The following is an e-mail letter received by People’s Weekly World editor Terrie Albano from London-based Morning Star editor John Haylett. The Morning Star is the only English-language socialist daily newspaper published in the world. For ongoing coverage of London’s reaction to the July 7 attacks go to: http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk
Dear Terrie,
Thanks for your best wishes and for enclosing the statement by our US sister party.
Fortunately, none of our staff was either directly or indirectly affected, although there were a couple of close calls – a couple of minutes before or after an attack.
As you say, a gift to Bush and the ultra-right. It was sickening to see Bush and Blair lecturing the world on the sanctity of human life and the need to pursue a path of non-violence, after their crimes in Iraq alone have killed 100,000 civilians.
The most important task before us now is maximise popular unity so that the handful of anti-Muslim attacks that have taken place do not mushroom into a pogrom. Fortunately, most people realise that al-Qaida and other extremist groups have nothing in common with most Muslims.
On Thursday, London Mayor Ken Livingstone, in concert with the trade unions and the various faith groups, has called for a London United demonstration.
At noon, millions of Londoners will observe two minutes silence. Every bus in the city will stop, businesses will stop and many people will come out of their workplaces and homes onto the streets of London to remember those who died and to show their complete defiance of the terrorists.
At 1pm, books of condolences will be opened in Trafalgar Square for all Londoners and visitors to the city to sign throughout the day.
Following that, at 6pm, there will be a vigil in Trafalgar Square to remember those who died, to show that London will not be moved from our goal of building an open, tolerant, multiracial and multicultural society.
The vigil will also pay tribute to the heroes of the transport and emergency services who responded immediately and saved many lives last Thursday.
On Saturday, the mayor’s Rise annual anti-racist music festival will have an even greater relevance than normal.
The Morning Star will, of course, be supporting these expressions of support for people¹s unity, diversity, mutual respect, together with a refusal to surrender to the forces of reaction, of either obscurantism or imperialist domination.
Once again, Terrie, thanks for your warm greetings of solidarity.
With best wishes
John Haylett
Morning Star editor
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