Statement in response to the recent far right attacks

We condemn the shameful scenes in Glasgow on Tuesday night when people of colour were randomly, physically attacked by gangs of masked men dressed in black, reminiscent of racist lynch mobs.

Reform UK and Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain will not condemn these racist gangs, you can be sure.

Instead of focusing on the crime, they capitalise on those crimes committed by people of colour, immigrants or Muslims. That’s their specialism – targeting racial minorities.

This racism distracts ordinary people from seeing who is really making them poor, draining the wealth of our society and destroying public services.

For decades now, almost every day has felt like collective punishment for minorities, Muslims and migrants. It has become normal for us to fear the headlines in case our communities become the next target. It is open season for race-baiting. We feel it.

Racists are platformed on news channels as if their views are acceptable. Some news channels have themselves become right-wing platforms. But there was a time when reputable media understood that you do not give oxygen to fascism.

What we are witnessing is not happening in a vacuum. Genocide scholars have long warned that mass atrocities begin not with killing, but with classification, scapegoating, dehumanisation and polarisation.

The first step is dividing society into “us” and “them”, followed by the collective blaming of entire communities for the actions of individuals. When people are encouraged to view their neighbours as suspects, discrimination and violence become easier to justify. We are at stage 5 or 6 of that continuum. 

The far right attacks we saw in Glasgow did not emerge from nowhere. They are the predictable consequence of decades of rhetoric that portrays people of colour as the problem rather than fellow human beings entitled to the same dignity, rights and protection as everyone else. If it isn't us today, it will be another group tomorrow. That's always been the way. 

The time is well overdue for the good people to reveal themselves and finally speak up loud and clear against this vile racism and stamp it out from public discourse, once and for all. 

Positive Action in Housing