Instead we must see these murderers and extremists as what they are- products of a sadly well-cultivated climate of extreme bigotry and hatred, fuelled by an organised international fascist tendency.
Make no mistake, this is exactly what happened in the 1930s, when papers like the Daily Mail constantly attacked Jews in line with Nazi ideology- in some cases the very same newspapers now are doing the same thing with Muslims. These papers are not neutral and factual news sources but fundamentally biased stained toilet paper smeared with the shit of ‘acceptable’ bigotry. They are owned by rich men with a highly conservative agenda and normalise, pander to and amplify the views of bigoted far right extremists.
When there is a mass murder committed by a Muslim, it is called a terrorist attack, ISIS and Al Qaeda are brought up, many moderate Muslims are quoted as denouncing it and the attackers are dehumanised as sick monsters.
When there is a terrorist attack committed by a white supremacist, a neo-Nazi or an anti-Muslim fascist it is much less likely to be termed as such, instead they talk about how he was an angelic boy and social media is to blame.
But look to the newspaper headlines stoking hatred and prejudice every day in England. Look to the organised global far right, from Pegida to Putin to Trump to Brazil to Nigel Farage to the Golden Dawn to Front National to Tommy Robinson to Britain First. Look to Israeli apartheid against Palestinians that is ignored, and the Islamophobia that is rampant worldwide. What came first, far right Islam or the white far right? What does it matter- both sides feed off each other. Both are very wrong, but if we are not careful both sides will get what they want- significantly increased conflict on a global scale.
Anti-fascism starts at home, but it doesn’t end there. It’s time to challenge your racist Dad, to speak up in defence of that guy getting bullied for being Muslim. It’s time to call out those jokes that normalise bigotry, to not just stay quiet when the village idiot is spouting off about Muslims again. It’s time to bin every copy you can find of the Daily Mail EVERY SINGLE TIME it’s headlines preach anti-Muslim hatred and fear. It’s time to write letters and emails complaining about anti-Muslim bias in the news and in the papers. It’s time to support Palestinians against the ongoing genocide. It’s time to stand with your local Muslim neighbours and let them know they are loved and welcomed. It’s time for every single one of us to cancel other plans and make time for active anti-fascism- the next time the white far right tries to mobilise we NEED to be there to stop them en masse.
The more normalised this kind of bigotry and hatred becomes the more these attacks will happen. History has proven time and again that you cannot simply ignore them and hope they’ll go away. There are a hundred and one excuses for not getting involved, but the cost of not doing so is far greater. True solidarity requires action, not just thoughts and prayers and well-intentioned facebook statuses.
Anti-fascism is not a spectator sport, it’s not someone elses job and it certainly cannot be left up to the authorities- it’s up to ordinary people like you and me.
See you on the streets?
Beau Nafyde
