Britain: Fiona’s communist campaign makes waves

With election day fast approaching, Fiona Lali’s campaign in Stratford & Bow has stepped up a gear, with hundreds of activists and volunteers hitting the streets over the weekend. Join us for the final push, and get organised for the struggles ahead.

[Originally published at communist.red]

On the back of another week of energetic activity, last Saturday saw the biggest mobilisation yet for Fiona Lali’s campaign to bring down the war criminals in Westminster.

Throughout the day, around 250 Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) members and volunteers were out in force to send a clear message: Starmer’s Labour has blood on its hands! Vote Fiona to sweep out the liars and crooks!

Rally for Lali

The day kicked off with a huge rally, where hundreds of Fiona’s supporters gathered in Stratford Park. The mood was electric and full of optimism.

Fiona has by far the biggest on-the-ground campaign in the constituency. This is because her campaign is like no other. It starts where all others end: out on the streets, organising all those who want to fight for real change.

As Fiona explained, we’re not politicians, we’re revolutionaries! Unlike the candidates from the other parties, Fiona isn’t eyeing up a cosy job on the House of Commons benches.

She understands that the real fightback begins on 5 July. This means preparing for a mass movement outside of Parliament, to defend our class from the inevitable attacks that a right-wing Starmer government will carry out.

The rally opened up with a speech by Bogdan, an RCP member involved in the encampment at Queen Mary University of London.

Bogdan highlighted Fiona’s support for the encampments, and underscored her message that we need a mass movement of students and workers – aimed directly at the warmongering British establishment – to support our brothers and sisters in Palestine.

It was the movement of students in British universities in solidarity with Gaza that propelled Fiona to prominence, after her debate with Suella Braverman on TV.

In this gripping exchange, now viewed by millions worldwide, she defended the Palestine movement against the propaganda and hypocrisy of the Tory politicians and the establishment media. Famously, she labelled Braverman a liar and a war criminal, straight to her face!

Bogdan was followed by Alice, an RCP member from Cardiff University, who helped to organise a protest against Jacob Rees-Mogg a couple of months ago. At this demo, a crowd of angry students chased the Tory MP off campus, providing a taste of the impact that militant, direct action can have.

Next up was Maya, an RCP member in York, who spoke passionately about the daily oppression, discrimination, and denigration that Muslim and Asian people face in Britain, at the hands of the racist ruling class. And a Starmer government would offer little better, Maya stressed, pointing to Labour’s recent scandalous attacks on the Bangladeshi community.

Following this, a communist junior doctor working in the NHS recited an emotional poem, which lamented the death of innocent children in Gaza at the hands of the Zionist butchers, backed by British imperialism.

We also heard from a local small-business owner, who was so inspired by Fiona’s message that he printed custom T-shirts – emblazoned with the slogan ‘we have a world to win!’ – in support of the campaign.

Finally, Fiona herself gave a rousing speech, where she raged against the hypocrisy of Starmer’s racist, blood-stained Labour Party, and the crimes of British imperialism, which has backed Israel’s genocide in Gaza to the hilt.

“With this campaign, we’ve got a lot to be against,” explained Fiona. “We’re against the atrocities in Gaza. We’re against the racism and division of Keir Starmer. We’re against austerity.”

“But we’re also for something,” she continued. “This is a positive campaign. We’re for an economy that is run on the basis of need and not profit. We know that the wealth exists in society to house everyone, to fund the NHS, to give everyone a decent standard of living.”

“There are massive battles coming our way. There will be strikes, protests, movements from all the different communities that Starmer will try to attack. We need to unite these movements around one solid programme.

“If I was elected as an MP, I would spend every day exposing every single war criminal and all the crimes that they produce around the world and in Britain.

“But more importantly than that, I would spend time outside of parliament – that den of crooks and liars; perverts and profit-makers – building a mass movement that can stop the weapons, money, technology, and political support going to Israel. That is what this campaign is all about.”

On the march

After Fiona’s barn-storming speech, comrades marched en masse to Stratford station.

The pavements were awash with a sea of RCP flags and Palestine flags. Slogans like ‘healthcare not warfare!’ and ‘Keir Starmer: blood on your hands!’ echoed down the high street.

This attracted the attention of passers-by. Many drivers honked in support, and some even stopped in the middle of the road to grab leaflets.

