It’s Not A Refugee Crisis, It’s A Political One — By Bilal Aziz

Somewhere in Europe, a boy peacefully wanders a damp street, avoiding the various puddles scattered across the path in which he walks, staring at his unfamiliar surroundings and at the people alien to him who refuse to acknowledge his existence without wincing in anticipation for trouble.

Indeed, he’s a refugee.

The incoherent rumblings of ignorance echoes around him with every step he takes, threatening his innocence. The unassumingly quiet way he carries himself wasn’t enough. He had already been targeted as the enemy. The enemy of people who have historically shown social insecurity through their lives not taking off in the ways that they hoped, despite society being tailored to their needs and political views.

Last night, this boy’s face surfaced around social media in a video as a victim of a horrific racially motivated attack at Almondsbury High School in Huddersfield. A Syrian refugee given a reminder that he is not welcome in Britain. A hate crime that shows a new aspect of the growing bullying crisis in the UK. An ugly reflection of a society that has allowed this to become the norm.

His reaction was to shrug it off and continue his day as if he should accept this behaviour. As if this experience of hatred is frequent and something he should take in his stride. A consequence of living in Britain during the era of Tommy Robinson’s notoriety.

It wouldn’t surprise you to read that the bully is a vocal supporter of Tommy Robinson. His Facebook page is covered in posts supporting his Islamophobic cause. It wouldn’t surprise you either that the bully (named as Bailey McLaren) comes from a family of convicted racists who have successfully raised a child to mirror their miserable, regressive view of a country that was once proud of the plethora of cultures that previously helped build a super-power.

The conviction of Tommy Robinson in May this year, for a breach of the peace, gave far-right groups and individuals the legitimacy they needed to fuel their movement. The #FreeTommy campaign painted the man as a British martyr, a victim of the liberal elite and a man who had the people’s best interests at heart.

The grievance with multiculturalism in Europe is the chaotic nature it brings to cultural norms in a continent that historically has been the centre of conflicts revolving around identity and ideologies. What these radicals forget is that Britain and Europe as a whole has always been stronger without fascism, racism and hatred. It has always been stronger with a united front.

Although, it is important to acknowledge the role Islamism has played in inflicting damage on Western societies this decade. It is important to alienate terrorists who are the antithesis of a modern, progressive society. It is important to protect the citizens of your country from this ideology that has plagued as many Muslims as it has anyone else.

But it is also important to not overstep the line and make the average follower of Islam a mouthpiece for every atrocity that happens in the name of the religion. You cannot antagonise innocent people who have nothing to do with the various attacks on Europe. It ends up creating more extremists in an already polarised society.

People continue to turn a blind eye to far-right radicalisation and extremism in Britain. Just last month, religious hate crimes jumped by 40 percent. The report compiled by the Home Office showed that 52 percent of hate crimes targeted Muslims, despite Muslims only making up 5 percent of the British population. This percentage is evidently on the rise yet there is no solution to combat it.

The world is sitting back and ignoring the cries of a minority community who continue to be victimised for their beliefs.

Despite this report, Islamophobia is still not seen as a legitimate issue within the ruling party. Various Conservative Party members have been exposed by activists as holding Islamophobic views and promoting it within their social circles. The most recent example being Boris Johnson. The less we say about him, the better.

So, where did it all go wrong for Britain?

Since 2015, the refugee crisis in the continent stemmed from citizens of politically shattered countries seeking asylum in progressive countries who seemed to have a tolerance for marginalised people.

The reality is in fact very different.

The decision by the people for Britain to leave the European Union was dominated by the notion of ending free movement and having more control over who comes to the country. The naivety of the government in allowing a small number of Islamist militants into the country has created a nation of paranoid bigots who will protect their identity, even if it demonises others.

The disjointed nature in which European countries are dealing with the floods of migrants and refugees fleeing their home nations has aided the crisis rather than prevent it.

However, it is not solely a refugee crisis, it is also a political one. It doesn’t help that it has been reported on with a lack of perception from mainstream media. They simply do not have the range to understand the struggles of a refugee as a consequence of the Arab Spring, which has led to mass political fall out that has affected Europe in a negative way.

There is no consistent policy to tackle this, which is why the UK, as well as the EU has let itself down. There is a need for solidarity. However, this can only be a reality if European countries are willing to shoulder part of the problem. There must be an understanding of the causes that leads to the people being displaced from their country of origin.

If there is no understanding, there is no social cohesion and with no social cohesion, a society cannot be civil, therefore innocent children will continually be attacked for simply having a identity, something they cannot control.

Why do people want to create unrest when people are minding their own business, trying to navigate their way through life? It’s senseless and has no place in modern society. It must end sooner rather than later or we may see more of the likes of Bailey McLaren begging for attention.