A reflection on the events of the last week

The events around the war memorial in Oxford on Saturday June 1st and my blog post about it have prompted wide discussion and activity, including a petition asking me to resign, some articles in the local media and many comments both on my blog post and on the blogs and social media pages of political activists from across the spectrum including the EDL.

As I said in my original posting, I think it is important to engage courteously with people we disagree with, and so I asked the poster of the resignation petition, Beth, for a meeting.  She agreed to that and we met last Friday, each taking someone along to ensure we both recalled what had been said correctly.  We had an open and productive discussion, and I thought it would be helpful to reflect some of that here.

Readers of my original post will recall that I originally attended the war memorial, as a ward councillor, because I abhor the views of groups such as the EDL, and did not want them to be able to use the terrible events in Woolwich as a springboard for stirring up racial tension in Oxford or anywhere else, or as a recruitment tool.  Beth accepts this, and agrees that I am neither a racist myself, nor a defender of racists or indeed fascists.  I entirely reject any EDL attempts to claim me as a supporter and utterly revile its members’ actions of hate and its stated anti-Islamic aims.

Beth maintains that the flowers had already been damaged when the group (she says she is not part of Oxford Unite Against Fascism) arrived, and that they were climbing the war memorial on the prompting of a media photographer.  I appreciate that some photographers will cross the limits of common sense and good taste for a picture, and while I think it was unwise for the group to agree to do it, I have no reason to doubt her account.  I did, however, notice one protester attempting to walk away with some of the flowers and did ask her to put them back, which she did.

There is no doubt that the group was discourteous towards people who may or may not have had any association with the EDL (a Help for Heroes T-shirt does not make someone an EDL member) but it probably was not hate.  I am glad, however, that there was no physical violence last weekend from either side – something that is sadly not true of clashes elsewhere between EDL members and others.

Finally, I understand that just as menacing phone calls have been made pursuing me, a member of Oxford Unite Against Fascism has also received threats at work and at home.  This is clearly unacceptable.  I ask that that Thames Valley Police continues to deal with such threats seriously.

In many ways the UK is a society in which people with different views and backgrounds live together peaceably.  That’s particularly the case in Oxford and one of the many reasons I love living here and am proud to serve as a member of Oxford City Council.  But sadly, the existence of groups like the EDL, and the experience of too many people who have suffered violence or discrimination because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or other personal characteristic, reminds us that we still have work to do.  I urge everyone to play their part in defeating hatred this week by reaching out to someone they don’t know well – perhaps a neighbour, perhaps a work colleague – and introducing themselves to each other, much as I did with Beth.  Extremists may try to divide us for their own twisted purposes, but I believe that by building connections, sharing hope and our common humanity we will defeat them together, and build a world in which all people can live free and fulfilling lives together.