Commenting on the street violence affecting communities across England, Green MP Siân Berry said:
“What we are witnessing on our streets is fascist violence fueled by racism and Islamophobia. Only by naming it and understanding clearly what it is can we work to defeat it.
“The rise of the far right and fascism has been fueled by toxic and divisive rhetoric from some in the previous government [1] We must demand better from our new government, and I hope that ministers will now step up and deliver.
“It is also important to ask what the police and security services have been doing to monitor the far right over the past decade. We have to question if a focus on monitoring Muslim citizens and climate protesters has allowed the far more sinister menace of fascism to ferment.
“We need to bring those responsible for instigating the violence to justice, but this won’t be enough to defeat an ideology which uses organised political violence to undermine our society, divide communities and compromise the state and its institutions, including the judiciary and the police.
“The engine that drives fascism is racism, so ministers need to speak up now with one voice to celebrate and defend our Muslim citizens and their place in our diverse society. The Government also needs urgently to create real new investment in supporting community cohesion.
“As Greens we stand in solidarity with our Muslim citizens, with people seeking asylum in the UK, and every community that’s been targeted, attacked or threatened by this racist violence. We commend those in the areas targeted who have united peacefully against this hate, and support community leaders and individuals who are working to bring communities together in the face of attempts to inflame divisions.”
Notes
[1] Dame Sara Khan, who worked as Rishi Sunak’s independent adviser for social cohesion, has accused politicians of using inflammatory language which has given a green light to those holding racist views: Conservatives left UK wide open to far-right violence, says former adviser | UK security and counter-terrorism | The Guardian
Other examples of divisive rhetoric fueling the far right and racism:
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman said ‘The truth is that the Islamists, the extremists and the anti-Semites are in charge now.’
During the election Reform Party leader Nigel Farage said there are “a growing number of young people in this country who do not subscribe to British values, in fact loathe much of what we stand for”, when asked about Conservative plans to bring in national service for 18-year-olds. Asked during that interview on Sky News if he was referring to Muslims, Farage said: “We are.”
Former Labour MP Jonathan Ashworth said migrants are ‘”put up in hotels and they can stay in these hotels for the rest of their lives”