Standing up to hate and division: safe space meetings

Standing up to hate and division: safe space meetings

Earlier this year we saw far-right riots sweep across the country. Many of us were left in fear, scared to leave our homes, terrified in our own communities. We also saw solidarity though. We saw people stand up against the rising hate and division. We saw the public band together.

In response to concerns from our members, we organised “safe space meetings” for people to discuss how they were now feeling in the wake of the racist violence which had affected so many, and how we can move forward in solidarity for a better future.

It was clear from people’s experiences that the riots did not come out of a vacuum. The feelings of hate and division which emboldened so many into attacking anyone they deemed to be ‘different from them’ had been stoked for years by hostile political rhetoric and relentless negative media portrayals of migrants and minoritised communities. As one of our speakers, Mustafa Field, from Faiths Forum for London, said: “This is something that we saw happening because of our politicians. The scapegoating of migrants, the Islamophobia that we've seen come out in this country over the last decade has been really concerning."

This was a view echoed by others, with Jacobo Belilty, from the Coalition of Latin Americans in the UK, saying that everyone is under “potential risk” of being targeted by the far right. As Jacobo added, we also saw the solidarity and support for the targeted communities in the way the public came out in support. He said it reignited a bit of that trust and positivity, that there is, and gave hope that there is an alternative.

What was clear from our discussions was the need to put the riots in context. As Emeka Forbes, from the /together coalition, explained, four to five thousand people took part in those riots in 30 different locations. “That's a lot of people,” however he says: “ it is a minority. Most people in this country, I believe firmly, are fundamentally decent people. They don't harbour the hate, they don't harbour the xenophobia, They don't harbour the racism and anti-migrant sentiment. Really believe that we can counter this and we can do it together.”

The violence and racism we saw on our streets isn’t new though, and cannot be treated as an isolated incident. Jeremy Crook, from Action for Race Equality (ARE), began his remarks by looking at the history of racism and the racialised political narrative in the UK. He reflected on his experiences growing up in Walsall and the fear that was propagated by politicians of the time, like Enoch Powell, who spread fear. This for me, says Jeremy, “comes back full circle from the 70s.” He adds, “The UK has never stopped being a place where Black and Asian people in particular and Jewish people faced racial attacks.”

The violence and racism we saw on our streets did not occur in a vacuum either. Diana Nammi, from IKWRO, expressed how shameful it is that people in positions of government have propagated the hate that fuelled the riots. The rioters have no knowledge about the reasons which brought migrants to this country. They don't have any knowledge that people came here to defend this country. To build this country.

Diana concluded that the riots were an attack on our fundamental human rights and our values as humans and we need to work together regardless of our backgrounds, of our beliefs, of our religion and politics “to stand together against the racist attacks, against the far-right, because it's not just one occasion…I think it will happen again”, she said because the racism is there are the far right is getting stronger across Europe.

Following on from our speakers we opened the floor to attendees to look at ways in which we could all move forward together to help bring communities together, and combat a rising far-right threat to them. Together we agreed on some key actions we need to be implemented to ensure that everyone, regardless of where they were born, what their faith is, or anything else, feels safe in the country they call home.

•  We need to push for politicians to change their hostile rhetoric and scapegoating of migrants
•  Focus on education at every level and age to change the foundation that feeds the issue
•  Create a coalition against racism across the different sectors
•  Change the Narrative in Communities: We need to also engage with those who hold different views. We can be  human, starting small, sharing mutual ground and similar interests to build relationships and begin the system of change.
• We need to dedicate and share resources to develop joint and consistent messaging and comms strategy and educational programmes. We could look into joint funding for such a comms role.
• We need to collectively deliver training within the sector and to service providers to upskill them in speaking effectively about this issue with the right skills, methods and resources.
• Social Media Action Group: Promote positive social media stories with both lived experience and subject matter experts at the core and share widely.