What caused the fivefold increase in race- and hate-crimes since the Brexit vote? Will it happen here in America?
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Look at the nuclear fallout from the Brexit victory last week in the UK. 15.6 million people(52%) voted to leave the EU and there was an immediate fivefold increase in race hatred crimes and incidents.
You see, immigration was a major theme for the Brexiters (although the actual number of immigrants from non-EU countries is much greater.)
But the real issues of people’s jobs, school places, hospital waiting lists and the economy in general were hardly addressed at all. Xenophobia was a much easier card to play.
Hardly any of the campaigners pointed out that what is really needed is a massive effort (especially in the poorer regions of Northern England) to provide the basic infrastructure for transport, logistics, educating a workforce and financial services to help empower those areas to become an economic powerhouse like they were in the 1980s.
Yes, the government has plans (not due to begin till 2020!) so voters asked themselves if they had anything to lose especially as the present reality is so depressing and hopeless.
The Leave campaigners were determined the play the fear card. Many were convinced while others voted to leave as a sort of protest. Hardly anyone asked the question, what happens if we do leave the EU? As a journalist in the Guardian newspaper pointed out, arsonists never carry water.
Fear won the day and now stalks the land:
- 3 trillion dollars worth of wealth in the stock market disappeared in a two days.
- Chinese investors indicated that they no longer want to invest in the UK.
- Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic warned that thousands of jobs would be lost
- Major financial institutions (there are 250 foreign banks in London alone) have indicated they are now looking at more favorable working environments in the EU such as Frankfurt , Berlin or Dublin.
- Large companies such as Easy jet, Ryanair and Visa are looking at alternative locations although they are still very cautious as they wait for the tragedy to play out.
- Already a third of Britons are cutting back on holidays and major household improvements.
Enter Donald Trump
It was truly ironic that the day after the referendum Donald Trump flew into Scotland to visit his luxury golf resort. He made it perfectly plain that the UK had done the right thing to vote leave although the actual country he was visiting had voted with a convincing majority (62%) to remain within the EU. He chose to ignore that fact.
The Brexiters and Donald Trump have lots in common. Trump also plays the fear card and his speeches are littered with these words:-
- Win: We don’t win anymore
- They: (usually immigrants) They’re pouring in. They are bringing drugs, they are bringing crime.
- Loser: Show me someone without an ego, and I’ll show you a loser — having a healthy ego, or high opinion of yourself, is a real positive in life!
- Stupid: Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people.
- Angry: (The British) “They are angry over borders, they are angry over people coming into the country and taking over and nobody even noticing. They are angry about many, many things.”
- Smart : I’m, like, a really smart person.
- Tough: Mike Tyson endorsed me. You know, all the tough guys endorse me. I like that. OK?
- Dangerous : Something really dangerous is going on.
- Huge: It’s gonna be huge!
- Tremendous: (on Islam) There’s something there…there’s a tremendous hatred there.
The toxic political landscape
As we have seen, the political landscape in the USA and the UK is littered with xenophobia, fear ,hatred, and intolerance. Close the borders, keep them out and we have to be tough. Lies, half truths, myths and simplistic generalizations are allowed to flourish. (Let me say as an aside the Remain campaigners were guilty too of some mistruths but nothing like the scale of the Brexiters.) The UK campaign was marred by the murder of a caring MP, Jo Fox, who advocated tolerance and inclusion. Hatred won on that terrible day.
“Today is the beginning of a new chapter in our lives. More difficult, more painful, less joyful, less full of love. I and Jo’s friends and family are going to work every moment of our lives to love and nurture our kids and to fight against the hate that killed Jo. “ – Brendan Cox, widower of Jo Cox.
What can we do?
Have you noticed a pattern in the USA and the UK campaigns? Politicians are using people’s ignorance and prejudice to serve their own ends and that is frightening. Hatred and intolerance are dictating the agenda.
It is scary to realize that so many people can be so ignorant and swallow everything. It is appalling to read that the number of Google search queries for the following questions spiked by 250%, in the two hours after the polling stations closed! Why had they not done some Googling before they voted?
- What is the EU?
- What happens if we leave the EU?
- What happens if we stay in the EU?
- What happens to foreigners if we leave the EU?
Even worse was the fact that the top economic and financial experts’ opinions were dismissed by the Brexiters as scaremongering. People were told “we have had enough of experts” by Michael Gove who is now contending for the Conservative Party leadership as I write this. I wonder who he will listen to if he ever becomes Prime Minister?
We have seen how the democratic process has been abused by both campaigners and ordinary citizens. Most alarming of all is that very few voters actually know what they are voting for and they are governed by emotions and gut reactions rather than by reading, learning and asking questions.
Democracy together with our prosperity and security are at risk from demagogues. Let’s do a reality check. Before we vote in the next election or referendum, we should read, question, listen to the experts and then form our opinion. We should not be swayed by emotions such as fear and loathing. Is that too much to ask?
Instead of saying that we have been there and done that, just remember that this time round with Brexit and Donald Trump, we may lose the T-shirt!
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Photo: Flickr Collage
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For me its a good thing that UK leaves, other countries should follow. Lets not forget that the EU is a totalitarian entity. The EU Kommissariat is NOT ELECTED, its a bureaucratic nightmare. The Kommissars along the bank rule as kings. In my opinion the EU propagandists are insane. You dont see what EU has become? forget about the immigration and look beyond that. I will not be surprised to find out if the REMAIN speakpeople get money from the EU. I say NO to the EUSSR, because thats what it is. Let this rotten entity die. Then we can… Read more »
Sad to see a very bias article that is contributing to the propaganda surrounding Brexit. As a Canadian in Britain during the vote, I agree the racism card was ridiculously overplayed, but even more so by the Remain camp, trying to paint the Leave group as racists, and thereby negating their legitimate issues of sovereignty and self-determination. They intentionally downplayed the valid concerns voters have. And made it very difficult for voters seeking information to find any honest discussion in the main stream media. The real issue is that with the EU run by an unelected bureaucracy, imposing laws at… Read more »
It is cheap and easy to go on about ‘un-elected bureaucrats in Brussels’. They do not make the decisions and they never have. All the important decisions ARE taken by the elected leaders of the member countries. A lot of the Brexiters are also sneering at our neighbors as if our version of democracy was self-evidently better than theirs. ALL the EU members are democracies; it is a democratic club. As in any collective, decisions are often laboriously negotiated compromises (I live in Switzerland, where we know something about compromise!), but all too often our national leaders have claimed for… Read more »
That spike in google searches most definitely also came from people who voted to remain.