Riots in UK: Bias of “White-Ego†Against Non-Whites! | Nilofar Suhrawardy

Fake news about the criminal’s identity is said to be responsible for riots in United Kingdom targeting minorities and people of colour. Yes, this refers to murder of three young girls at a dance event in Southport on July 29 by a British citizen of Rwandan origin, a Christian by birth. Initially, his identity was not revealed but reportedly “news†spread about his being a Muslim leading to riots. The concerned authorities disclosed his identity to check this unrest. However, racial riots targeting non-Whites continued. Irrespective whatever the identity of the alleged criminal was, this does not justify the riots. This also raises the question that if he was a White Christian, would the country have been subject to similar riots? This would have been least likely. This month (August 7) has been, incidentally, marked by thousands of people participating in anti-racism protests in several parts of United Kingdom. They carried banners saying, “Stop the far right,†“Fight racism,†“Will trade racists for refugees,†“No space for hate, End Fascism,†“Smash the Far-Right†and similar such words. Undeniably, citizens of UK must be commended for coming out strongly and in a great number to display their stand against rioters having indulged in violence. But is this sufficient to correct what appears to be ingrained deeply and strongly in sections of British citizens? The risk of the country witnessing similar riots again cannot be ignored.

The harsh reality that these racial riots reflect the degree to which bias, on grounds of religion and colour, is strongly rooted within a considerable section of people residing in the West cannot be ignored; whether described as “far-right thuggery,†“racism,†“extremism†or any other such term. This refers not to all Whites, but a considerable percentage. Their stereotyped attitude of looking down upon those who are not white tends to dominate their cultural attitude significantly. This also affects political, economic, social and other patterns of their life. Here, one may draw attention to the controversy linked to the Paris Olympics. With due respect to certain observations about holding Vinesh Phogat and her team as also responsible for her disqualification and being denied the gold medal for being over-weight by 100 gms, one is tempted to wonder as to whether the same attitude would have been displayed if she were a White? This may also be said about the gender controversy earlier raised about boxers Imane Khelif (Algerian female) and Lin Yu-ting (Taiwanese female). They had earlier been disqualified from world championships for failing an unspecified gender test by the International Boxing Association, which is not recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Perhaps, ethically, it would be wrong and inappropriate, to view decision about Phogat as colour-based. But, considering that Khelif and Lin Yu-ting were not disqualified from Paris Olympics, won gold medals, possibility of colour-bias having surfaced in their earlier disqualification cannot be ignored. Moreover, the intensity with which colour bias is still practiced, most non-Whites are likely to deliberate on nature of attitude displayed towards them by Whites, particularly if it is any negative.

In this context, the harsh reality about considerable section of Whites viewing themselves as above non-Whites at practically all levels cannot be ignored. Even if wrong news about criminal’s identity was not spread, the fact that three White girls were killed would have instantly prompted them to assume that a non-White and a non-Christian had indulged in that crime. The “fake†news was probably spread on basis of an assumption held against minorities in UK, particularly Muslims. A similar attitude- based on colour- is visible quite strongly at certain levels in US campaign for Presidential elections.

This does not imply, as indicated earlier, that each and every White entertains a bias against non-Whites. If that was the case, counter-protests against “racists†would not have been held in UK. But the question remains about its prevalence when this is not the age of colonialism and when democracy is supposed to be practiced in US as well as UK. It may be noted, visual images of those protesting against migrants and those whom they assumed to be of the same community as the suspect responsible for murder seem suggestive of pent-up anger and frustration prompting them to indulge in violence, damaging property, etc. A disbanded anti-Muslim organization is believed to be responsible for spreading false news about the alleged criminal’s religious identity. Slogans spread by such groups on their social media channels state, “We are not far-right, we are just right,†“Enough is Enough†and so forth to apparently “justify†their indulgence in rioting against Muslims. It may be repeated, that they don’t represent the entire White population of the UK.

Sections of Whites have been deliberately provoked to this stage of rioting by extremists harbouring anger against Muslims and other non-White migrants. There is another side to this which cannot be ignored. It is possible, that they link their own socio-economic grievances to quite a few “migrants†faring better than them in UK. They probably don’t want to recognize and accept them as British citizens. The success of non-Whites seems to have in several ways punctured the “White Ego,†which entertains a “negative†attitude towards them on ground of their colour and religion. Significantly, all Whites and non-Whites have largely ceased to close their eyes to this negative approach. This may be said about most parts of world, where ethnic differences are exploited to propagate a discriminatory approach towards certain sections.

True, the hard reality that discriminatory approach still prevails cannot be ignored. At the same time, voices being raised and action being initiated against the same bear their own significance. The anti-racist counter-protests in UK are a symbolic indicator of this socio-political move. But can these together with the punishment of rioters help change the negative approach held by them against non-Whites? This doesn’t seem possible at least in near future. Riots also reflect the hatred against targeted persons. Prospects of their being easily aroused to the same stage cannot be ignored, till such hatred prevails. To change their negative attitude towards non-Whites, they probably need to be convinced that the latter should not be held responsible for their grievances. True, Whites cannot ignore their egos. But non-Whites should cease to be held responsible for what pinches, economically, socially or otherwise, the White Ego!

(Author: Nilofar Suhrawardy is a senior journalist and writer with specialisation in communication studies and nuclear diplomacy. She has come out with several books. These include:— Modi’s Victory, A Lesson for the Congress…? (2019); Arab Spring, Not Just a Mirage! (2019), Image and Substance, Modi’s First Year in Office (2015) and Ayodhya Without the Communal Stamp, In the Name of Indian Secularism (2006))