22 April (Part 1) - Bexley turns its back on hate; and about time too
I suspect this report will be difficult to write without upsetting someone,
if I am unlucky maybe everyone, but here goes anyway.
The last full Council meeting of the current electoral cycle was a triumph
for retiring Labour Councillor Edward Boateng (Erith). Not only did Councillor
Leaf put his own Motion aside to allow Councillor Boateng to put his first but
it also won unanimous support.
A rare moment of agreeement.
I suppose it would be difficult for anyone to not wholeheartedly welcome and
accept those words but it is not unknown for Bexley Conservatives to reject
Motions that they find acceptable in order to submit one of their own and claim the credit for it.
During the meeting one Conservative Councillor made comments that I thought were strange to say
the least but none voted against the Motion. As someone who has only once witnessed racism
- a Sikh woman made an unprovoked attack on another and called her white vermin.
I suspect that is totally untypical; maybe I am untypical too. They have drifted
away now but I was once in a group of friends who were all Jewish. I never
noticed. What difference does it make?
My mobile contacts list includes five Muslims and two Christian vicars.
Yesterday, if I exclude the lady who asked me when Crossrail will run through to
Heathrow - December next year - I didn’t speak to anyone who wasn’t either
Pakistani, Romanian, Ukrainian or Nigerian. I never see a problem. Maybe that is
why I find it difficult to understand how racism, hate crime or whatever is such
a problem for some people. Do they provoke it or
see it where none is intended?
For once I seem to take the same view as Cabinet Member Peter Craske. Just after
the EU referendum he said he
deplored hate crime but locally it wasn’t a problem. The police agreed with
him. Has something changed? At Wednesday’s meeting hate crime was seen as a big problem.
Edward Boateng had experienced it himself and Lewisham born Councillor Borella,
with the inevitable swipe at Brexit, had while travelling late at night on
trains, been called a Bubble & Squeak (Greek) and a terrorist. He reported both
incidents to the police. What sort of situations does he get himself into on a train? No
one ever speaks to me on trains.
He said he had encountered ethnic minorities being abused while on the 229 bus to
the evening’s meeting. Obviously I lead a very sheltered life.
Councillor David Leaf (Conservative, Longlands) said “there was no place in this
borough for those who commit vile, repugnant, racist, homophobic hate crimes.
They should be locked up for a very long time”.
“The far right and hate filled fascism is not welcome in our borough”. The far
left then came in for similar criticism, Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell and Ken
Livingston being specifically mentioned. Jewish MPs “had been on the receiving
end of the most disgusting abuse we have ever seen in British politics”. He is
not wrong is he?
He said some of it has spread to Bexley. A Labour candidate had Tweeted four
letter profanities about the Conservatives and called one a liar. “It is
absolutely shameful”. Cabinet Member Read didn’t even blush.
With even more passion than usual Councillor Leaf alleged that Labour candidate
Dave Putson (Belvedere) ascribed to the Prime Minister “the strong smell of the
stable, pure horse expletive”. Not nice and definitely on a par with the worst
of Councillor Read’s output.
There was nevertheless not a lot to disagree with in David Leaf’s speech.
According to my Jewish friends Councillor Leaf is also Jewish and has every
right to feel aggrieved at the behaviour of certain elements within and outside
the Labour party. I have never been able to understand why Jewish people are
treated so badly. My father’s best friend from the RAF was Jewish, our families
used to go on holidays together. Jews are no different to any other citizen
except maybe harder working.
Councillor Sharon Massey did not appear to share Councillor Leaf’s high motives,
for her, hate crime was more of a personal issue. At a Scrutiny meeting
she had
asked the Borough Commander to have the law changed to make it easier for
power-crazed Councillors to have bloggers locked away.
On Wednesday we were treated to episode two.
“We all deserve to lead our lives free from discrimination, hate and harassment.
Racism, homophobia and sexism is illegal but unlike you Councillor Boateng, I do
not believe all residents within the borough are valued members of the
community. I despise those who display hate, bully others and judge others to be
worth less just because they are female or gay or judged to be an easy target
just because they are perceived to be in a position of authority. For example
the police, MPs, Council officers and even Councillors.”
Is despising those who display hate just another hate crime?
“Until I became involved in politics I had never been involved with sexism or
harassment. In politics I have been a victim of hate and discrimination. I have
been called white scum and worse. I have witnessed misogyny in this very
Chamber. Members of the public write to me just to let me know they know where I live.”
“There are sadly those who operate just under the radar, just on the edge of the
law, creating misery and hate around them and this sort of harassment is so much
harder to stop. I consider these people to be ignorant, poorly educated and
their behaviour a reflection of their own sad environment.”
