Health Workers Against the Far Right are appalled by the rise of racism in our society. This has been fuelled by some politicians, parts of the media and the far right.

Most recently we have seen a selective focus on particular awful crimes and myths about ‘two-tier policing’. This has been used to channel hatred against people of colour in Southampton and Belfast.

The racism we see has deep historical roots in justifying the transatlantic slave trade and European colonialism. This legacy lives on. Sadly it is all too common for health workers to experience abuse based on the colour of their skin.

Other forms of discrimination are also growing based on the racialisation of religious differences. An old antisemitic trope sees Jews as a hidden hand controlling world events. Other racists see Muslims as being culturally incompatible with ‘Western values’. We reject these and all such arguments.

The past year has seen a rise in antisemitic attacks and the repackaging of old conspiracy theories into new forms. We are appalled by this. However, we reject the idea that the growth of antisemitism is due to the pro-Palestine movement. We believe that when racism is cynically weaponised to meet the needs of politicians the seriousness of actual instances of racism is undermined.

Another group of people that are currently being dehumanised and attacked in the UK are refugees. They are portrayed as dangerous strangers who are a threat to women and girls. We believe that the current focus on a small minority of rapes committed by perpetrators that are not known to their victims does not aim to address the true causes of rape or protect women. It seeks to manufacture useful scapegoats that can be blamed for economic and social problems.

The NHS is underfunded and understaffed. It has fewer hospital beds, doctors and nurses than many other comparable countries. This is not the fault of migrants, but of successive governments who have failed to invest adequately in our health service.

The rise of racism and the far right are frightening, but we believe that ordinary people can fight back. We call on our fellow health workers to become part of this movement, not only to protect our patients and our colleagues, but also to build a better society, free of racism.