Remember when there was a social media campaign with the hashtag #walkwithme (or something similar) after Muslims were being targeted after some or other terrorist atrocity that had nothing to do with them?  Well, I think we need to bring that back.

#walkwithme if you feel you’re being watched.

#walkwithme if you feel threatened or vulnerable.

#walkwithme if you think you are in danger.

#walkwithme if you are just afraid to be on your own.

Like every civilised person, I am very anti any form of discrimination.  I do not believe that one person is any better than the other.  I do not believe that the colour of my skin makes me any different from you.  I do not believe that your religion being different to mine means that you’re less of a person.  I embrace our differences.  I think that is what makes this world a beautiful place.

(Unless you’re a terrorist.  I absolutely judge you as being sub-human.)

I wish everyone thought that way.  Sadly, they don’t.

The media has been reporting widespread racism and xenophobia in the wake of the Brexit results.  I don’t think that they are making the entire thing up, but I do think that they like a good bit of scaremongering.  What has really disturbed me is to learn that actually, they aren’t making this bigger than it is.  It is actually happening.

You read about things in the papers, but you are separate from it.  However, when you read that your friends are being abused and intimidated as they go about their daily business, it really hits home.  Friends who are as British as I am.  Friends who had their children with them.  Friends who were with elderly relatives.  Friends who are female and walking home in the middle of the day and feel as vulnerable as if it were midnight.

It is NOT acceptable.  It HAS to stop.

I am not one to discuss my political affiliations.  My family never has been.  It was always viewed as a private decision, and bad manners to discuss it.  However, I am going against my upbringing as I have a few things I want, no NEED to say about this whole Brexit debacle.

Why am I discussing this now?  Because I feel that people who voted out for logical reasons need to be heard so that people know we are not all assholes.  Right now, the UK is being rocked by the worst level of racism I have ever heard about and it’s absolutely disgusting.

I am a grammar school educated home counties girl who now works in an intentional law firm based in Dubai.  I am far from stupid.  I pride myself on not being ignorant.  I am categorically not a racist.  My vote, had I been eligible, would have been to leave the EU.

I did not want to vote out because I want the UK to be all white or some such nonsense.  I wanted out because I think it’s the best chance we have to recover.  I think that while the EU has presented us with a great many opportunities, it has equally taken away as many and we are becoming weaker by the year.  I think that a vote as to what the general public want is really a good thing and will steer us in the right direction eventually.

Look for example at the debacle of the single currency.  When we voted to decide whether or not to join the Euro, people predicted that we would be absolutely screwed and become one of the weakest economies within the EU.  They were wrong.  We have done very well for ourselves without signing up for that particular idea.  Now there is rumour of the EU being merged into a super-state or something?!  No thank you!  I really and truly think we got out just in time.

There are so many other reasons that I have, but I am not going to bore on.  I just wanted to put this out there to say that the majority voted with their logic in tact.  We aren’t all crazy mean muppets who are going to try and accost you in the street and suggest you go back to where you came from.  We know that you came from the road two up from ours!  We will be there to walk you those extra few steps if you need it though.

Don’t lose heart.  Don’t be scared.  The idiots will crawl back under their rocks again soon.  We will never be the same again as a nation, but we can strive to be a better one.

 

 

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