Motion to amend London Federation of Green Parties' constitution

Motion to amend London Federation of Green Parties'  constitution for London fed for  AGM  20/10/ 2018 @ Conway Hall, (25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL). 

MOTION:

“Para 5c Delete existing and insert

  “At General Meetings voting on a particular decision may be limited to elected representatives, one from each Local Party and  Committee Officers parties may appoint substitutes if necessary, substitutes may vote.

 Para 6 Delete existing and insert

. OFFICERS, COMMITTEES AND WORKING GROUPS

a. The Officers comprise: 

·         the Co-ordinator;

·         2 Co-Secretaries;

·         Treasurer;

·         TU Liaison Officer,

·          BME officer,

·          LGBTIQ officer

·          Disabled Peoples’ Officer,

·         Seniors’ Officer

·         Young Greens Officers

           the GPRC Representatives and

·         the Federation’s representative on the GPEW disciplinary committee; - so long as the Federation is entitled to representation thereon, the Federation's Representative on the Green MEP Advisory Body (GMAB).

·         Committee may  co-opt volunteers for other roles, with or without voting rights in committee decisions as the committee recommends.. Co-options shall be made with the agreement of a general meeting, 

f.     Any Officer may be removed by a two-thirds majority vote at a General Meeting, provided that notice of the proposal has been given at the preceding General Meeting, on the circulated agenda and to the Officer concerned.  If the occupant/s of any of the above roles is absent or does not communicate with the committee for two consecutive months, without reasonable explanation, then a substitute may be co-opted from a general meeting subject to approval by a vote at that meeting. In cases of unavoidable notified absence for two consecutive months or more, a temporary substitute will be co-opted as detailed above.”

Proposed by Pete Murry Brent Green Party

Why aren’t we talking/worrying/ panicking more about global warming?

by Kensal & Kilburn Better 2018

DESCRIPTION

**RESCHEDULED DATE NOW FIXED FOR 25 SEPT 2018, 7.15PM**

In 2017/18, the Arctic had its warmest winter in the last 40,000 years. The old frozen Arctic is gone, and will never come back for centuries. We know this, but we do not seem to be talking about it, or what it may mean for our future. Are we reacting by going into denial? What are the facts? What are the implications? And what can and should we be doing, and asking our politicians to do now?

Natalie Bennett was the leader of the Green Party of England & Wales from 2012 to 2016. As a scientist, journalist, activist and politician she has been deeply involved with these questions over many years. She will share her insights with us, and engage in discussion and debate.

Dr. Nicholas Smith from the University of Westminster explores social representations of climate change. He has also worked as post-doctural researcher with the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the Liveable Cities Project.

Roger Hallam is a climate activist and theorist and was an organic farmer for 20 years. He has most recently been involved with campaigns such as Kings College Climate Emergency, Stop Killing Londoners and Vote No Heathrow.

DATE AND TIME

Tue 25 September 2018

19:15 – 20:45 BST

Add to Calendar

LOCATION

St Lukes West Kilburn

Fernhead Road

London

W9 3EH

TUC Congress 2018 Greener Jobs Alliance Briefing:

TUC Congress 2018 Greener Jobs Alliance Briefing: 

Full spectrum’ of unions support motions on climate change, energy and a Just Transition Delegates to the TUC’s 150th annual Congress will debate six motions https://bit.ly/2wHjYWN setting out new directions for TUC policy on climate change, energy and a Just Transition.

The Greener Jobs Alliance welcome the GMB’s proposal for a TUC-led conference in their motion, Just transition and energy workers’ voice. But we have a duty to express our concern that this motion limits input on TUC policy from other unions, making ‘energy unions’ views ‘paramount’. Although the proposed conference on Just Transition is long overdue, when it comes to fighting climate change, every union should have a voice: in the fire and rescue services, food manufacturer, rail transport, public services, the NHS. No less than nine unions have motions or amendments on climate change and a just transition at TUC 2018.

Motions in brief

01: Industrial strategy: an economy for the many Unite’s motion calls on the TUC to campaign for an industrial strategy that includes: • Strengthening collective bargaining in the workplace and across industrial sectors. • Investment in UK manufacturing, electric vehicles, construction and infrastructure. • Support for high-quality apprenticeships. ASLEF’s amendment links industrial policy to a just transition: ‘Support for investment and strategic planning to ensure UK industry is at the forefront of a just transition to a low-carbon economy and the fight against climate change, including by means of an integrated transport strategy.’

