#19 - UK focus: The rioting may have stopped, but where do we as communities go from here?
The violence may have ceased, and the streets may be clear, but the scars left on our communities are far from healed. This month, I explore some of the actions we can take.
⚠️ TW: This edition discusses racism, including anti-Muslim hate and anti-Blackness.
I’m writing this newsletter in the days after far-right, racially aggravated riots broke out across the UK, fuelled by misinformation about the identity of an attacker who murdered three young girls attending a dance class in Stockport.
Whilst that misinformation was the flame that lit the fire, anyone directly impacted would tell you that this outbreak of violence had been brewing for some time and sadly felt inevitable.
Whilst those participating in the riots may claim they were “anti-immigration protests”, those who were on the receiving end of the violence, namely communities of colour and specifically the Muslim community, understand that they were much more than this.
Photo credit: LADBIBLE.
One week later, things across the UK have started to feel relatively normal. Individuals working from home have begun returning to the office, and our WhatsApp groups are no longer pinging furiously with updates about neighbourhoods to avoid because they are on EDL target lists.
But everything is far from normal. The ramifications of what happened will be with us for a long time.
Like many of you, I’m still grappling with the events of those weeks. Despite glimmers of hope, where communities have rallied together, the violence has left a mark that will take time to heal. As I reflect on these experiences, I keep returning to one question: Where do we go from here?
It’s a big question that is hard to answer, but here are some tangible ways for community groups and employers to take action.
Community actions:
The violence has rocked local communities, and in some instances, people will have seen their neighbours participating in the riots.
The recommendations below are based on interpersonal actions different types of groups can take that will, hopefully, in time, help establish social cohesion and support the communities impacted by the violence.
Schools
As the new school year begins, educational institutions must take proactive measures to prevent the spread of racism and support affected students.
Here’s how:
Maintain their Safeguarding Duty by asking parents to report incidents where children participated in the violence so the school can take preemptive measures to protect students. [It’s important to flag that a 13-year-old girl pleaded guilty to violent disorder earlier this week; she is not an isolated case].
Deliver racial literacy training for all staff with a particular focus on anti-Muslim hate (Islamophobia).
Prepare young children to participate in a multi-ethnic, multi-faith and multi-cultural society by:
Learning about different faiths and cultures
Teaching young children about the history of migration to the UK
Arranging for guest speakers who can provide age-appropriate talks for the students
Ensuring school libraries are inclusive and we are telling diverse stories
Using assemblies to explore concepts of identity, community, social cohesion and justice.
Develop an anti-racism statement and ensure that everyone in the school understands it and the required standards of behaviour and conduct.
Community groups, e.g. Mother & Baby groups or a Running Club
We must create spaces where everyone can belong and feel included. My observation of community groups like running clubs and Mother-and-Baby Groups is that even if they exist in the heart of a racially diverse city, they will often lack racial and ethnic diversity. Considering their location, that lack of diversity can feel almost willful. Here are some of the ways you can build a more inclusive culture and organisation:
Advertise membership and events where diverse communities are more likely to see them, not just the usual suspects.
Invite guest speakers such as the Motherhood Group, an organisation dedicated to sharing and supporting the Black Motherhood experience.
Work with local schools to promote the focus of your community group. If, for example, you’re a running club, coach young people in the community who may not have considered this activity.
Sign up for a Visit My Mosque event between September 28th -29th, 2024. This is an opportunity to foster closer relationships with our Muslim neighbours and dispel misconceptions.
Deliver racial literacy training for all staff.
Develop an anti-racism statement.
Local small businesses
Local businesses are at the heart of their community. Here are some ways you can demonstrate your advocacy and allyship.
Place an anti-racism sticker or poster in your window to demonstrate this is a safe space and that everyone is welcome.
Ensure you have a zero-tolerance policy for abuse against staff, especially if they are from racialised backgrounds.
Plan community events where a more diverse audience is likely to attend. You could ‘take your event to the community’; for example, if you are a book store, take a book club event to a local church or mosque.
Speak to your staff who may have been impacted and feel at risk about how you can support them. Put those measures in place.
Deliver racial literacy training for all staff with a particular focus on anti-Muslim hate (Islamophobia).
Employer actions:
Many employees across many sectors have reported that their organisations treated the violence as a news event, disconnected from the workplace. This perception needs to change. Here are five actions you can take to support employees and reassert your position as an employer who condones the recent violence and its racist roots.
Review the DE&I statements your organisation made during the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in May 2020. Be honest about how you are measuring up against these, and reiterate your commitment to them.
If you haven’t already, organise a forum for employees who were impacted to discuss their feelings and what pastoral support is required. Then, implement those plans.
If you sense that you did not respond fast enough and with enough conviction and action, conduct an audit and develop a communications escalation plan to ensure that your responses are more rapid in light of future events.
