Today Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP spoke at the National Unity Demonstration Against Racism and Fascism, organised by Stand Up To Racism, Unite Against Fascism and Love Music Hate Racism.

In total, 30,000 people attended the march in London from all over the UK. It was a powerful show of unity that vastly outnumbered any of the far-right rallies held this year.

Jean joined a line-up of powerful speakers from across the political spectrum, including representatives from Jewish, Muslim and Brazilian communities, the Justice for Grenfell campaign and UNISON.

It was an upbeat, peaceful, vibrant multi-cultural event celebrating diversity in the UK.

Date for your diaries for the next rally is 16 March 2019. To find out more details and sign up click here.

Above photo of courtesy of Unison Southend, and you can view more images from the march and rally here.

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Today is the International Day Against Fascism and Antisemitism which commemorates Kristallnacht, a night of terror and violence which occurred 80 years ago today across Germany and Austria.

We always said ‘Never Again’, but today we’re seeing the rise of the same attitudes which led to the atrocities of 1938.

Below is a video message from Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP, to mark the occasion – urging us all to stand together against those who seek to divide us.

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Today Jean Lambert MEP hosted an invent, in partnership with the Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup (ARDI), to launch a Commission-funded project: the ‘Counter-Islamophobia Kit’. [1]

The project seeks to identify the dominant anti-Muslim narratives employed in Europe, and compares the use and efficacy of prevailing counter-narratives to Islamophobia across eight EU Member States (the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Portugal and Greece).

This is the largest project of its kind ever conducted, aiming to outline the most effective ways of countering anti-Muslim hate across Europe.

Jean chaired a conference at the European Parliament to launch the ‘toolkit’, and recorded a video discussing the findings and purpose of the report with two of the lead researchers – Professor Sayyid of the University of Leeds, and Arzu Merali of the Islamic Human Rights Commission.

Watch the video of Jean in conversation with the report’s researchers here.

Notes:

[1] https://cik.leeds.ac.uk/

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It features a look at the massive march for a People’s Vote on Brexit that took place on 23rd June, the ongoing fight against Heathrow expansion, the European Parliament’s stand against the Hungarian Government and much more….

Read the newsletter in full here.

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It calls time on the “hostile environment”as the tragedy of the Windrush scandal unfolds, it remembers Rana Plaza five years on, it features Jean’s visit to the Wandle Valley and much more….

Read the newsletter in full here.

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It outlines some of the issues she’s been working on in November – from fighting the deportation of EU nationals to promoting the real Living Wage Week to calling for greater ambition in London’s Environment Strategy and much more…

Read the newsletter in full here.

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This week, the Government released its first ‘race disparity audit’, finding that there are alarming inequalities between communities’ experiences of education, employment, home ownership, courts, and many other areas. [1]

Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP, wrote a letter to the Guardian to express her concern about the Government’s failure to invest in the UK’s existing equality bodies. Read the full letter below, or on The Guardian website here.

The new audit on race equality rings alarm bells – and not only because of the shocking disparities on which it shines a light. We should also be extremely concerned about the government’s failure to invest in the UK’s equality bodies.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission, for example, exists to tackle discrimination and promote equality. However, its budget has been cut by 75% over the past decade, with still more to come. How can we expect it to do its job effectively, while its funding is aggressively stripped away?

The government should also be proactive in supporting the many brilliant grassroots organisations around the UK that work tirelessly to inform people of their rights, and help change attitudes.

I support the prime minister’s decision to highlight the glaring inequalities in our communities. However, talk is cheap. If she wants to see change, she will need to make the most of the tools at her disposal – resourcing and empowering the groups that exist to help, but have been starved of the funding to do so.

Jean Lambert MEP
Green, London

Notes:

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/11/why-we-should-all-ask-ourselves-am-i-racist

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We are in a shifting political landscape and there is a need for EU to find its place and its purpose as we face major challenges. The European Parliament must be a standard-bearer for human rights and democracy, solidarity and environmental progress. The President is our face to the world and must be a strong proponent of these values.

