Far right led riots see Muslims feel full impact of being made a suspect community - it was the Irish before
THE recent outbreak of far-right inspired violence across the UK, seemingly targeting non-white people, caused much alarm.
It was only when the mass of people came out and stood up that they backed down. The actions of the police and deterrent of heavy sentences from the courts also helped curb the outbreak.
Mosques were among the sites targeted together with immigration centres - indeed, anyone dealing with such issues became a target.
The attacks on the Muslim community will not have come as a surprise to them. Over the past 20 years Muslims have replaced the Irish as the suspect community, blamed for many things that were nothing to do with them.
The Irish community know what it feels like to be targeted in such a way.
Throughout the period of conflict in the North of Ireland, Irish people were targeted. This was done via the media and leading politicians. The legal system was also used via anti-terror laws like the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Thousands were routinely stopped going to and from Ireland. This was low level harassment. Higher up the scale came the denial of basic rights under anti-terror law, helping to bring about the infamous miscarriages of justice. The onslaught had the effect of bringing Irish people together in resistance, as well as terrifying many others.
After the Good Friday Agreement, the conflict in the North slowly receded. It no longer made the headlines. A new suspect community was needed. It came along with 9/11 - the attack on the twin towers in New York. The British government scrambled to get on board the US led war on terror.
Again the broad brush approach was taken, with all Muslims blamed. The Muslim community here took up the suspect role vacated by the Irish. Only, this time the British state went further, with detention without trial being imposed under immigration law. A control order scheme was implemented in the shadows. The Blair and Brown governments sort to extend detention without charge as far as 90 days. This fortunately was rejected. But the oppression went on - a new scapegoat had been found.
While the so-called war on terror has eased over recent years, having done much damage to community relations, in the populist mind of some, the Muslim community has remained suspect. Islamophobia has not received the same level of opprobrium as other forms of racism.
The high profile stereotyping of Muslims as potential terrorists had many parallels to what went on during the conflict in Ireland. Meanwhile, the real threat of the growth of the far right seems to have been virtually ignored.
The support for this group grew on the back of Brexit. Dissatisfaction with life in David Cameron's austerity Britain manifested itself in an orchestrated opposition to the EU and migrants.
The vote to leave the EU was largely achieved on the basis of a racist anti-migrant wave of hysteria. Someone had to be claimed for the consequences of austerity based policies. The positives of immigration for a country with an ageing population and faltering economy seemed totally lost in the popular discourse.
Many have seen the idiocy of the lie that brought Brexit. Things have not got better, it was not the fault of the EU or migrants that British wages and services have declined over the past 14 years.
The racist feed though stepped up a notch over recent years, with leading Tory politicians like Suella Braverman openly inciting the right in pursuit of their own political ends. Nigel Farage was an old hand, heading up the latest form of Brexit inspired bigotry in the form of the Reform Party
Things have been whipped up further with the events in Gaza. The dog whistle politics that saw Muslims being stereotyped was once again prevalent.
The peaceful marches protesting about what was going on in Gaza, saw the Home Secretary, Braverman condemning them as hate filled.
It is the legacy of these actions that has enabled the likes of Elon Musk to talk about two- tier policing. There is no such thing. The police keep order - the Gaza marches were peaceful and trouble free, the far-right attacks on mosques and refugee centres were not. The police deserve credit for the way they policed both events.
It has to be hoped going forward that the focus will move to the very real threat posed by the far right. They have largely been ignored, whilst threats from the Muslim community have been amplified to an enormous degree. Today, Islamophobia is probably the most rampant form of racism in the UK.
The ignoring of the threat of the far right was also seen in the context of Ireland. The public focus being almost entirely on republicans and the IRA. The activities of the British state, Loyalist paramilitaries and associated far right elements in the conflict virtually ignored.
Moving forward there needs to be a far greater focus by the state on the activities of the far right. Maybe the recent violence will finally be the wake-up call needed. It is these people who should be suspect and put under the spotlight, not the Muslims or Irish before that.
People also need to reject the cheerleading by high profile politicians, particularly from the Conservative and Reform parties, and their back chorus in the right wing media.
Many joining the riots will simply be discontented and aiming their resentment against the wrong targets. These people need educating and bringing back into the tolerant diverse consensus. The hardliners need to be confronted and feel the full rigour of the law, for it is they who are the real suspects, not Muslims or migrants.
