Letter from Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP, Leader of the Opposition          

"We were delighted that Kira, Ellie and Nathan reached out to us and engaged thoughtfully with our questions. We are confident that if elected they will stand up for young people, and in particular for young East and Southeast Asians. We are keen to work with them going forwards, and are happy for the Chinese for Labour Executive Committee to nominate them.

"Young people in the UK are facing years of precarious work and declining living standards due to the government’s mishandling of Covid 19. The pandemic has also brought a wave of increased racism against young East and Southeast Asians, on top of the hostile environment already experienced by those from immigrant families. It is vital that Chinese for Labour represents these young people.

"We support Kira, Ellie and Nathan's commitment to improving safeguarding structures within Young Labour, to ensure young activists within the party feel safe and welcome. With increased racist attacks against East and Southeast Asians, their efforts will be an important part of ensuring the party and our communities remain a safe space for all people.

"However, while Young Labour's internal culture must become more inclusive, we are aware that many in our communities don't even consider becoming involved in politics to start with. Therefore we hope the candidates will spend time developing ways of encouraging young East and Southeast Asians to consider political involvement, bringing them into the Labour movement.

"Finally, we are pleased that the candidates were aware of the challenges faced by East and Southeast Asians overseas. We want Young Labour to be a strong voice for all those suffering from political oppression and human rights abuses." 

Young Chinese for Labour

End the Virus of Racism is a pan-East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) intergenerational group of community workers, activists, researchers, professionals and artists - both of migrant and second-generation backgrounds - who formed a mutual aid group in May 2020. We are fundraising to build the UK's first not-for-profit, intersectional organisation, dedicated to redressing systemic anti-ESEA racisms and progressing anti-racist conversations within our communities. This is a movement led by people of ESEA heritage, primarily for people of ESEA heritage.

From January-March this year, reported hate crimes against Chinese and Southeast Asians tripled. In May, Human Rights Watch identified globalised patterns in intensifying anti-Asian and other racisms during COVID-19, and warned that governments had fuelled such xenophobia. Recently in the US, a resolution condemning anti-Asian rhetoric and calling for stronger measures to combat racism, was tabled by the Democrats and passed. At home, Sarah Owen MP has regularly raised how leaders’ rhetoric and racialised COVID-19 discourses have “lifted the lid on” pre-existing anti-Asian racism. The issue of British media coverage of coronavirus-related news featuring a disproportionately high number of ESEA people in accompanying visual imagery - furthering the stigmatisation of ESEA communities - was raised in Parliament in July. You can sign the related petition here: https://www.change.org/p/stop-depicting-east-south-east-asians-in-coronavirus-related-media

There is a long history of anti-ESEA discrimination in the UK which our campaign is committed to tackling. Racism in British society against East and Southeast Asians manifests not only in increased hate incidents in 2020, but structurally: the underrepresentation of ESEA people in government and politics, the bamboo ceiling and the normalisation of abuse and stereotyping toward our communities. Please consider supporting our campaign and donating to our crowdfunder: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/endthevirusofracism. Only when all contribute their firewood can we build up a strong fire.

For more info, see our website https://www.endthevirusofracism.com/ or email us at [email protected]. Thank you - in power and in solidarity.