07 Just transition and energy workers’ voice In support of gas industry members, the GMB motion argues that ‘lower carbon gas’ is an essential for the UK’s secure, affordable and lower carbon energy supply. Backed by Prospect, the motion, ‘congratulates GMB, Prospect, UNISON and Unite for calling a just transition conference to ask members employed in energy precisely what they, their communities and industries want and need from an energy sector of the future…The views of the workers affected, as expressed through these trade unions, should be paramount to development of all TUC policies on energy, industrial strategy and climate change.’ 

TUC: LESE update 7/9/2018

TUC new event information View this email in a browser

Welcome to our regular update about trade union campaigns

From Sam Gurney, regional secretary and Laurie Heselden, regional policy and campaigns officer Welcome to our new 'campaigns update'. The format will generally be a very short description about a trade union campaign, an organising drive, or a dispute, and a link that you can click through on if you want to learn more about the issue. It will a be regular bulletin and we will try to send one out monthly, but we will flex that if there is an urgent need, or a quiet period. We are committed to raising the profile of trade unions in our region, and within that, to stimulating more communications within the trade union family. And we want to build  awareness amongst people who are not yet a trade union member of the brilliant things trade unions do. TUC: LESE is the Trades Union Congress region that is responsible for London, the east and the south east of England, where nearly two million trade union members live and work. Think Norwich across to Oxford, and then down to the Isle of Wight and you will have a rough image of our geography. We are sorry that there has been less communication flowing out of our office in the past few months than we would have liked. But every trade union has been dealing with the demands of the new GDPR regulations for handling personal data and making sure that our contact lists were compliant with the new rules. Thank you for your patience. This is our first stab at a campaigns update. We hope you find it useful. We would welcome any constructive comments sent to lese@tuc.org.uk We will also be sending out a slightly shorter events newsletter on a roughly weekly basis. There is much good news to share, and many great trade union stories to tell, so we are determined to make this campaigns update a success. Sam and Laurie

TUC Congress, to be held 9-12 September 2018 It will be held in Manchester and will celebrate 150 years of the TUC. Central to the efforts to celebrate the 150th anniversary are 150 stories of influential trade unionists, and ‘a project to reach out to young people as the next generation of trade unionists, activists and leaders’. https://tuc150.tuc.org.uk/about-tuc-150/ https://www.tuc.org.uk/blogs/celebrating-150-years-tuc https://www.tuc.org.uk/campaigns/reaching-young-workers

Increasing cost of childcare running massively ahead of the average increase in pay Working parents with children under five have seen nursery fees rise three times faster than their wages over the past decade, according to new TUC analysis published 3 September. The sub-regional data documents an event greater problem for most families with young children in our region. In the south east childcare costs have risen 4.5 times faster than the average increase in wages. In the east of England childcare costs have risen 3.4 times faster than the average increase in wages. In Inner London childcare costs have also risen 3.4 times faster than the average increase in wages. The story is less bad in outer London, but even there childcare costs have risen 1.5 times more rapidly than the increase in average wages. This leaves hundreds of thousands of families with a massive shortfall in their monthly budget and it is evidence of the devastating impact of Britain's cost of living crisis on working mums and dads. https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/childcare-fees-have-risen-three-times-faster-wages-2008-tuc-analysis-reveals

‘Decent Homes for All’ Public policy on homes and housing in the UK has been a massive area of failure for forty years and the UK is left with too few homes, poor quality housing, a poorly regulated private rented sector, a massive loss of properties owned by local councils, and too few new homes built for low-cost rent each year. Our region is particularly badly affected. We are supporting trade union’s campaigns for more public sector housing, for stronger regulation in the private sector, and we have our own ‘Decent Homes for All’ campaign. We are particularly interested in collecting stories from trade union members who are ‘working homeless’, which we define as people with paid employment who cannot afford a decent home, because of the cost of housing, low pay or the collision of both. Shelter estimate that there are 33,000 people in Britain that are both working and homeless. There are tens of thousands of others who cannot afford to live anywhere near where they work. If you are a trade unionist and have a housing story to tell us, please contactlheselden@tuc.org.uk and we will arrange a private chat on the phone.

