THE scenes of organised racial violence in recent days have sent a shockwave through our society. We have seen things which should shock us all to the core. Roving mobs, hunting down black and brown people. Asian taxi drivers targeted and mosques under attack.

There have been reports of groups of people stopping traffic, allowing only white drivers to pass through. Two hotels housing asylum seekers have been stormed. Residents were in these sites at the time, facing the impossible choice of facing down fire or the baying aggressors who had surrounded the building.

Add to that the countless videos circulating showcasing vile Islamophobic and racist abuse with intent to kill and you have a modern-day pogrom. The situation is so severe, that multiple states have issued travel warnings, including Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates.

People protest in Leeds following the stabbing attack in SouthportPeople protest in Leeds following the stabbing attack in Southport (Image: Owen Humphreys)

An international humiliation, and a domestic political crisis, that has fundamentally altered the course of social and political developments.

I don’t want to repeat what you already know in any detail: the irresponsible language of the politicians, the constant pandering to the radical right, the process of demonisation around immigrants, and the racist scapegoating required to rationalise declining living standards and failing institutions.

This has been obvious for anyone with a shred of independent thought for a very long time. But now, a critical mass of people willing to take part in violent race riots has burst onto the scene. They plan further violence designed to terrorise communities.

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One group on the messaging platform Telegram has more than 13,000 members. Here, they list addresses for immigration-related charities, advice centres and solicitors offices. The goal is to conduct a campaign of arson and includes incitement to murder ethnic minorities, anti-fascists and government ministers.

For black and brown people in particular, this presents real danger. The groups involved have provided ample evidence that they are willing to enact their vile aggression in the real world. Unfortunately, this is far from the totality of the problem.

It is difficult to sustain long periods of violent rioting, though we have some way to go on that front. More insidiously, every racist in every workplace and community will feel emboldened to conduct racist abuse of various forms.

This means that all of us who oppose this have to be leaders in confronting racism wherever we might encounter it in our daily lives.

In among the horrors, there are indications of hope. The Communication Workers’ Union has called for its local branches to reach out to mosques, refugee centres and solidarity groups to offer on-the-ground support. Local residents of all faiths and backgrounds have been helping to clean up after the riots. There has been an outpouring of condemnation.

These efforts, however, are impeded by major media outlets who have been nothing short of a disgrace. One BBC reporter referred to the far-right as being “pro-British”.

There appears to be little to no awareness of how dangerous this framing is. Indeed, the BBC has failed on essential journalistic grounds repeatedly over the course of the crisis thus far. On the morning after consecutive days of marauding racism, they reported “violent disorder” in spurious terms and failed to accurately describe events for what they are. They, like many leading politicians, have found it breathtakingly complex to say it as it is.

Good Morning Britain conducted an appalling interview with Muslim MP, Zarah Sultana, once again after a night of pogrom-like activity. Ed Balls dripped with condescension, as part of a sneering panel which opted for ignorant confrontation rather than informed discussion.

The lack of human empathy and emotional intelligence shone through. It is easy to apportion blame to the right-wing press. But the truth is the media landscape as a whole is embedded with reactionary attitudes. This has an intensely detrimental impact.

It misinforms the public, and demeans and exhausts everyone who experiences racism. It is incredulous and insulting that any Muslim, MP or otherwise, should be asked to explain on national television why the deliberate targeting of mosques and the community at large should be deemed Islamophobic.

But there is a reason for this hierarchy of racism, which expresses itself on mainstream media even in the midst of Muslims having to contend with literal lynch mobs. Islamophobia forms an important part of state ideology, furnishes its foreign policy imperatives has been hardwired into its operations throughout the “war on terror.”

For this reason it passes the “dinner table” test, and prevails across the media and political class.

Class, though, should be uppermost in our minds. As a socialist, it is painful to see communities at the sharp end of austerity torn apart by racist violence. Our unity is a prerequisite to winning a different kind of society.

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The toxic foundations which form the basis of the existing social order are a failure. Decimated public services and towns and cities in ruins after over a decade of cuts combined with the deliberate stripping of political agency to generate nihilism, fear and resentment. As long as these and many other issues are left unaddressed, the situation will continue to deteriorate.

What we see now are the bitter fruits of both imperialism and neoliberalism. Effective opposition to both, and a vision that can inspire hope, can defeat racist ideas and point towards a society based on solidarity and common ownership of our resources which can provide for all.