Racism, fascism and Islamophobia will never be welcome in Scotland

by Stephen Flynn
Posted on
2 months ago
4 min read

The riots that tore through England and Northern Ireland were a sudden and shocking reminder of just how deep the roots of racism still reach.

Muslim shops destroyed, cars driven by ethnic minorities savaged, mosques bombarded and the depraved burning of a hotel giving shelter to asylum seekers.

Children as young as 11 arrested amid some of the most disgusting scenes many of us have witnessed.

I have absolute faith that these idiots will be dealt with, and our police officers must be praised for their bravery – to think it wasn’t so long ago some were making the ludicrous suggestion they should be “de-funded”.

Thankfully, at the time of writing, these riots have not yet reared their head in Scotland, but that hasn’t stopped fake news spreading of their imminent eruption.

Scotland is not immune and I’ve been heartened by the united message from our elected representatives – these bigots are not welcome here and we do not tolerate racism of any kind.

This is also a moment to be very honest about something bigger and broader. The reason why the roots of racism are so deep is because too many politicians at Westminster and their friends in the right wing press have planted and fed those roots for decades.

These morons drew cynical cover from the language used by politicians and parties vying to outdo each other on the downward spiral that is the UK immigration debate.

Terms like illegals, swarms, stop the boats: they foster a dehumanisation of the people they describe.

It gives license to the far right and racists to flagrantly express their abhorrent views. It becomes accepted language and leads us down an awful road that ends with people setting fire to a refuge of some of the most vulnerable people in the world.

But while that language lifts the barrier, it isn’t the whole story.

There’s certainly a contingent of deep-seeded, purely racist individuals that convened and incited these riots.

And there’s also an element of impressionable halfwits drawn in by the drama. History tells us that with all riots some are carried away by the noise of the rampage – that’s no excuse and those cretins will rightly feel the full force of the law.

But there’s also a third element of people. Those who are a mix of those two factors above, but who are completely disassociated with society.

Left behind in desolation, in a life they feel miserable with, in a country they no longer feel connected to. They find reason to a world they cannot control through a racist lie fed to them by millionaire politicians and social media tycoons.

That’s why those at Westminster who use the dangerous language I outlined above, are carving a dangerous path. They want to use the desperation and misery of others to steer the conversation towards their own self-serving ends.

When the real political conversation should be about the decades of decline in Britain. Years of pounding austerity that has left people without hope who turn to racist explanations shown to them by exploitative politicians and dark interests

When the dust settles, the roads are swept and the arrests are made, the discussion must move on to how we resolve that – and it isn’t through deeper austerity or more xenophobic language and laws.

People are not born racist and it is my firmly held belief that if we create a society that is just, we create a society that is cohesive.

Many will fear that some of our political leaders have strayed so far down the broken, Brexit path that that society cannot now be created.

For now though, Scotland’s message must be clear and unwavering – racism, fascism and Islamophobia will never be welcome here.

Scotland needs migrants to thrive

The practical consequences of Westminster’s anti-immigration comfort blanket are felt in the here and now.

Last week Health and legal experts warned that the “hostile environment” coming from London is driving key NHS and social care staff back home and deterring others coming.

With health visa applications down 82 per cent, our hospitals and care homes are under totally unnecessary recruitment pressures.

Westminster politicians and their bad faith immigration policies are bad for Scotland’s health.

It’s to the state the blindingly obvious that we need inward migration, but good luck having that message agreed in Westminster.

I’m old enough to remember when Labour said they were open to talks on a Scottish visa, but won’t be holding my breath.

It slipped under the radar, but Labour’s new Home Secretary confirmed she will retain all Tory restrictions on migration.

Oh and all those social care staff we need? You can come, but you’ll have to leave the bairns behind.

Her statement couldn’t have been timed more aptly given it was the same day Scotland’s birthrate fell to the lowest ever recorded level.

In the same way we must be unanimous in our refusal to accept racist thugs destroying or streets, we must be unashamed on why Scotland needs more immigrants to thrive.