Hate Spreads like a cancer in social media – Stamp it Out !
As I was checking my social media feed yesterday I cam across a post that appears to have been shared by a number of people which is basically adding petrol the the flames of the unrest ongoing at the moment especially in Ballymena and Portadown area and beyond…. even to Downpatrick writes Jim Masson.
Below are also statements from the Health Minister and leading health professionals in Northern Ireland condemning the violence and showing respect and empathy to the migrant communities affected.
The riots in mid-Ulster are well documented in the media and I will not rake over old coals or give the offenders the light of day.
BUT I would ask anyone who receives postings extolling racism and xenophobia* to immediately delete them.
Sadly the political climate in Northern Ireland has become unstable again as racist thugs target vulnerable people because of the colour of their skin or ethnic origin.
This sickening trait has been exacerbated in recent months but the growing number of attacks and the disgraceful reactions in Ballymena as hooded thugs wreck homes, shops, vehicles, and public and private property spreading their anarchy far and wide.
The social media post I refer to relates to a call for those to gather in Downpatrick. It may well just be a bluff, a malicious posting, but it is being ‘liked’ and ‘shared’ which is ominous.
I received a ‘notice’ of a proposed gathering on Saturday in Downpatrick explaining in unprintable language the reason for the protest. It pinpointed Downpatrick at a specific time and place and date for the purposes of nothing less that a riot.
This is inflamatory.
This is dangerous and there are people who for their own sick reasons take up the call and gather. I’m sure the police and currently watching this situation very closely.
Since the instalation of President Trump and his extreme right wing cohort, politics in America has become deeply divided and when America sneezes, Britain catches a cold.
Reform right wing leader Nigel Farage is well connected to the Trumpist hegemony in the United States and he also has recent connections to loyalist extremists in Northern Ireland. And Farage is trying to drive a wedge into British politics aspiring – like Trump – to shape the political system into a new age and even become the political leader (possibly).
Farage has recently condemned the violence but suggests that it’s a by-product of what he has been warning against regarding immigration.
This all has echoes of the often cited ‘rivers of blood’ speach by the former South Down MP Enoch Powell.
My point in all of this is that the ‘local’ flare up in Ballymena is not just a local flare up. It is I fear designed to galvanise a right wing element on our society across the UK that literally hates people with identities that are non-British / Northern Irish ie more specifically, people of coloured skins, different ethnic origins and speaking different languages.
Downpatrick has a significant number of workers from foreign countries and these workers who work there must at the moment feeling uncomfortable, particularly as many of them live around the town centre.
It is unacceptable to treat people in this way as part of an out-group when they are making a valuable contribution to the local economy. We all have a role to play in stamping out racism and xenophobia. These foreign workers must be respected for thier contribution.
It is not just the hoodie thugs that challenge the PSNI that are at fault here, but also the ‘pin-stripped brigade’, the faceless bureaucrats and people in authority who hold sway, those with right-wing mindsets that detest outsiders and would be only too happy if they quietly fell over the cliff. This mostly hidden body who have always probably been right wing in their political ideology, contribute to the overall, accelerating unfolding of the neo-fascist agenda. We need to call it for what it is. We need to challenge it in all its varied shapes and subtle forms.
So if you receive an exhortation to riot in the streets of Downpatrick – or anywhere else – report it to your social media provider and bin in. Avoid the slippery slope to a dictatorship!
Check out this Guardian article on Nigel Farage, Trump and Musk.
* What is Xenophobia.
- Xenophobia is the fear, dislike, or prejudice against people from other countries or cultures. It can manifest in different ways, including:
- Negative attitudes or stereotypes about foreigners or immigrants.
- Discrimination in jobs, housing, or services.
- Hostility or violence toward individuals perceived as outsiders.
- Policies or rhetoric that exclude or marginalize non-native groups.
- Xenophobia is often fueled by fear of economic competition, cultural differences, misinformation, or political manipulation. While it can be individual or personal, it also occurs on larger scales—social, institutional, or national.
An example: in Berlin in around 1890, the Jewish community were becoming very prosperous and the German males were resentful of the Jewish men for their successes in business. This led to an increase in racism and xenophobia directed at the Jews which later became institutionalised into the Nazi doctrine in the 1930s leading to WWII and the Holocaust.
***
Health Minister Condemns Racist Violence
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has condemned the recent racist violence and offered his support to international colleagues working throughout the Health & Social Care system.
He said: “The actions of recent days have no doubt left some members of our HSC family feeling frightened and vulnerable.”.
“It is well accepted within Health and Social Care that without our international colleagues, the health service would collapse.
“The international recruits who arrive to work here across our HSC system provide an immensely valuable contribution to the delivery of health and social care services and enrich our communities with their diversity.
“Since taking up the post of Health Minister last year, I have had the privilege of meeting healthcare staff right across Northern Ireland, including many of our internationally recruited colleagues who have brought their skills, experience and expertise to our health service.
“They are greatly needed, very much appreciated and highly valued. They are deeply welcome here and their health, safety and wellbeing are of paramount importance.
“People should be entitled to live in peace, free from harm and intimidation, and I stand against this reprehensible, racist and xenophobic behaviour.”
Northern Ireland has a proud reputation of providing excellent pastoral care and practical support for our international recruits. HSC employers will continue to provide support for staff as needed and those who are feeling concerned and vulnerable should reach out for help.
Statement from Chief Health Professional Officers Condemning Riots
The violence currently taking place over the past 3 days in mid-Ulster has been widely condemned. Below is a joint statement from senior health professionals appealing for calm and positivity.
The appalling and violent scenes of recent days are nothing short of shameful.
That people should be targeted and threatened simply because of their ethnicity, skin colour or cultural background is utterly despicable.
That they should be intimidated out of their own homes is vile. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and to live in a safe environment free from harm and intimidation.
We know there will be many of our international colleagues within the committed and dedicated Health & Social Care and independent sector workforce who will be distressed by what has unfolded.
We know that, less than a year after similar scenes on our streets last summer, you are once again left feeling frightened and anxious.
But please know this: You are welcome, you are deeply valued, and you have our full support. We are the better for your presence here.
This behaviour is not representative of Northern Ireland, nor the people who live here.
At this time, it is important that each one of us reaches out to provide comfort and support to our friends and colleagues who have come here from outside of Northern Ireland.
The hugely valuable contribution that our diverse internationally educated and recruited colleagues and friends make to our health and social care service is very well recognised.
They go out to work each and every day, serving our communities with professionalism, dignity, kindness and compassion.
We stand with them and condemn, in the strongest possible terms, these blatant acts of racist thuggery.
Professor Sir Michael McBride
Chief Medical Officer
Professor Maria McIlgorm
Chief Nursing Officer
Aine Morrison
Chief Social Worker
Professor Cathy Harrison
Chief Pharmaceutical Officer
Professor Ian Young
Chief Scientific Adviser
Professor Michelle Tennyson
Chief Allied Health Professions Officer
Caroline Lappin
Chief Dental Officer.
