Hattersley is attempting to orchestrate a witch hunt against Black Section supporters, including prospective parliamentary candidate Bernie Grant and Lambeth council leader Linda Bellos. This move comes in the wake of the recent national executive decision to threaten the Labour Party Black Section with disciplinary action for having the temerity to organise against the oppression of Black people.
In an obvious provocation, Hattersley wrote to Grant and Bellos demanding they cancel their commitment to speak at the Birmingham Labour Party Black Section meeting on Tuesday 7 April. To make sure this bombshell had the desired, effect the letter was released to the press. This demand that Labour Party members do not speak in a city is unprecedented.
Together with four other right wing Birmingham MPs — Denis Howell, Jeff Rooker, Terry Davis and Robin Corbett - Hattersley states that neither Birmingham District Labour Party nor the city council needs any advice from you or Haringey and Lambeth councils'. To drive the message home, the letter goes on: 'if you do have spare time, you should come to Birmingham to learn how a sensible and progressive council — the largest Labour-led council in Britain — is dealing with this problem (of defending council services) instead of coming to give us the doubtful benefit of your advice.
In a separate letter, Birmingham council leader Dick Knowles has also called on Grant and Bellos to keep out of the city. 'Such a meeting in Birmingham,' he said, 'will harm the Labour Party.' Bernie Grant, who is ill in hospital, was unable to attend. Linda Bellos spoke. In a written reply to the Hattersley letter, Bellos pointed out that 'like most members of the Labour Party I am free to address issues outside the constituency where I live.
She went on that Black people in this coun try had faced such experiences for centuries. She also pointed out her fear that opposition from Labour spokespeople to Black people meeting together would be construed as their not having the interests of Black communities at heart.
On the eve of the Birmingham Black Section meeting, Linda told Socialist Action: This letter signed by five white male Labour MPs is nothing more than an attempt to impose pass laws. It is tactless, arrogant and intimidating. I do not think their decision to send it to Bernie and me and to leak it to the press is a sound or rational judgement.' Despite threats, the Birmingham Black Section meeting went ahead. The 250-strong audience heard Linda Bellos and prospective parliamentary candidate Sharon Atkin call for support for the Labour Party Black Section. Other speakers included a Walthamstow coun cillor who is a Black Section supporter and a representative of the Clinton McCorbyn Campaign. Contrary to press reports, Amir Khan also attended the meeting.
This attempt by Hattersley to ban Labour Party members from a city is one of the most grotesque attacks on the right of free speech in the Labour Party ever seen. Roy Hattersley has the perfect right to express his views — and frequently does so. Black party members have an equal right to express theirs. The entire witch hunt against the Labour Party Black Section, including this latest attempt to introduce pass laws for Black party members, must be thrown out.
Socialist Action 10 April 1987