Statement against rising racist violence facing wave of hate on social media

A joint statement against the rise in racist violence in the UK, signed by over 150 organisations, is the subject of a wave of hate on social media.

The statement, initiated by Amnesty International, is endorsed by a broad range of organisations, including the Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Fire Brigades Union, Friends of the Earth, General Federation of Trade Unions, Mind, Oxfam GB, POA, Runnymede Trust and Woodcraft Folk.

The statement is a response to the growing escalation of racial violence in Britain and calls for the Government to take action. Organisers say: “This is the third year in a row of escalating racial violence that has left migrants and people of colour feeling less safe and less welcome in our communities. And yet the Government response remains woefully inadequate.

“No one should be afraid to take public transport to work. No family should be too frightened to practice their faith freely. No parent should feel unsafe sending their child to school.”

This is the third consecutive year we have witnessed an escalation of racist violence, intimidation and hatred. We’ve seen racialised people being attacked on the street, homes burned to the ground, children forced to flee in the middle of the night, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship vandalised, violent gatherings outside of residences believed to house people seeking asylum and much more. Levels of racist violence and intimidation that were once considered extreme are now becoming weekly occurrences across the UK – and the response of successive UK governments has been woefully inadequate.

The racist intimidation and hostility seen this weekend all over the UK – primarily targeting those seeking asylum – is where the UK government must draw a line. It is clear that those organising and spearheading these attacks, riots and gatherings are deliberately seeking to create a threatening and intimidating atmosphere for racialised and minoritised communities. We are now at a point where people are fearful to take public transport, send their children to school, pray or just generally go about their daily lives. It should never have been allowed to get to this point.

These events – as with those we’ve seen previously – are not isolated incidents. As the Runnymede Trust highlighted in their recent open letter to the Prime Minister, they reflect the consequences of years of growing inequality, underinvestment in communities and public services, and political and media narratives that have normalised racism, anti-migrant sentiment and Islamophobia, including the weaponisation of violence against women and girls to stigmatise entire communities rather than address the root causes of gender-based violence. Too many people now feel less safe and less confident in our shared future.

It is time for the UK government to listen to the concerns of racialised and minoritised communities. It is time for the UK government and national authorities to do more to hold individuals and companies who play a role in spreading misinformation, inciting hatred and promoting violence to account.

We call on the UK government to act with the urgency that is required and take concrete steps to put a stop to escalating racist violence and intimidation. The UK government must tackle the dangerous cycle of political narratives that are repeated through megaphones by those emboldened to enact violence on our streets. Our political leaders must work with impacted people and communities to ensure their rights are protected and no one is forced to live in fear due to their religion, ethnicity, immigration status or skin colour.

It is time for the UK government to draw a line and take action.

A full list of supporters can be found here.

Image c/o the International Federation of Iraqi Refugees.