Far-right vandals attack Bookmarks, the socialist bookshop in London The increase in far right activity across our region is a cause of serious concern. Late on Saturday 4 August approximately a dozen people wearing masks entered the shop and proceeded to tear down displays, rip up books and magazines, and throw books on to the floor. Some of the vandals wore ‘Make Britain Great Again’ caps. Subsequently, UKIP suspended three of its members, pending enquiries. Frances O’Grady, TUC General Secretary tweeted, “Solidarity to our friends at Bookmarks. Another sinister reminder of the growing confidence of the far-right”. TUC: LESE works closely with Bookmarks and it has stalls at many of our events. Members of our executive committee and office team members went to Bookmarks to express TUC: LESE’s solidarity. The more volunteers that Bookmarks has the better it will be defended against politically motivated acts of vandalism and intimidation. If you would like to know more about volunteering at Bookmarks please contacthttps://bookmarksbookshop.co.uk/contact https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/aug/05/far-right-protesters-ransack-socialist-bookshop-bookmarks-in-london https://bookmarksbookshop.co.uk/about We will be working closely with our affiliates to mobilise more generally to respond to the increase in far-right activity.

Organising drive begins at Sky    Photo credit: Prospect-Bectu and Jess Hurd Prospect-BECTU has launched a new information and recruitment initiative at Sky to build on existing membership numbers at the company. The campaign is called Moxie - meaning force of character, determination, nerve or energy. It is intended to capture the vitality of workers at Sky and of BECTU. The union wants to pool that energy to strengthen workers' voice at Sky. https://www.bectu.org.uk/news/2859

Unite the Union members at TGI Fridays on strike from 24 August Workers at TGI Fridays restaurants in Milton Keynes and Covent Garden in London walked out for a fifth time, with workers at Stratford City in London, joining the action for the first time, in an ongoing dispute over the company’s refusal to address concerns over tips and alleged minimum wage abuses. Three days of strikes started on Friday 24 August and continued over the bank holiday weekend. We were pleased to visit the protest and official picket line outside TGI Fridays in Covent Garden. http://www.unitetheunion.org/news/workers-at-tgi-fridays-to-strike-for-historic-fifth-time/

GMB calls on Heathrow to pay the real London Living Wage to all direct and contracted staff  GMB, one of the unions that organises at Heathrow, has called on Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited to ensure all direct and contracted staff on its sites are being paid the living wage, which in London is presently £10.20 per hour. The GMB says that contracted staff such as those from Omniserv, OCS, and ISS, who deliver services such as wheel chair assistance, terminal cleaning and aircraft cleaning, have not had a wage increase for over three years. Heathrow Holdings Limited became an accredited real living wage employer in November 2017 and has made a commitment that its direct employees and those of any contractors on its sites will be paid the real living wage by the end of 2020. https://www.gmblondon.org.uk/news/gmb-call-on-heathrow-to-pay-london-living-wage-following-new-dividend-figures https://www.employeebenefits.co.uk/issues/november-2017/heathrow-airport-gains-living-wage-accreditation/

UNISON East of England is opposing drastic cuts to the number of Police Community Support Officers in Suffolk Suffolk Constabulary has announced its intention to reduce the number of PCSO posts to 48, down from 107 posts in 2016, and 173 in 2010. This is not only an attack on jobs, but on the front-line services that people depend upon. UNISON East of England said “PCSOs are not only a reassuring, visible presence in communities, they also gather vital intelligence that prevents crime and protects the public”. We have written to the local Police and Crime Commissioner calling on them to reconsider.  If you live or work in Suffolk please write to your MP and to the Police and Crime Commissioner at http://www.suffolkpcc.co.uk/contactus https://www.unison.org.uk/news/press-release/2018/07/cutting-suffolks-police-community-support-officers-risks-public-safety-says-unison/

RMT and guards on trains: dispute with South Western Railway South Western Railway was awarded the south western rail franchise in March 2017, and it took over from South West Trains in August 2017. It operates commuter services from London Waterloo to south west London and provides suburban and regional services in southern England. RMT members at South Western Railway took strike action, 18 August seeking to defend the role of guards on its train services. The RMT said “that members are standing rock solid and united across the South Western Railway network this morning in the fight to retain guards and protect safety, security and accessibility on the company’s services”. More industrial action was held 31 August – 2 September, 8 September and 15 September, as negotiations to resolve the dispute were not successful. RMT reports that the strike action was 'rock solid'. In July the RMT had a breakthrough in negotiations about guards in trains with Greater Anglia, and in August an agreement in principle was reached with Merseyrail. Union members and the travelling public should keep the pressure on intransigent rail operating companies to reach agreements to keep guards on trains, with 'an operational role'. https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-south-western-railway-guards-safety-action-rock-solid180818/

