The news that a pregnant women was assaulted, racially abused and tragically lost her baby in an attack in Milton Keynes is a horrible confirmation of the rise of racism.
The attack follows on from the murder of a Polish man, Arkadiusz Jozwik in Harlow, a further assault on two Polish men in the same town and another attack in Leeds.
The EU referendum saw the rhetoric of anti-migrant scapegoating ramped up to appalling levels. Politicians and the media constantly regale us with stories about “waves” of immigration, services stretched beyond breaking point by refugees and the need to defend Britain as a fortress against this invasion.
Weyman Bennett from Stand up to Racism said “Just last week the government pledged to build a £2 million wall to stop migrants getting into Britain from Calais. In this atmosphere is it surprising if racists feel more confident and that people can start seeing migrant workers and refugees as less than human”.
Unless we see an end to this mounting wave of attacks on those who enter Britain we are bound to see more of these horrific incidents.
Sabby Dhalu from Stand up to Racism said: “We believe that migrant workers and refugees are not the enemy. Britain is a diverse multicultural society. We benefit economically and culturally from that diversity”.
The Brexit decision, no matter how you voted, cannot be the signal for a growth in racism. We cannot hope to improve the lives of working people in the face of austerity if we are divided.