To tackle bigotry, Labour won’t take lessons from the right

From Where I Stand — Labour is not immune from the prejudice that permeates our society, writes Dawn Foster, but the left can do better than take advice from the likes of UKIP and the Tories - just look at their track records.

It will be a comfort to any readers who oppose racism, to learn from conservative commentator and researcher Andrew Lilico that “racism isn’t “prevalent” anywhere on the UK mainstream political spectrum, left or right, except amongst Corbynistas”, the very concept of of political correctness being invented in the 1990s to deal with problems Labour experienced, while the Conservatives had no such issues and no need to engage with such ideas. This argument, that anti-Semitism are purely an affiliation on Labour, has recently been pushed by many Conservative politicians and journalists on the right. Anyone with a passing familiarity with the Conservative party and other fellow travellers on the right of the political spectrum will no doubt be aware this simply isn’t the case.

Corbyn’s Labour didn’t commission vans to drive around neighbourhoods bearing the slogan “GO HOME OR FACE ARREST” targeted at undocumented migrants: the then home secretary, now prime minister, Theresa May was responsible for the risible and widely mocked scheme. Even leaving aside the historical bigotry and hostility shown to black and Asian citizens by the party, the last few weeks have seen several incidents revealing the prejudices of the politicians responsible.

Yesterday, it emerged a Tory councillor has been suspended after he shared an article calling Muslims “parasites” who “live off the state and breed like rabbits”. In Havering, a leaflet comprised of dog-whistle racism aimed at Sadiq Khan was so unsubtle and provoked such outrage, even a former Tory minister, Nick Boles MP was forced to condemn the flyer and call for its withdrawal.“This leaflet is disgraceful,” he stated. “The individuals responsible should apologise, and withdraw it, or face disciplinary action. We cannot attack Corbyn for indulging anti-semitism in Labour and allow messages like this to go unchallenged.” Yet several people had drafted and approved the campaign material, in full knowledge of the effect of implying Khan’s mayoralty would lead to the ghettoisation of Essex, a “massive population increase”, the removal of Union Jack flags and a surge in violent crime.

Last week, the Sunday Times ran a peculiar exclusive on the fact Labour staff members were in huge Facebook groups that contained some worrying comments, either deliberately misrepresenting how Facebook works or being utterly clueless. Firstly, other people can add you to groups, and almost no one has the time or inclination to read through the comments on high traffic pages acting as an unpaid moderator on a busy day. The paper could instead have looked at Zac Goldsmith’s constituency committee: after the racially charged election campaign to elect Goldsmith as London Mayor, even Sayeeda Warsi spoke out against the disgusting campaign. Such accusations would put many on their guard, but a Richmond Park executive member posted publicly on Facebook that “Enoch Powell was right” and berated the migrant builders and housekeeper working in her neighbour’s house, gleefully hoping for deportations of migrants with the advent of Brexit.

On the same side of London, the local newspaper the Harrow Times reported the MP Bob Blackman had attended the rally against anti-Semitism, remarking: “It is sad that in 2018 we are having to discuss anti-Semitism, or any other form of racism, in a major political party.” Yet the following sentence admitted “Mr Blackman was also involved in a hate crime issue after he shared an article with the headline “Muslim Somali sex gang say raping white British children ‘part of their culture”. Granted, Blackman has since apologised for any upset caused to the Muslim Council of Britain or the wider community. “I deleted the link as I saw that the headline to the article was phrased inappropriately,” he offered.

Was it an impressive brass neck, or just an utter lack of self awareness? Whatever the answer, Ian Paisley Jr, the DUP MP ended up in almost precisely the same position, proclaiming his support in the fight against racism and waving a placard aloft at the Board of Deputies of British Jews’ rally. For many people familiar with Paisley and the DUP’s history, an outspoken stance against religious intolerance came as a surprise. What was less surprising was the swift apology he was forced to issue mere days later for retweeting Katie Hopkins blaming Muslims and Ramadan for a rise in knife crime in London.

Nobody sensible denies there is a problem with antisemitism in the Labour Party: Momentum’s statement on the way forward is both measured and instructive on the issues at stake. But a number of people have cynically exploited the very real problems that exist in order to attack factions within Labour, or the party as a whole: often the same people with a deeply chequered and murky history when it comes to prejudice themselves. The harm this causes is manifold: the small band of naysayers who have dug their heels in and refuse to admit anti-Semitism exists in the Labour movement and needs to be combatted latch onto these people as examples of questionable, hypocritical motives. The cranks will gesture to the cynically manipulative and argue their insincerity is proof there is no issue, that the row is purely confected and part of a wider conspiracy of political attacks via the media.

But it also ignores the fact that one of the reasons Labour has an anti-Semitism problem is because society has an anti-Semitism problem – as it does with other forms of bigotry and racism too. Labour should have worked to stamp out the issue earlier, and accusations of prejudice have long dogged the party: but politicians should lead by example, and a clean slate is necessary to confront the issue head on.

The Conservatives, the DUP and UKIP all have long term problems with racism too, especially amongst their membership, but also amongst MPs: Boris Johnson has a history of racist comments, but was made foreign secretary, and Anne-Marie Morris recently had the Tory whip restored after using the N-word in Parliament, one of a string of mostly Conservative politicians to do so.

The response should be an honest admission of racism in all its forms: open, structural, and subconscious, and a commitment to end it without resorting to party political mudslinging. More people should be brought into the fight to end racism, but the current political focus on Labour shouldn’t absolve the other parties of self-examination, criticism, and retribution for hypocrisy and bigotry.

Follow Dawn Foster on Twitter

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Red shop frontage with "Open Out" branding and appointment-only signage.
Activism

Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims

Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Cyclists racing past Palestinian flag, yellow barriers, and spectators.
Sport

Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification

Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Crowded festival site with tents, stalls and an illuminated red double-decker bus. Groups of people, including children, milling about on the muddy ground.
© Alan Tash Lodge
Music

New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture

Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Weathered wooden building with a tall spire, person on horseback in foreground.
Culture

Rahim Fortune’s dreamlike vision of the Black American South

Reflections — In the Texas native’s debut solo show, he weaves familial history and documentary photography to challenge the region’s visual tropes.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A collage depicting a giant flup for mankind, with an image of the Earth surrounded by planets and people in sci-fi costumes.
Culture

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind

Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.

Written by: Emma Garland

Three orange book covers with the title "Foreign Fruit" against a dark background.
Culture

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”

Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.

Written by: Katie Goh

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.