'Your Health at Work': an indispensable guide to physical and mental well-being published by the TUC This new book covers the most common physical and mental health risks at work and how trade union reps can tackle them, advising reps and officers in advance of negotiating with employers and managers, and providing a guide to assisting members in the workplace. The 240 page book is an essential reference book, and a must-have for all trade union workplace reps. You can purchase it from the TUC for £12.99, which is £2 cheaper than you will find it in book shops. Unions that would like their own logo printed on the cover can have this done for no extra charge, if they order a minimum of 50 copies. Other bespoke options are available. Please contact Paul Rey-Burns for further details at prey-burns@tuc.org.uk or 020 7467 1294. To order this book please do so online here https://www.tuc.org.uk/publications/your-health-work-indispensable-guide-physical-and-mental-wellbeing Discounts apply for bulk orders.

Employment status, the ‘gig economy’ and ‘art educators’ at the National Gallery Recent high-profile Employment Tribunals about employment status include cases involving Pimlico Plumbers, Uber, CitySprint and Deliveroo. These all involved workers in the private sector. But precarious terms and conditions of employment affect workers in public sector institutions too, either through outsourcing, or through long-term anomalies. For decades art educators at the National Gallery in London welcomed school tours and visitors, gave talks, workshops and offered information about the history of the Gallery and the art on display. The people that did these jobs had their employment terminated in late 2017, and some of them were offered the opportunity to apply for vacancies, reportedly on lesser terms and conditions. The employment status of the original art educators is the subject of an Employment Tribunal claim as 27 of them, (the NG27), are seeking to get their status as employees recognised. It will probably be a high-profile case. Obviously, every claim that goes to an Employment Tribunal is unique, but precarious employment is commonplace in the heritage sector, so it is a case that is worth following and supporting. The NG27 are fund-raising to pay the legal costs of taking their claim to Employment Tribunal. Following a preliminary hearing on 16 July, their 8-day hearing will start on 26 November 2018. The target is to raise £65,000. They have already raised more than half of the target. https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/nationalgalleryeducators/ There is an online auction of art works with all proceeds going towards the campaign https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/nationalgallery27/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from= Twitter @standwithNG27 Instagram @standwithNG27 Facebook ‘Stand with NG27' Email: nationalgalleryjustice@gmail.com https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jul/16/employment-tribunal-hears-cases-against-national-gallery

You can help build our trade union communications network You can send this campaigns update to other trade union reps, or friends and colleagues in your workplace, if you think they will be interested. Please remember to use the 'bcc' facility on the email that you forward, if you think that is appropriate. If you have received this campaign update, but not directly from TUC: LESE, you can register for both it and our events newsletter by clicking on the link below.

pressure on trade unionists to adopt the IHRA definition and examples

Dear colleague,

I am writing to ask for your support for the open letter below. As UCU president-elect I’m deeply concerned by the mounting pressure on trade unionists to adopt the IHRA definition and examples and feel it is crucial that there is a broad response to this from across the labour movement. In UCU we are particularly concerned about the threat that the IHRA definition and examples poses to academic freedoms, but I feel this is a much bigger issue which concerns the whole of the trade union movement.

We have a proud tradition in the UK trade unions of both fighting for Palestinian rights and standing firm against racism. In the current context where the far right is now becoming a real threat once again, this letter appeals for unity and solidarity rather than the division and confusion which will result if the IHRA definition is widely adopted.

The aim of this open letter is to circulate with initial signatories as soon as possible, preferably in advance of the outcome of Labour’s NEC meeting tomorrow (or as soon as possible afterwards), but then to broader layers of union members to sign via an online form which I’m going to set up later today.

I’d really appreciate your support for this initiative and would be grateful if you could let me know your thoughts as soon as possible,

Best wishes,

Nita Sanghera, UCU vice-president and president-elect.

