Racism in the UK: How Can it Be Fought?
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Throughout the 1990s, English right-wing parties were extremely racist and intolerant. They claimed that they wanted to fight rising crime (Hutnyk, 51). This was simply an excuse to attack racialized people. These politicians were essentialist, seeing all different marginalized people as a monolith. Thus, when a crime was committed by a racialized person, their entire community was perceived as being a criminal threat. The only way of getting rid of this ‘‘rising criminal threat’’ was to bring order. This order was expressed by police officers violently beating racialized people, whose only crime was existing. Evidently, this was also a problem in France, America, Canada, and other Western countries. Some people claim that criminal acts and terrorist attacks have enhanced racism and islamophobia. I believe that racist people exist, with or without ‘‘rising crime’’. However, crime is a way for racists of justifying their intolerance and being ‘‘allowed’’ to express it. Many left-wing people organized protests and demonstrations as a way of opposing this rising racism in England (Hutnyk, 52).
Conservatives have often perceived cultural diversity as a threat to national cohesion and security, whether in England or other Western countries. Since 9/11, liberals have also been increasingly critical of immigration and multiculturalism (Kundnani, 122). Eventually, a new sense of ‘‘community cohesion’’ was introduced, which encouraged integration and assimilation instead of multiculturalism (Kundnani, 124). Essentially, immigrants had to abandon their culture in order to be perceived as ‘‘good Englishmen’’. This racism was clearly essentialist, as it put all Brown people in the same category. In fact, all South Asians were victims of Islamophobia, whether they were Muslim or not (Kundnani, 127). Labour politicians such as David Blunkett claimed that fighting racism, by introducing anti-racist education, would lead to less importance being given to the English culture and values (Kundnani, 131). Interestingly, this shows that racism is an inherent part of British culture, as fighting it would ‘‘negatively affect’’ that culture. It also illustrates the fact that some Westerners believe that racism shouldn’t be fought, but rather endured. In Canada, people encourage multiculturalism and tolerance. They claim that immigrants should be welcomed, and that some parts of their culture may even be integrated into Canadian culture. Obviously, this is a façade. In Québec, politicians encourage integration and assimilation. They want immigrants to abandon their values, traditions, and religious beliefs. Ultimately, they want them to become Québécois.
In the song ‘‘TH9’’, the police are described as violent, and as always looking for a fight. The artists say that it is time to fight back, instead of complying. They also say that police need to be held accountable for their actions. Unlike the Gandhian movement, which encouraged passive and peaceful resistance, the song encourages active and physical resistance. The artists claim that there should not be peace until justice is reached. Although in this specific case, it is a generational difference, this difference between peaceful and active resistance can also be seen in members of a same generation. In fact, this is the case of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., who were completely different in their approach. Malcolm X claimed that violence had to be used in order to fight injustice, whereas Martin Luther King Jr. claimed that peaceful protests were the best way of fighting inequalities.