Hi Michael, I hadn't heard of the organisation SUTR, but I've now joined... Thanks for your bit in making this country decent - your work in Harlow sounds really important.
Thanks Furtherfield for enduring and caring and being a focus for so much good work and many good people. In sorrow, Ann On Mon, Jun 19, 2017 at 5:19 PM, Michael Szpakowski <[email protected] > wrote: > There clearly has been a rise in Islamophobia recently , fuelled in no > small measure by the government's attempt to scapegoat all Muslims with the > despicable Prevent strategy. We also saw the beginning of an attempt by May > to ratchet this up with her 'Enough is enough' speech towards the end of > the election campaign. > I wanted to say, though, that it's important not to sink into despair. > I've been very active around Stand up to Racism over the last year and > I've experience some interesting and often counter intuitive things. > When Arek Jozwik was killed in Harlow last year the vigil we organised a > couple of nights after was attended by significant numbers of the white > working class poor who live in the area. These will statistically have been > 'leave' voters... > We've campaigned pretty much every week since then, largely around > opposition to racism ,in the town centre on Saturday mornings. It was > certainly not always easy going but there was always a minority of people > willing to engage. ( especially the young, in a prefiguring of the huge pro > Corbyn upswell) > We also held a 60 strong rally against racism in early March -again very > much dominated by the under twenties. > What changed the atmosphere completely was the Labour manifesto - all of a > sudden people had hope, focussed on improving the lives of all not > 'competing for resources' ( a myth of course - stop spending millions on > Trident, on wars of intervention and tax the rich and resources would be no > problem, but a potent myth especially in the absence of hope that things > might change). Even after the two horrendous attacks in Manchester then > London this enthusiasm and this change of atmosphere was maintained -we > heard very little overt racism and experienced next to no hostility. > This has continued since the election with the humiliation of both May and > UKIP - what was interesting last week though was that although the racists > were in a small minority they were coming out with all sorts of filth > around Grenfell ( but once again large numbers of people were signing the > May must go, people not profit, working class lives matter ,petition ). > In short I'd put forward three propositions. > (1) Racism and Islamophobia are clearly a major problem and one > encouraged by this weak and nasty government > (2) We are not, though, powerless bystanders -whether it's directly > combatting the racists through SUTR or offering hope through agitating for > this government to go and for us to have the very real chance of one > committed to a real improvement in the lives of ordinary people there is > lots of very concrete, very practical work to do. > (3) Although there will be some ways in which artists can bring their > specific talents to bear in this ( I have got very good for example at > making large banners each week: > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/szpako/35212704985/ > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/szpako/34239170983/ > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/szpako/34159735663/ > https://www.flickr.com/photos/szpako/34929717326/ > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/szpako/34062471264/ > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/szpako/34223234740/ > ) > > we should participate along with as many and diverse people as we can in > organising, protesting, demonstrating... This is not a time for any sort of > guild mentality but for getting stuck in. > > I particular urge anyone in the UK not a member of Stand Up To Racism to > join today. > > http://www.standuptoracism.org.uk/ > > > best wishes to all > Michael > > > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >
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