“As a family we have had ridiculous lies written about us, as well as photos of
our home and photos of our youngest daughter out with her friends posted on line
and in blogs.” She said that Councillor Borella had apologised to her “for your
role in these events”. For a moment I thought Councillor Massey was referring to
me but I have no idea what Councillor Borella may or may not have done although
it is a matter of record that someone referred him to the Code of Conduct
Committee. The only photos I found were those posted by the Massey’s to their own Facebook page.
Councillor Massey then went on to criticise Victim Support for failing her
daughter. She had wrongly believed that someone was lurking outside her home and
called the contact number they had given her but they refused to help because she
was a minor. Totally ridiculous but true to form. Bexley’s Victim Support
refused to help Elwyn Bryant and me when we were the victim of the crime traced
to Councillor Craske’s address. They said they could not be seen to criticise Bexley
Council or the police.
“Whilst I support this motion we must get our own house in order." Despite her
own thinly veiled attacks she added “this must not be allowed to become personal”.
Labour Leader Daniel Francis said that 25 years ago hate was definitely
“prevalent on the streets of this borough”. He referred to the murder of Stephen
Lawrence just across the border in Eltham and the BNP bookshop in Welling “which
Bexley Council refused to close down”. Back then he had seen people “beaten to a
pulp because of their colour, or their sexuality or their perceived sexuality”.
I remember that, In the early 1990s I used to get all sorts of homophobic abuse and not a little
violence because I was a man living alone.
In 2016 Daniel had witnessed racist songs sung in pubs. There’s another reason I am
blissfully unaware of these problems. I never enter a pub in Bexley. (I don’t
count the time a Councillor invited me to join him for a drink.)
Councillor Francis recounted how he “had been called a dickhead and a see you en
tee by Tory Councillors in Council meetings and a member opposite had made a
malicious allegation which caused him a great deal of trouble at work at a time
when his wife was very seriously ill. The most disgraceful thing you could
imagine and irony to say the least but fighting inequality is in our DNA.”
Continuing with the irony theme, Cabinet Member Philip Read was next to the microphone.
He recognised we lived in “a diverse society” but was particularly incensed by
criticism of “those who marry outside their own community. It is disturbing and
a classic example of intolerance”.
Like me he found that “most people deal with each other in a civilised way as
human beings. We should not make the mistake of believing that prejudice exists
everywhere”. Unlike Councillor Massey he felt “that all our residents are valued
members of the community. There should be no hatred in Bexley”.
“However one of the biggest causes of division is the abuse and hatred spewed
out by supporters of the Labour Party. They believe they have a monopoly on
compassion and too many of them believe that anyone not in the Labour party
cannot share their values. Ironically that self righteousness manifests itself
in exactly the sort of behaviour they claim to reject.”
“In 2014 a black lady stood as a Conservative candidate in the North of the
borough and as a result received a torrent of abuse from Labour supporters who
stalked her and said she was a sell out and an Uncle Tom”.
Someone wrote “an extremely offensive blog about her and all because she is a
member of the black community and had the audacity to support the Conservative
Party”. I thought I read all the local blogs but apparently not. That one passed me by.
I have to say that the sort of behaviour to which Cabinet Member Read alludes is
what as a young man first turned me off of Labour and it still does. Now of
course I see the same from many Tories locally which gives me nowhere to go politically.
Councillor Read went on to condemn Labour’s anti-Semitism at national level.
“Local members risk being tainted by association. They need to stand up and
resolutely and publicly declare against it”.
Councillor Eileen Pallen (Conservative, Barnehurst) also spoke on the subject but did not say anything
significant beyond repeating that “racism has no place in our society” and
anti-Semitism is a very bad thing.
Councillor Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour, Erith) was given only a few seconds to
speak but reported that in her ward there had been Brexit related racist abuse.
Referring to the complaints made about Labour politicians she compared them with
“the campaign run by Zac Goldsmith. It was one of the most racist I have ever seen”.
“David Cameron linked Sadiq Khan with Islamic extremists, that was racist as
well. And let’s not forget Teresa May’s Going Home vans.”
She was also aggrieved that “a number of Councillors cannot tell the difference
between the black Councillors here. We should practice what we preach”.
I fear that Councillor
Oppong-Asare is doomed to disappointment. Politics is tribal.
Councillor Peter Craske managed to chip in a final word. He “believes in peace
and love, not hatred”. I had no idea of that when I was accused of “Kissing in a
tree” while “having a good old shag” it was intended to be an expression of love.
Thanks Peter. I didn’t know you cared.
Edward Boateng as already noted is not standing at the forthcoming election. Our
paths did not cross often but when they did I could be sure of a warm welcome
and a shaken hand. One of the good guys. Bexley Council badly needs some more.