Open letter from trade unionists on the adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism and examples

We are deeply concerned by the accelerating pressure on the labour movement to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and the associated examples and urge our fellow trade unionists to stand firm in opposition to this divisive move.

Trade unions and the Labour Party must be at the heart of building a movement against racism and fascism, and there is no place for antisemitism, Islamophobia or any other kind of racism in our ranks. In an era when the far-right is growing in confidence it is more important than ever to stand against Holocaust denial, anti-Jewish conspiracy theories and any other forms of antisemitic prejudice and hatred.

However, the examples which accompany the IHRA definition systematically conflate opposition to Israel with antisemitism, threatening to undermine many years of practical solidarity with the Palestinian people in the face of decades of dispossession and occupation. We believe it is vitally important that trade unionists can speak out to challenge Israel’s history of racism towards the Palestinians without being labelled as antisemitic.

The IHRA definition and its examples also pose a serious threat to academic freedom. Specifically, there is a wide body of scholarly research and teaching that locates the origins of the state of Israel within the framework of a European colonial settler project. This draws on historical evidence of widely-held racist ideas about the ‘indigenous population’ among Israel’s founders and acts of ethnic cleansing and exclusion in building the new state. Historical interpretations are of course subject to challenge, but the very principles of scholarly research will be under threat if legitimate interpretations of Israel’s founding as “a racist endeavour” are falsely conflated with antisemitism.

We note that the general secretaries of several major trade unions urged Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party to adopt the IHRA definition in full. We do not share their view that compromising over this issue is necessary in order to boost Labour’s chances at the polls.

We pledge to continue the campaign against the adoption of the IHRA definition and examples within our own trade unions, and urge others to do the same in their institutions. What we need is to build unity across the labour movement in the face of the growing threat from the far-right, while remaining uncompromising in our opposition to all forms of racism, and steadfast in our solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Nita Sanghera - UCU Vice president and president-elect

Jane Doolan - Unison NEC (PC)*

Mike Calvert - Unison - Deputy Branch Secretary Islington (PC)

Diana James - Assistant Branch Secretary - Islington (Unison) (PC)

Ian Allinson, Former EC member, Branch chair and NISC member, Unite the union

Sean Vernell - UCU NEC

Carlo Morelli - UCU NEC

Rhiannon Lockley - UCU NEC  -Dudley South CLP

Mandy Brown - UCU NEC - London Regional Secretary - Lambeth College

Chris Jones - UCU NEC

Christina Paine - UCU NEC

Sean Wallis - UCU NEC

Elane Heffernan - UCU NEC

Mark Abel - UCU NEC

Dave Muritu - UCU NEC

Julia Roberts - UCU NEC

John Sullivan - UCU NEC

*Personal capacity

Add signatures here: https://goo.gl/forms/2N9CoVPoGBhl9yo32

Peter Progressives from across the continent are coming together for two days of discussion, reflection and planning a strategy to transform Europe. Join Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalatos, Momentum’s Laura Parker, Ash Sarkar, Zoe Williams and many more. We will meet at a time of great urgency for the future of progressive forces on the continent. Peace and democracy in Europe are today under huge challenge by the rise of the far right. With some exceptions the left has not been the ‘go-to pole’ of the political system blown apart by the fallout from the global financial crisis. Today we are paying the price for the failure of previous reform efforts; of not being bold and visionary enough. This can’t go on. Europe needs a new agenda for transformative social change. To aid in these efforts Europe for the Many will provide an opportunity for civil society movements and politicians to enter into dialogue and discussion on what our next steps will be. How do we go beyond the dichotomy of status quo Europe versus no Europe? What transformative possibilities are opening up? And how can the growing threat from far right nationalist forces be effectively challenged? We will bring together a range of speakers – and you – to answer these questions. See you there! Tickets available soon

