In solidarity with Kauthar Bouchallikht

Kauthar Bouchallikht, a green and social justice activist, is standing as a candidate for the GroenLinks (Green Left) party in the Netherlands in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Bouchallikht is facing relentless racist and baseless attacks as a Muslim woman of colour standing on a radical platform. Claims of extremism levied against her originated from far-right online platforms which have since been uncritically repeated by politicians and mainstream media.

This is no irregular occurrence, but an all too familiar pattern that people of colour and Muslims are subjected to on an ongoing basis by resurgent and emboldened bigotry, xenophobia and racism across the world. The economic forces responsible for driving catastrophic environmental destruction are the very same that give rise to such hate.

Our fight for climate justice must be one that tears down the structures of discrimination and injustice in order to build an equitable, beautiful and safe world for all. And this necessitates that we let our voices be heard in support of those who face prejudice and hate while fighting for all forms of social justice.

Solidarity, especially across borders, has always been one of the core values ​​of the progressive movement. It is also the only way we can tackle the climate crisis and racism.

We the undersigned stand in solidarity with Kauthar Bouchallikht:

Natalie Bennett, Green Party, House of Lords
Jenny Jones, Green Party, House of Lords
Paul Murphy TD (Member of Parliament in Ireland), RISE
Kevin Courtney, NEU General Secretary
Fatima Ibrahim, Co Executive Director, Green New Deal UK
Asad Rehman, Co-convenor Global Green New Deal Project
UK Youth Climate Coalition
Professor Paul Gilroy
Gargi Bhattacharya, Professor of Sociology\
Salma Yaqoob, founder & president Birmingham Stop The War Coalition
Professor Bill Bowring, European Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights
Jules Carey, Bindmans LLP
Rachel Harger, Bindmans LLP
Farhana Patel, Bindmans LLP
Jessie Brennan, Bindmans LLP
Joshua Virasami, Organiser, Black Lives Matter UK
Hilary Wainwright, Transnational Institute and Red Pepper Magazine
Lowkey
Karrim Jalali, Fossil Free Southwark
Alex Brent, GMB for a Green New Deal
Jo Macey, GMB GND
James Ritchie, GMB for a Green New Deal
Declan Owens, Solicitor, GMB for a Green New Deal
Sam Mason, Trade Unionist, GMB for GND
Thomas Englert, MOC Bruxelles
Seb Ordonez, Wretched of the Earth
Liam Kennedy, Researcher, Communication Workers Union
Jake Woodier, Editor, Red Pepper Magazine
Malia Bouattia, Editor, Red Pepper Magazine
Ewa Jasiewicz, writer and union organiser
Yasser Louati, Head of the Justice and Liberties For all Committee (CJL)
Ananya Wilson, South Asia Solidarity Group
Kimon Daltas, Editor, Red Pepper Magazine
Siobhan McGuirk, Postdoctoral Researcher, Goldsmiths University
Rhian E. Jones, Tribune and New Socialist
Gerry Hart, Red Pepper Magazine
Clare Hymer, Novara Media
Maz Saleem, Education for Peace
Ken Loach, film director
Shabbir Lakha, Stop the War
Shelly Asquith, Stop the War
Sohail Daulatzai, writer/filmmaker (University of California, Irvine)
Nisha Kapoor, Associate Professor, University of Warwick
Paul O’Connell, Reader in Law SOAS University of London
Remi Joseph-Salisbury, Presidential Fellow, University of Manchester
Jamie Woodcock, Senior Lecturer, The Open University
Patricia McManus, Senior Lecturer, University of Brighton; Branch Secretary Falmer UCU
Tom Mills, lecturer, Aston University
Hannah Elsisi, Research Fellow, University of Cambridge
John Narayan, King’s College London
Ashok Kumar, Lecturer, Birkbeck University
Tanzil Chowdhury, Lecturer, QMUL
Malcolm James, University of Sussex
Sharri Plonski, Lecturer, QMUL
Ruth Fletcher, Senior Lecturer, QMUL
Waqas Tufail, Senior Lecturer, Leeds Beckett University
Hannah Schling, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, QMUL
Waseem Yaqoob, Lecturer, QMUL
Isobel Roele, Lecturer, QMUL
Thomas Cowan, Postdoctoral Fellow, UCL
Leon Sealey-Huggins, climate justice scholar, University of Warwick
Alice Swift, climate justice activist in Reclaim the Power UK and Ende Gelände Germany and scholar at the University of Manchester
Nimer Sultany, Reader in Law SOAS University of London
Leila Ullrich, Lecturer in Law, QMUL
Ioana Cerasella Chis, doctoral researcher & trade union activist, University of Birmingham
Arshad Isakjee, Lecturer in Geography, University of Liverpool
Rhiannon Lockley, lecturer and UCU branch secretary, Birmingham City University
Mairead Enright, Reader in Law, Birmingham Law School
Marianna Karakoulaki, Doctoral Researcher at University of Birmingham & Journalist
Nathan Critch, Doctoral Researcher and trade unionist, University of Birmingham
Luke Beesley, PhD student at University of Brighton
Bradley Ward, Doctoral Researcher, GTA, and trade union activist at University of Birmingham
Hannah Boast, Assistant Professor, University College Dublin
Joseph Ward, University of Birmingham
Niall Gallen, Doctoral Researcher, University of Birmingham
Amelia Horgan, PhD candidate, University of Essex, and UCU rep
Jack Carter, Psychological Practitioner, University of Birmingham and UCU rep
Elio Di Muccio, Doctoral Researcher, University of Birmingham, HE Chair, West Midlands UCU
Jordan Osserman, Postdoctoral Researcher, Birkbeck (University of London), UCU member and #CoronaContract organiser
Christopher Featherstone, PhD student, University of Birmingham.
David Bailey, Senior Lecturer, University of Birmingham
Kai Heron, Editor at ROAR Magazine
Harriet Carroll, Research fellow & trade union activist
Anttoni J. Numminen, student & journalist,
Aimee Le, Associate Lecturer, University of Exeter, #CoronaContract
Joseph Baker, PhD Student, University of Birmingham
James Brackley, Lecturer in Accounting, University of Birmingham
Lydia Hughes, Editor Notes From Below
Bee Hughes, Lecturer LJMU, Chair LJMU UCU
Alison Dingle, University of Birmingham Unison Womens Officer
Cynthia Spencer, University of Bath (retired) and trade union activist Migration and Asylum Justice Forum (MAJF); Tyne and Wear, England
Dave Muritu, Unite member
Kaeshelle Cooke, Journalist (University of Bath / Goldsmiths College)
Mike Finn, Director of Liberal Arts, University of Exeter
Robyn Orfitelli, Lecturer, University of Sheffield
Cristina Fernández Recasens, Catalan Language and Culture Teaching Fellow & postdoctoral researcher, University of Birmingham
Ellen Clifford, Disabled People Against Cuts
Tom Cutterham, Senior Lecturer, University of Birmingham
Gráinne Charlton, Research Associate, University of Birmingham
Mike Moore, Branch Secretary, University of Birmingham UNISON
Sandy Nicoll, Branch Secretary, SOAS UNISON
Mark Adcock, University of Leeds Branch

The views expressed in this article are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.