It’s the immigrants, stupid

"When faced with a difficult question, we often answer an easier one instead, usually without noticing the substitution." – Daniel Kahneman

The truth is that the confused, narrow-minded conversation about immigration has always been loaded with racism. Can’t find a job? It’s the immigrants, stupid. Can’t get a hospital appointment? It’s the immigrants, stupid. Can’t find a house? It’s the immigrants, stupid. Riots in England? It’s the immigrants, stupid.

It’s how we ultimately get from the murder of three girls by a British-born 17-year-old to violent right-wing mobs descending onto the streets of England shouting Islamaphobic slogans and attacking hotels housing asylum seekers.

Remember, Axel Rudakubana, who has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 of attempted murder, is from the UK – he was born in Cardiff and isn’t a Muslim (to note, Rwanda, the country his parents are reported to have emigrated from, is largely a Christian country).

A big part of the problem is how immigration has always been framed in the UK – selectively and pejoratively through a lens that considers the colour of somebody’s skin as being a threat to a homogenous sense of Britishness (or Englishness), which has arguably always been something of a myth.

“The reality is that, both historically and contemporarily, immigration debates in the UK have always borne the markers of racism,” stated a report by the Runnymede Trust earlier this year. “They construct the unwelcome other in ways that suggest immigrants as inferior or dangerous and their presence as a threat to either economic security or cultural identity.”

It’s no surprise then, that in response to a Facebook post by Robbie Moore, the MP for Keighley and Ilkley, condemning the riots, which does not mention immigration at all (although, it has to be said that Moore did back the Illegal Migration Bill and the Safety of Rwanda Asylum and Immigration Bill), we have ample instances of people losing all sense of perspective and nuance, conflating the actions of violent mobs with what they see as the major problem of our time: immigration (forgetting as they do thay immigration has been politicised since the end of the second world war).

A lot of talk since has been about calling out politicians and public figures who contribute knowingly to the toxicity around immigration, cracking down on far-right agitators and punishing individuals who have participated in the riots – and rightly so. But perhaps overlooked is the challenge of dealing with those who have bought into the idea that multiculturalism has failed and that the inequities they and countless others experience can be blamed on immigration. Convincing them otherwise is not easy because, you know, it’s the immigrants, stupid.

We’ll leave you with the original post and a selection of comments quoted verbatim …

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Robbie Moore

“The rioting & violent acts of thuggery taking place across the UK have no place whatsoever on our streets & in our communities.

Those responsible & those who participate in rioting, thuggery and looting must feel full force of the law.

I condemn the scenes we are seeing in the strongest possible terms. Law and order must be upheld. 

The Police have my full support to crack down on any rioting, thuggery or disorder.”

Elaine

I agree but the media are whipping up and showing only the sensational be it through selling their news or bias politics.

The police and security services can surely determine who is front and centre in the violence and determine if the local concerned people or a group such as antifa who are employed to cause disruption. This label of rioting right wing is not true for the majority out demonstrating.

Linda

By my calculation the govt are saving the equivalent of £2m per day by cancelling winter fuel payments. However it appears it is costing £6m per day on hotel accommodation for asylum/illegal immigrants. Please correct me if I am incorrect and tell us how much it is costing the tax payer...for everything, not just hotels.

Jean

The government are stopping the heating payment to pensioners, will the illegal emigrants be going without heating in their 5star or 3star hotels😡..

Marc

Re election,!!! , country has made a massive mistake , the communists hide under the Labour brand ,pay per mile soon to come ,clean air zones , tax tax tax , they want your pocket more than your vote , zero interest in small buissness, , zero interest in people want you gone after retirement take your house and your pension ,when will Britain wake up ,?? Not in my lifetime , assume

Peter

The governments politicians have ignored the British peoples concerns about immigration said one thing and done another or nothing nothing to do with far right

Joseph

Really, what about if politicians and police cracked down on everybody that causes any kind of trouble, wasn't long ago, that gangs of immigrant youths were going around the streets of your constituency of Keighley, causing trouble, threatening people, carrying weapons, didn't here you say much about that, as a politician,start protecting everyone, no doubt we'll get 2 tier policing

Christine

Rioting isn’t the answer but what do the British public have to do to stop all this immigration. We came out of the EU on a promise that the boats would be stopped. We were lied to. The government need to take action immediately and protect our nation against this invasion.

Wayne

We've a police that are no longer fit for purpose. Two tier police policy.

Chris

You are right and most people feel the same. I am afraid though that until 2 tier Kier, the government, police and main stream media, stop treating the British people as second-class citizens, whilst treating mass economic migrants etc as honoured guests at the cost to those second-class citizens, people have plainly had enough.

Simon

All Starmer has to do is Stop the Boats✋️⛔️, turn them around and stick to a solid fast track plan to remove illegal immigrants and this civil unrest will stop overnight.

Starmer has stopped the Winter Fuel Allowance and will raise taxes to help pay for a £6million (SIX MILLION POUNDS) a day bill to house illegal immigrants in hotels.

Seriously what sort of country are we living in that allows this to happen. What other civilised country would even allow things like this to happen.

Sue

Something as to be done about the amount of immigrants coming to this country , we just cannot cope with them all

Steven

It's OK saying the Police have your full support, unfortunately they don't have the support from the justice system, and this has been coming for a long while, and although I don't condone violence when the white British are made to feel second class in their own country what do government expect?

We have had all rights taken from us and handed to the immigrants that have settled here, the country in fact the world has gone mad, we pander to immigrants and members of the LGBT community. 😡

Remember not long ago a man was arrested in London centre for preaching the Bible, they said it would offend immigrants, well sorry but we are a Christian country and the Bible was here long before immigrants.