Reason Over Ignorance

In London in the last twelve months four gay men have been murdered. At the same time reported homophobic hate crime has risen by 18%. These murders and the reported rise in homophobic crime have occurred at a time when cuts are being promised in the public sector and does not augur well for any attempt to tackle hatred aimed at race, sexual orientation and religion. What does this tell us then? Because of the mistakes of the bankers,civilisation must wait?

This month, 62 year-old Ian Baynham was beaten to death when he went to remonstrate with teenagers who had been directing homophobic comments toward him and his partner. Ian, who had been out celebrating a new job died at Traflagar Square, London after a verbal exchange between the teenagers and himself. In July this year Edward Highwood, 79, was found murdered in his flat in Greenwich, in March, 59 year-old Gerry Edwards was stabbed to death at his home in Bromley, while last November David Cooper a 28 year-old gay man was attacked and killed at his home in Woolwich.

These deaths and the increase in homophobic hate crime tend to suggest that our society is becoming less tolerant. It also indicates that a number of factors might be at play, contributing to the decline in tolerance.

The rise of the British National Party, who won two seats at the European parliament in June this year was a warning to us all that something was amiss. A racist party who allows only whites membership, the party attracted its vote using scaremongering tactics. Subsequently it was supported by those who felt disenfranchised, dispossessed and deserted by the mainstream parties. Time and again immigration came up as an issue that the present Labour government had failed to address.

In this narrow perspective the troubles of a group of people who see themselves as 'indigenous' are blamed on another sector of society, predominantly immigrants, homosexuals and jews. The thesis, of course, is warped, but it does find a home in disenchanted and racist elements of our society, those who can no longer find work, who may lack decent housing and who feel, somehow, deserted by the other parties. This is where the BNP feed, exploitating perceived 'injustices', targetting the most vulnerable and, as we have seen, benefitting from the failures of others.

The kind of poison the BNP spin, of course, misses the point that many immigrants who make a home for themselves in this country contribute positively to the well-being of the nation. They are often intelligent, hard working people who provide extra value to the legal, medical, business and other professions. After a recent, controversial appearance by the BNP leader Nick Griffin on BBC's Question Time, 20% of Britains said they would vote for him.

This frigtening statistic is an indicator of something more fundamental in the psyche of the people of the United Kingdom which is changing tyhe political landscape. Another factor might be the continued recession, ill-feeling can set in as people are lose their jobs, have their homes repossessed and see their families struggle. In this kind of economic atmosphere, fear, loathing and anxiety are widespread and people often resort to searching for scapegoats, and that usually consists of those who are somehow seen as 'different'.

Immigrants, homosexuals and jewish people become easy prey in this rarified atmosphere of fear, loathing and anxiety. With a Conservative government looking likely to succeed the present Labour incumbents and also promising to cut public spending, at a time when, economically and socially, we desperately need the reverse; what can be done? Join a human rights organisation like Broken Chains? Find out the truth about immigration, homosexuality, the jewish people, but most of all, don't let ignorance overtake reason. INVESTIGATION: Christianity and the Beads of Sweat There is a pink world out there. Gay bars, gay clubs and gay dating agencies are not so hard to find these days.

We often seem much more enlightened than we once were about people's sexual orientation. Yet, it is still difficult for gays to 'come out'. Coming out, in fact, is one hurdle that heterosexuals never have to consider, it's something so-called 'straight people' never have to face.

But for gays there is always a social stigma about their sexual orientation, and very often the all-consuming hatred of others to confront. It is assumed that if you heterosexual there is no issue

Development / Ghana / Africa / Modernghana.com

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