We at The Africa Centre have watched recent events unfold with a mixture of sadness, anger and frustration. Our hearts go out to the families of the girls who were brutally slain in Southport - Bebe King, who was 6; Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7; and 9-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar. We hope that their families find comfort and justice that will eventually result in a sense of peace. We also pray that the eight other children who were seriously hurt recover from the injuries and trauma inflicted on them.

It is sadly though, no surprise to see how the Far Right have capitalised on this tragedy by attempting to create a state of anarchy and violent targeting of Black and Brown people, resulting in people living in fear in their own country. These actions constitute nothing less than the most insidious forms of racism and Islamophobia. For years now, we have seen the Far Right pandered to and their vile ideology normalised on mainstream media platforms and through the words of disingenuous, opportunistic politicians. The ‘war on woke’ has been used as a rallying call for a disaffection that actually has its roots in the systemically denuded investment in communities, education, young people and industry. This has emboldened the racists to the point where they feel they can create the kind of chaos we have now witnessed.

 

It is nevertheless, heartening to see so many people come out in the past few days to take a stance against these acts of terror. We have seen allyship in vivid action, and a clear message sent to the vile minority that they do not speak for anyone but their own sad selves. We also notice the silence of the public figures who are usually quick to jump on these matters when Black communities are not on the receiving end, including politicians vying for high offices.

 

This is however no cause for complacency. A battle is won but the war is still real. The vile minority may be small in numbers but are nevertheless significant and many of them reside amongst us. We have to mobilise at community level to not just play defence when attacked, but to be constantly on the front foot to prevent escalation, misunderstandings and misinformation.  We have to empower our young people with knowledge and supplement their education with a proper appreciation of real British history, which will enhance their understanding and improve community relations.

 

While we acknowledge that the accused assailant is of African descent, and not wishing to pre-empt the judicial process, we sadly feel the need to reiterate that this horrible act is his to own and not indicative of the Far Right’s imagined propensity for any community to do similar things. The Africa Centre supports all efforts that promote local-level, genuinely bottom-up democratic empowerment and community organising, such as the Humanity Project, recognising that this is the only way meaningful social change will happen.

 

We ask everyone who felt so indignant about the atrocities that were committed ostensibly on their behalf and in their name, to work closer with cultural organisations and centres such as ours to combat the advances of the Far Right and inform themselves even better on the real underlying causes of - and solutions to - the current economic and social challenges we face. As we have done for the past 60 years, The Africa Centre will continue to offer our space and platforms for solutions-based discussion and strategizing.

 

“…one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense that once the hate is gone they will be forced to deal with the pain.” - James Baldwin, who would have been 100 years old a few days after the Southport murders.