Saturday was marked by an incredible unveiling ceremony for Hull’s new monument to the ten International Brigade volunteers who left the city to fight fascism in Spain during the civil war.

Eleven years in the planning, this stunning piece of architecture was designed by Dan Jones and will remind generations to come of the sacrifice of ten brave souls willing to give their lives in the fight against tyranny and oppression.

The ceremony itself was moving beyond belief as family members recounted memories and told us stories passed down the generations. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

I must pay tribute to Hull and District Trades Council and the Hull International Brigade Memorial Group who have worked tirelessly for so long to make this happen. I have been proud to campaign alongside them over this last four or five years and to see this amazing project finally come to fruition is a tribute to their dedication and determination that Hull needed to remember its heroic anti-fascist history now perhaps more than ever.

I sang ‘No Pasaran’ at the unveiling ceremony and I will always remember it as one of the proudest moments of my life.

If you get the chance, I urge you to pay the monument a visit and spend a moment remembering Jim Bentley, Rob Wardle, Frida Stewart, Richard Mortimer, Morris Miller, Joe Latus, Bert Wilson, Sam Walters, Clive Smith and, of course, Jack Atkinson who gave so much for peace, democracy and freedom.