Fiona Lali on Palestine, capitalism and why we don’t need to reduce immigration

As part of The Slice Tower Hamlets’ coverage of the general election, we interview Fiona Lali, an independent candidate running in Stratford and Bow.

Fiona Lali, the national campaign coordinator of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP), is running as an independent candidate in Stratford and Bow. We spoke to the 26-year-old about why she’s against capitalism, the role of Palestine in her campaign, and more.

Before moving to London when she was 11, Lali lived in Uganda, where her father is from, and Ireland, where her mother originates. When she moved to the UK, she studied law and development at The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). At university, she was politically active as a member of the Marxist society and was elected as the lead SOAS delegate at the National Union of Students conference.

After graduating, as part of her work for the Marxist Student Federation (MSF), Lali helped to organise and coordinate Marxist student societies at universities across England.

She joined the Labour Party at 18 years old to support Jeremy Corbyn, but since May this year she’s been an active member of the RPC, which describes itself as ‘a fighting, revolutionary party for workers and youth’. 

Lali was catapulted into the public eye after appearing on GB News in conversation with Suella Braverman, the former Home Secretary. The tense debate, where Lali accused Braverman of being a war criminal, circulated widely online. Lali has been active in organising the pro-Palestinian student encampments across campuses in England, and she’s coordinating a reignition of the movement for freshers’ period in September and October.

As an independent candidate for Stratford and Bow, Lali’s campaign revolves around 10 demands, including stopping arms exports to Israel, disbanding Trident, nationalisation of railways and water companies and seizing wealth from the rich. 

We asked Lali about her campaign in Stratford and Bow.

For more of our general election coverage, watch our interview with Uma Kumaran, Labour Party candidate for Stratford and Bow