By solidarity, we mean actively working with the marginalised and excluded, allowing those affected to take the lead in setting agendas and goals. We want to transform the relationships of power that lead to oppression. We aim to work together with anyone marginalised and excluded because of their gender, class, race, nationality, (dis)ability, religion, sexual orientation, wealth, immigration status and other lines of oppression. ‘If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together’ – Lilla Watson 1985
We believe that people should be treated with justice and humanity whatever their status, and that everyone has equal rights before the law. We recognise that this principle is frequently flouted, with the most vulnerable groups being treated unjustly too often, and we support all efforts to secure justice for people and the environment. ‘If you are neutral in situations of injustice, then you have chosen the side of the oppressor’ – Desmond Tutu 1984
We advocate radical structural change designed to achieve much greater levels of equality; we want to see fully equal participation in political affairs by people from every walk of life; we want to ensure that the voices of the marginalised are given as much consideration as those of the privileged; we want to sharply reduce the cultural, economic and social inequalities that prevail today. We support those who campaign for equality in all sectors of society. ‘We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their colour’ – Maya Angelou