UNITED E-News – June 2016 – #LifeSeekers Special

Whether or not we agree with the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union, we in the European antiracist movement should be concerned about the anti-migrant sentiment stirred up during the divisive referendum campaign, and the spike in hate crimes that has accompanied the result. As we wrote in our statement on the result, to label those who voted to leave simply as “racists” is both dangerous and wrong: for many of them, the vote was a protest against an economic system that has failed many, even as it creates massive profits for a few. But, at the same time, it is clear that migration has been used as a scapegoat for people’s legitimate social concerns, and the result of the referendum has emboldened many on the far-right, who now believe they have proof that the “silent majority” stands behind them.

It is at times such as these that the work of the European antiracist movement is more important than ever – and at the UNITED secretariat we can already see the impact of our work: in response to reports of outbreaks of racist attacks and hate speech in Britain, (and especially a now-infamous incident where the passengers in a crowded tram stood silent while a man was repeatedly insulted with racist slurs), the UNITED infoleaflet “Who, if not you?”, which gives advice on and how to respond to racist incidents and exercise Civil Courage, has been shared widely on social media, with over 11,000 shares on Facebook, and many hundreds more on Twitter.

This month also saw the launch of our new #LifeSeekers campaign. Following the Brexit vote, the words of the #LifeSeekers campaign statement seem to be even more relevant to the public discussion: “For many, the embrace of a populist, migrant-blaming narrative is the closest they can come to empowerment and a sense of self-value … we call for European governments to promote an honest, transparent and inclusive discussion about the issues facing young people today, avoiding panic, fear, and hate, and actively seeking out new and diverse perspectives and visions.”

We are therefore happy to bring you this special #LifeSeekers edition of our monthly E-News, and ask you all to join and share this campaign. Together we can take a stand against the scapegoating of migrants, and call for policy-makers to focus instead on the real issues that are causing so many divisions in our societies.

Best greetings and stay UNITED!

#LifeSeekers is a campaign for a new approach to problems facing young people in Europe today. We want policy-makers to take positive action to solve these problems and to stop blaming migrants and refugees. Whether or not we are asylum-seekers, we are all Life Seekers, who want the freedom and power to shape our own futures.

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