Unite members unequivocally reject the campaign of aggression against Iran at Policy Conference fringe event
On Thursday 10 July, delegates to Unite the Union’s Policy Conference in Brighton attended a successful fringe meeting addressing the fallout from recent Israeli and US attacks on Iran, jointly organised by the Morning Star’s Sussex Readers and Supporters Group (RSG), Liberation, the Committee for the Defence of the Iranian People’s Rights (CODIR), and local Unite branch 6246.
Delegates heard from Dr. Azar Sepehr of the Democratic Organisation of Iranian Women (DOIW) who stressed that “wars spell danger for the people and progressive movements [worldwide]” while Trump and Netanyahu have shown “complete disregard for international and humanitarian law”. Dr. Sepehr warned that the Iranian regime’s immediate response has been to unleash “a new wave of oppression and fear” throughout Iran, noting reports of at least 700 arrests on the grounds of alleged espionage while thousands of Afghan refugees have been summarily rounded up in a mass deportation campaign.
Jane Stewart, Unite national women’s committee chair, conveyed a message of solidarity from the National Assembly of Women (NAW) and highlighted the devastating impact of the war on women and children and the need for continued solidarity with Iranian women.
Middle East Eye journalist Joe Gill told the meeting that the 12-day war in which Iran was attacked by Israel and the US had “proved once again that the rules-based international order is a sham” and noted the need to avoid the pattern of Western-backed ‘regime change’ as witnessed in Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Afghanistan with “prolonged conflict, failed states, and sectarian violence.” He reported that Israeli attacks had worsened the already woeful food and energy insecurity in the country, with at least 60% of Iranians living in poverty, but that the calls of Iranian monarchists to exploit the situation for ‘regime change’ “fell on deaf ears” as the overwhelming majority of the Iranian population understood that their sovereignty was under attack by Israel and the US.
Jamshid Ahmadi, an executive member of CODIR and a campaigner for peace in Iran and the Middle East, also focused on the aborted Israeli attempt to force regime change in Iran, pointing out that the defence of Iran’s sovereignty “is the defence of its people, vital infrastructure, culture, history, and territorial integrity” and that “a military attack by a racist and colonialist regime like Israel is a criminal act against all Iranian people as well as the territorial integrity of Iran.”
Unite representative Sandra Trotter, chairing the meeting, congratulated the Morning Star on its principled support of the Iranian people and anti-war stance, unique among British newspapers. Ruben Brett, a local Morning Star supporter and one of the organisers of the meeting, remarked that the meeting provided “a timely reminder of the necessity of upholding the Iranian people’s right to self-determination against all attacks upon their sovereignty.”
Support our work – donate, become a member, affiliate your local organisation’s branch or volunteer
