disparate cultures. Otherwise, it is our loss.
Build a new party, to give us all a victory
Something to cheer about, not racists and their bigotry.
You can read some more of my poetry in ‘Little Red Poetry’ (£4 pbk, £2.50 pdf e-book).
All proceeds go to build a new party for ordinary people, against cuts and privatisation.
Copies are also available from Left Books
The Globe – a friendly, welcoming pub in Leicester
August 18, 2013Just got back from a drink at The Globe, where I had a lovely pint of Tiger and a Titanic Plum Porter – well worth seeking out if you happen to be in Leicester. The Tiger was well kept, the usual balance of hops and malt. The Plum Porter (4.8% from Titanic Brewery) was very unusual – a fruity taste, with a lot of body and roasted malt flavours.
What’s all this? This is usually a blog about politics, with a bit of poetry thrown in. I didn’t come here to read about real ale or pubs.
The reason I went along to support a local pub, was that it has been the subject of threats from the far right. As a member of the Socialist Party, I felt it important that we stand up to their bullying tactics – and it was a good excuse for a pint!
A far-right blog (I’m not going to give them the satisfaction of mentioning it by name) has made threats against the staff, and accused the pub of refusing to serve service personnel, because of causing offence to the Muslim population of Leicester. Nothing could be further from the truth – while I was in the pub, a member of a charity for ex-servicemen who have been left homeless, dropped by to leave some leaflets.
The site put up a completely bogus photograph of a different pub, in Knutsford – about 75 miles away in Cheshire. The staff at the pub received a phone call threatening to harm them as they left work, so naturally the landlord called in security staff. In response, the blog then had the cheek to claim that the extra security was to turn away servicemen trying to enter the pub. “You can’t win”, was my comment.
The blog even turned on the Leicester Mercury, displaying a picture of the editor wearing a red tie (obviously a Communist Party member then), saying that the paper was full of communist sympathisers for daring to run an article pointing out the truth.
This sad farce shows the depths to which far-right, racist, moronic keyboard warriors will stoop. I hope the publicity (the pub has been on regional news) actually improves custom. The staff have been brave in keeping the place open through what must have been a difficult time.