In helping to shape our common future, and for the EP to fulfil its own role as the directly elected representatives of the people of the EU, we have to ensure our own house is in order and that we are an ‘open’ institution in our everyday work.

We should be:

– More transparent: the new President will have to ensure our recent rule changes, on opening up the law-making process, lobbyists, MEP interests. We will need a strong ethics Committee as well.

– More independent: we can do a better job of holding the Commission to account and following up on our decisions; we need enquiry committees decided on by Parliament alone and with tougher powers. We are a stronger institution if we have a truly independent civil service

– More environmentally conscious: we can cut our use of plastic, promote energy efficiency and reduce our carbon footprint – a Single Seat for the Parliament would help do this.

– More inclusive: of civil society in terms of developing more ‘structured’ dialogue, as required by the Treaties; of political groups of all sizes in our decision-making; in our composition – gender-balance is still an issue across our institutions but diversity as a whole also matters

– More socially responsible: the EP should ensure the rights and well-being of its workers, not least by improving the working conditions of those on ‘precarious’ contracts

I believe that Parliament’s President should be the voice of Parliament and not the voice of a single political group. That’s not to deny that this is obviously a political role, but that role is to represent the values and views of a democratically elected Parliament and not to use it as a personal platform.

I’m convinced that, today, the EP needs a President who isn’t a ‘usual suspect’ in terms of coming across as a Brussels insider. It’s true that I’ve been an MEP for a long time but I’m from a smaller political group, am often critical of EU policies and a passionate advocate for those who have benefitted least while living in possible the world’s richest region.

As some have pointed out, I’m also British. Neither myself, nor my political group of the Greens/EFA feel that this should disbar me from the Presidency of this house. Indeed – it may well be the last chance MEPs have to elect a British President! The UK Referendum last year means that I have thought a great deal about the value of the EU and the need to communicate that to the people of the European Union. Because I feel so strongly about the value of the EU and because I am proud to represent the people of the UK (London in particular), I know that the UKs’ exit from the EU must be, as far as is a possible, a win-win process and I am clear that it must not damage the future prospects of the EU.

We face many challenges today – we are stronger when we promote the values of democracy, universal human rights and solidarity on a sustainable planet together. I would be honoured to work with you all as your President on this basis.

Watch Jean’s video statement here

ENDS

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* Jean Lambert MEP responds to a letter from Home Office refusing to guarantee rights and status of EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens elsewhere in the EU

Brussels/London – Responding to news today of a letter from the Home Office to a group of EU citizens resident in the UK in which the government refused to guarantee their rights on the basis that it would put the UK in a weaker bargaining position during Brexit negotiations[1], Jean Lambert, Green Party MEP for London said

“I am upset at the government’s continued poor treatment of EU nationals in the UK. These are people, with families, jobs, relationship and friendships in Britain, not bargaining chips. These are people who came to the UK in good faith and who have made vast contributions to our country, economically, socially and culturally, and that we would reduce them to mere pawns is a disgrace.”

Jean, who has met with and continues to work with leading groups working to secure the rights of EU nationals in the UK, including the 3millioncampaign, as well as groups defending the rights of British nationals living in other EU countries, said

“Once again I call on Theresa May to come forward and say citizens of other EU countries living in Britain are welcome and their full rights are guaranteed. The Government should recognise that freedom of movement enriches our societies and benefits our economy and public services and that people’s current rights to live, work, study and travel in Europe should be maintained.”

Jean Lambert MEP recently released a video on how ‘Free movement benefits us all’ about the benefits of free movement and how Greens will be defending migrants’ rights in the post-referendum period.

ENDS

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jan/09/uk-eu-citizens-right-remain-brexit-negotiating-capital-home-office-letter?CMP=share_btn_tw

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