Deliver racial literacy training for all staff with a particular focus on anti-Muslim hate (Islamophobia).
Create a culture where employees can call each other ‘in’, and microaggressions are not just brushed off or viewed as banter.
Develop an anti-racism statement and live by it.
This newsletter has skimmed the surface of everything I want to say, so I will continue to process my thoughts. Before I move on, I wanted to share what I call ‘Unhelpful narratives’. These are a collection of statements that I have found to be very unhelpful over the past two weeks, with an explanation of why they are problematic.
He wasn’t even Muslim: This suggests that if he were Muslim, the riots would be justified and that the actions of one person are the responsibility of a whole community or faith.
Muslims are doctors and engineers; the people rioting couldn’t do those jobs. We should not practice the ‘Muslim exception’ - why do Muslims have to be exemplary to be allowed to exist?
It’s just a minority of people: A minority may have rioted, but their actions were egged on by many more online and in the media. Anti-Muslim and anti-immigration hatred have been enabled and emboldened in ways we have not witnessed before. Riots broke out in 17 regions; in all of them, bar Belfast, The Reform Party polled higher than average. In some of these regions, it was the second most popular party. Racism feels very mainstream right now.
Legitimate discussions about immigration: Immigration is not a topic of conversation when it is from certain European and so-called ‘Western countries’. We should be able to discuss immigration, but it is disingenuous to ignore the racial aspect of this.
They don’t even have teeth; they are just working-class mobs: We can't fight one prejudice and hatred (racism) by weaponising another (classism). Racism has no class. Metaphorically or literally. Let’s not do this.
As we process these events and work toward healing, let’s commit to taking tangible steps in our communities and workplaces to foster understanding and unity. Together, we can build a more inclusive and resilient society.
August recommendations
📚 READ: Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades
Brown Girls follows the lives of a group of young women of colour coming of age in Queens, New York. The writing style is unlike anything I've read - a cross between lyrical spoken word poetry and author Sally Rooney’s simple, deadpan delivery.
At just 224 pages, Brown Girls packs in a lot, including explorations of class, immigration, teenage love, gender, race, and social mobility. Its pace is rapid yet somehow melodic. I think it’s safe to say it’s one of the most original books I’ve ever read.
If you enjoyed Sheena Patel's recent hit, ‘I’M A FAN,’ I think you would enjoy this too.
Brown Girls is available in paperback from all good bookshops and can be requested at your local library.
📻 LISTEN: to Material Girls is a podcast that reexamines pop culture through a scholarly lens. The most recent episode explored how we can reframe the Israel-Palestine discourse beyond the typical “security narrative.”
In this episode, hosts Hannah McGregor and Marcelle Kosman discuss Kosman’s 2015 essay, written in response to the surge of anti-Palestinian sentiments across North America. Revisiting her work nearly a decade later, Kosman explores how deeply ingrained racism and dehumanising stereotypes shape our language when discussing Palestinians.
The idea that comedy can disrupt these harmful narratives is central to Kosman's argument. She highlights the Israeli sitcom Avoda Aravit, the first prime-time show to feature Arabic-speaking main characters. Through humour, it navigates the cultural divide between Arabs and Jews in Israel, reminiscent of the British sitcom Citizen Khan in its approach. The show’s underlying message is clear: we share a common humanity regardless of our faiths and backgrounds.
The podcast and Kosman’s essay remind us that much of racism stems from fear of the unknown, and comedy, with its ability to humanise and connect, offers a unique tool to challenge and change the dominant discourse. The episode was a timely reminder for us to all reflect on and unlearn our inherent biases.
You can listen to the Material Girls Podcast on Apple and Spotify.
It’s been a busy work month, so I don’t have a WATCH recommendation for you this month. What I really want to write about is how matters about race are handled in shows like Love Is Blind UK, but maybe I will save that for another newsletter if that resonates. Let me know in the comments below. [I will take it personally if I do not get any comments on this 😑😇.]
Okay, friends, that’s it for now. If you’d like to follow me on @_languagematters that would be just lovely. If you have anything to say or ask, please don't hesitate to let me know in the comments below.
As always, thank you for reading this post. I’m so glad you’re here. If you like what you’re reading, please consider sharing this newsletter. If you have the time to ‘like’ it by clicking the ♡, that would mean a lot to me, as it’ll help more people see it.
Until next month, take care,
Thanks for the employer tips. Easy for orgs to push this into a corner but we need to create safe spaces to allow discourse and sharing.
Sense language does matter, I am disappointed that most articles addressing the issue don’t include the catalyst. Russian cyber chip agitprop accounts on social media. No doubt hundreds of thousands of them on this platform. I’m positive we can do better.