Alice Hooker-Stroud, Leader of the Wales Green Party, pledged her determination to support those affected by hatred, racism and xenophobia and dedication to fight for a fair deal for Wales during her speech to the Green Party’s Autumn Conference today (2 September).
Hooker-Stroud, who has led her party for eight months and whose debut speech to Spring Conference went down a storm, said:
“I am hurt by the hatred, racism and xenophobia that dominated the EU referendum campaign, and that a majority vote to leave the EU, appears to have legitimised this prejudice. I am saddened that now so many thousands of people in the UK people in our communities - our friends, our families and our neighbours - not just EU nationals, but people of colour and ethnic minorities, feel so unwelcome, and live with uncertainty about their futures.
"Discrimination goes much deeper than words, and my hope is that we can now begin to expose and address the structural and hidden forms - as well as the day-today of inequality and discrimination in the UK. Not just in terms of race, but gender, disability, class and sexuality.”
Reflecting on her tenure to date, Hooker-Stroud, said:
“There were many highlights in the 2016 Welsh Assembly campaign: By entering into informal talks on the potential formation of a progressive alliance, the Wales Green Party laid the groundwork for potential future alliances, and paved the way for people to start thinking about a different form of politics.”
Hooker-Stroud said “the EU referendum has, at least, opened the debate about electoral reform and representation, about accountability and democracy, and importantly for Wales about the position of the devolved nations within the UK, and the terms of the relationship between us and Westminster. And it has brought to the fore a problem that we all know is not purely characterised by the crass headlines and campaigning of the EU referendum."
Ahead of the council elections next year, Hooker-Stroud looked forward to the Wales Green Party campaigning to elect “excellent candidates who will make caring, compassionate and strong representatives of their wards. I also look forwards to campaigning alongside Welsh Green Pride in their Non-Binary Exists campaign – to have non-binary gender properly recognised."
"We will fight for fair powers, fair funding and fair representation in Wales, making sure that voices from across Wales are heard.”