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RMT leaders: Crow's legacy lives on in us

Union will 'bite back' at opportunist attacks after untimely death

Leaders of rail union RMT warned bosses on Saturday that members are ready to "bite back" at opportunistic attacks in the wake of the death of general secretary Bob Crow.

RMT member Geoff Revell explained at the People's Assembly national conference that the union could not just "shrug off" Mr Crow's untimely death last Tuesday.

"He was in your life, not just in your branch," he remembered at the London meeting.

But in a defiant statement on behalf of the union's executive, Mr Revell said: "You may think that the death of our leader will be a fatal blow to our organisation.

"You are wrong.Bob Crow is dead but we inherit his legacy

"Our militancy and awareness of the situation in which our social class finds itself remains intact."

The statement was the union's first warning shot fired at managers and Tories preparing to take advantage of Mr Crow's passing last Tuesday.

In a rousing address to hundreds of activists, Mr Revell added: "When you bite us, we will still bite you back.

"When you attack us, our lives at work, we will resist.

"But more, when your relentless attack on our class continues, we will make common cause with the people in this hall and outside who want to resist that.

"And we will join them and we will fight you. We will fight you. We will fight you.

"That's Bob Crow's inheritance."

Stop the War Coalition head Lindsay German also paid tribute to socialist hero Tony Benn.

She revealed that Mr Benn called for May Day to be made into an "uprising against austerity" in their last conversation together.

"I think we need to think of ways to make that happen in the memory of these great people we've lost this and future generations," she said.

Ms German also expressed "disgust" at attacks on Mr Benn's legacy by his former political opponents including in the Guardian and on the BBC.

Hitting back, she said: "He articulated the thoughts of millions of people.

"You have all the mainstream politicians more or less the same about austerity. Tony Benn stood up against the stream and said the truth."

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