German anti-fascists are asking for support and international protest around events in Chemnitz. Written by Liz Fekete from the Institute of Race Relations website... On 27/28 August, in scenes reminiscent of the 1991 pogroms in Rostock and Hoyerswerda, police in the east German state of Saxony all but lost control of the streets to the far Right in the former industrial city of Chemnitz, once a Communist stronghold. Far-right protests against immigrants and crime quickly turned into anti-foreigner riots, with many describing the current situation in Chemnitz, where the electoral far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) is strong, as a pre-pogrom situation. As concerns mount that sections of Saxony’s police force are colluding with the far Right, Germany’s well-organised anti-fascist committees are mobilising. They are asking politicians, NGOs, anti-fascist committees and all concerned individuals in the UK to closely follow events in Chemnitz and, if possible, write to top state officials and the police in Saxony, as well as the federal interior minister, demanding action. As Ulli Jentsch, from the Anti-Fascist Press Archive (Apabiz) in Berlin, told IRR News: ‘Many thousands of anti-fascists and democrats have stood up against the Nazis in Chemnitz. They are in real danger in the days, and weeks to come, as the police, even if they wanted to, are unable to protect everyone. Every report from abroad is helpful.’ Chain of events An English-language timeline of the violence in Chemnitz, can be found on the website of the newspaper Deutsche Welle and an even more complete version of events will be published on the websites of Apabiz and NSU Watch in the days to come. To summarise, the far Right started to mobilise after a fight at a local town festival on 23 August left a Cuban-German man, named only as Daniel H.,  dead from knife wounds and several others injured, with an arrest warrant issued for two men – one Syrian, one Iraqi. The first far-right mobilisation came after an online call from neo-nazis and  a local far-Right football hooligan association, Kaotic. Taking advantage of the tragic events during the street fight, they claimed that a German man had been stabbed to death because he was protecting women and that a second man had been killed. Let’s show the people ‘who is in the driver’s seat in the city’ they  boasted  on social media. The next day, 25 August,  the far-right anti-Muslim organisation Pro Chemnitz organised an official demonstration, with an estimated 8,000  far-right supporters met by 1,500 counter-protesters. During this demonstration, far-right groups broke into smaller mobs, with many masked men hunting down foreigners, with some shouting ‘For every dead German, a dead foreigner’ and making the Hitler salute. Security experts say there is evidence that the rioters had been mobilised from different groups around the country and probably elsewhere in Europe. Criticisms of police grow Initially, the police responded to allegations that they were unprepared for dealing with the violence because of cuts in police staff numbers, by stressing that although only 591 police officers were mobilised they had responded magnificently in the face of far-right violence and leftwing counter-protests. But their claims were quickly rebuked by Saxony’s Office for Protection of the Constitution which said that they had warned the police in advance that large numbers of extremists from across Germany, as well as football hooligans and martial arts fanatics with a known far right background, were expected in the city in the ‘low to medium four-figure realm’. Then, on 29 August, the scandal involving police inaction escalated. The authorities announced that a judicial investigation for official secrets violations had been opened because the arrest warrant for the Iraqi man wanted in connection with Daniel H.’s murder had been leaked to the far Right  and tweeted by Lutz Bachmann, the founding member of Pegida. The photograph quickly circulated online via a WhatsApp group of the far-right movement Pro Chemnitz, which originally called the demonstration. Saxony – a neo-Nazi stronghold The neo-Nazi National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) has always had a base in Saxony and it was in another Saxon city, Zwickau, close to the Czech border, that the terrorist cell, responsible for ten murders, the National Socialist Underground first went underground in the 1990s. The far-right movement Pegida began in Dresden, the capital of Saxony, and it was in Dresden, too, that the Egyptian pharmacist Marwa El Sherbini, who was three months pregnant, was murdered in 2009 by a neo-Nazi in a courtroom. Police officers in Saxony are largely drawn from a region of the former GDR that, until recently, was largely white and monocultural and there has long been concern that sections of the police have been colluding with fascists. After the NSU case, in 2017, more allegations of police collusion emerged during the trial of ‘The Freital Group’, an anti-migrant vigilante and terror group linked to a number of attacks on refugee accommodation, leftwing centres and politicians. Amid disquiet about soft-peddling from the local prosecutor’s office and allegations that the Saxony police not only knew about the group but failed to intervene, it emerged that at least one police officer tipped off its members about police operations. A federal prosecutor was called in to take over the investigation . While institutional racism in the police has never been formally acknowledged in Germany, the signs are that Chancellor Merkel, who has indicated that she wants more involvement of the federal police in Saxony, recognises that Saxony’s police force is in urgent need of reform. But when will she take action, and what will happen in the meantime? Pegida have called yet another demonstration for the first weekend of September.  Ulli Jentsch implores us to ‘Ask questions of the police, ask questions of the government of Saxony. Ask them what they will do to stop this racist outrage and protect foreigners and refugees in this country.’