Thread by @UnisNotBorders

A 🧵about @GNDRising disruption of Home Secretary Priti Patel's talk at the Bassetlaw Conservatives Association dinner.

This🧵seeks to critically interrogate this action from the perspective of Black & WoC migrants @UnisNotBorders to develop discussion & better practices.

We recognise the importance of disruptions, we also question the ethicality in putting funds into the Tory party. Dinners like this go for an excess of £400 or £4,000 a ticket. Source: mirror.co.uk/news/politics/…
How much did @GNDRising pay to the Tories to disrupt their meeting?

Is it ethical for @GNDRising, a new NGO, to use funds to pay to “disrupt” a Tory dinner attended by right-wing xeno-racist sycophantic followers of Priti Patel who care nothing for migrants? Did @GNDRising think that their disruption would elicit policy change from a fascist?

The @GNDRising piece in the Guardian discussed how “scary” it was to confront Priti Patel. For white British activists, who paid money to attend a Tory party dinner, how scary was it compared to migrants actually fighting for survival due in part to the #HostileEnvironment?

While @GNDRising maintain their actions were “the right thing” as migrants affected by UK’s draconian border policies, we see it as white saviour politics intended for media clicks. Nothing tangible was accomplished by this action that will positively affect our lives.

Compare @GNDRising recent media stunt with those in Edinburgh who recently stopped an immigration raid or the Battle of Kenmure Street nearing its 1 yr anniversary (13 May), & we see actions positively drawing communities together to make UK xeno-racist policies inoperable.

Much of UK migrant & climate organising is still dominated by white, middle class Brits. Migrants of colour-led activism are still relegated to the back & deliberately unseen, while white activists are hyper-visible & view migrants with a charity-driven mentality.

While we are all working to eradicate injustice & oppressive systems, we should not fall back on media stunts that produce no tangible support in order to increase our clout, esp if it’s an NGO looking to access more funding streams & direct links to national & int’ media.

Again, maybe this wasn’t @GNDRising’s intention, but as racialised migrant-led grassroots activists, we found your Tory dinner interruption underwhelming when what we need is massive levels of disruption in our communities to stop UK’s xeno-racist systems.

Migrant-led & allies alike concerned about the increasing border violence, esp with the passing of the Nationality & Borders Bill. But media stunts won’t stop this egregious problem. It will be through community organising & education & mass disruptions. End of 🧵

@threadreaderapp unroll