We even had a fleet of cars draped in Palestine flags and ‘Vote Fiona’ posters – dubbed the ‘Lali-mobiles’ – driving through the constituency, chanting slogans to drum up support!

A number of comrades, including dozens who had travelled from as far afield as Lancaster and Durham to be there, remarked that they had never seen a mobilisation like this.

Outside Stratford station, Fiona gave another rousing speech to a huge crowd, before comrades split off into different groups and went canvassing all around the constituency, covering every single ward.

Mood on the street

With each passing week, reports indicate that more and more people have already heard about Fiona’s campaign, and are planning on voting for her this Thursday. It’s clear that we, the revolutionary communists, have massively raised our profile in the course of this campaign, especially in the past week.

“I went into a corner shop in Mile End to ask about putting up a poster in the window,” reported one comrade. “Before I could speak, the shopkeeper simply said ‘Lali?’. When I said yes, he pointed to the window and said ‘of course you can put it up’.”

“I spoke with a person while door-knocking who works at a McDonald’s,” reported another RCP member. “She said everyone there has been discussing Fiona and her programme, and their manager is also encouraging people to vote for Fiona.”

The reason for this support was clearly summed up by one local resident we spoke to. “Fiona is giving a voice to the voiceless,” they asserted. “I am sick of this system, and Fiona gives me hope for a better future.”

As support for Fiona surges, support for Starmer’s Labour has nosedived into the gutter. The hatred that people feel towards these careerists and Red Tories is plain to see, especially following Starmer’s disgusting comments about wanting to deport Bangladeshis.

“Whilst canvassing for Fiona, people literally wouldn’t speak to me until they knew I wasn’t part of the Labour Party,” said one comrade. Many others reported similar interactions.

“My family has been voting Labour for three generations now,” explained one Forest Gate resident. “We just can’t anymore. I’m just looking for someone with credibility. Thank you for what you are doing! I’ll definitely tell my friends about Fiona!”

A number of people we spoke to felt a complete disgust towards politics altogether. One older woman in Bow, beset by health problems, said she doesn’t care about the election because all politicians are out for themselves, and they let ordinary people suffer during the pandemic.

“We agree with you!” we said, before she shut the door. “We want to tear down the whole system!” Her face visibly lit up, and we discussed the crisis in healthcare, and Fiona’s demand to save the NHS by scrapping military spending and expropriating the rich.

This woman ended up buying a copy of The Communist for £10, thanking us for our campaign. “I didn’t think people like you existed,” she said. “You have given me hope.”

A number of comrades have reported similar conversations. Many people claim that they ‘don’t do politics’. But in reality, they simply reject the lies and corruption of the traditional parties and politicians. In fact, many are wide open to communist ideas. Far from being apathetic, these people are burning with anger, and are looking for ideas that can express their outrage.

Final push

By all accounts, this election campaign has already been an extraordinary success. With hundreds involved, this has been the biggest communist election mobilisation in decades – perhaps since the original RCP contested the Neath by-election in 1945.

Our party has begun to connect with wider layers than ever. In particular, we have met a number of radical young Muslim women who are being politicised by events, particularly in relation to Gaza.

They want to get organised and bring about real change. And we are providing them with such an opportunity, holding regular discussions about women’s oppression, the hypocrisy of western liberalism, and more.

Hundreds of people have expressed an interest in joining the RCP. Dozens have already joined. And on the back of this election campaign, we are planning to found a number of new branches in Stratford & Bow, as well as outside the constituency, in places like Walthamstow and North Greenwich.

From now until election day, comrades and volunteers will be working around the clock to have as many conversations as possible – at busy Tube stations, on high streets, and on the doorstep.

A full list of our planned activities is provided below. We encourage all of our readers and supporters to roll up their sleeves and get stuck into this historic campaign over the next few days.

Only a matter of weeks after founding the RCP, we are already making waves across London – and across Britain. This campaign has revealed that thousands of ordinary people are looking for a revolutionary programme to combat austerity, war, and oppression.

Whatever the result is on Thursday, it’s clear that Fiona and the RCP have already won. We have achieved more than simply earning people’s votes and support. We are raising the sights of workers and youth, by explaining how we must prepare for the fight against a right-wing Starmer government.

The election battle ends on 4 July. But the class war will enter a new period of intense turbulence and struggle – of revolution and counter-revolution – in Britain and worldwide.

The RCP is determined to build a genuine revolutionary alternative for workers and young people. Join your party today!