Viewpoint: Racists must be confronted at all levels

Paul Donovan

The success of the England football team has rightly been acclaimed throughout the land..

The players and management have been a real credit to an open, outward looking country that is welcoming to all...

Most of the team are descended from migrants to this country, from Marcus Rashford and Raheem Stirling to Declan Rice and Calvin Phillips.

Without immigration, this team would not exist.

The manager Gareth Southgate and his players have condemned racism, homophobia and sexism in all of its forms. They have been fine ambassadors for the country and all that is best about it.

Rashford has been superb in taking on the the government on providing food for school children.

Raheem Stirling has stood up against vile racism, as well as being an outstanding player in the tournament.

Liverpool's Jordan Henderson has stepped up to help out during the pandemic.

The team has come to represent everything that is best about the country.

The England team should help spread unity in the country, after the ravaging 18 months of the pandemic. Prior to that there has been the division sown by the prolonged Brexit process.

Unfortunately, following defeat in the final of the European Championships, the other side of the UK emerged, as the racists surfaced again, subjecting the black players to a lot of vile abuse.

They were condemned from most quarters.

This was the unacceptable face of Britain. Racism has always existed in the UK but had become publically unacceptable and made illegal by legislation like the Race Relations Act.

However, these previous efforts to confront racists and racism merely drove it underground or into more covert forms. It was always still there.

The referendum on EU membership, with its focus on migrants helped to take the lid off racism once again. The result, the vote in favour of Brexit was to effectively give licence to the racists to come back out from under their stones.

That is not to say that all Brexiteers are racists far from it, but the divisive debate, with its anti-migrant over tones certainly brought racism back out into the open.

Maybe it is a good thing because now racism is so blatant again, people across the country will need to confront it. This is happening, which is encouraging.

The bravery of the footballers and other in the public eye is to be applauded for the role they have played.

One last thought to ponder. This country was built on immigration, the England football team are all descended from migrants. Without migration, this ageing country will sink.

We are already seeing skills shortages, courtesy of leaving the EU. Many of those people that worked in our care homes, staffed the NHS, picked the crops and served the coffees have now gone home.

There could come a time when the UK has to go out to beg people to come here to work. Those people are unlikely to come to an island that is hostile to them and dominated by racism.

A selfish economic argument but one that many of those who will increasing need the services of the sectors mentioned would do well to dwell upon.

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Paul Donovan is an award-winning Catholic journalist and Councillor for Redbridge. See his blog 'Between the Lines': https://paulfdonovan.blogspot.com/