Mona Chowdhury takes the faltering pulse of Britain First.
The campaign group Britain First have held two demonstrations outside the East London Mosque this month, to show East London how truly British they are, and, under the slogan ‘taking our country back’, to demand the re-instatement of Britishness at the heart of London life.
I couldn’t help noticing that a grand total of four people took part in the first demonstration (1 March), rising to a full complement of 50 middle-aged men by the second such event on 12 March. On the one hand this means 1250 per cent growth, but since it started at such a peculiarly low level (four people really would fit into the proverbial phonebox), we can hardly call this a strong growth curve.
Obviously Britain First must know what it means to be a British person who is Britished up to the max in the art and craft all things British. But do they? The striking thing about Whitechapel and the area surrounding the East London Mosque, is how many different peoples it has taken in during the past 400 years.
Does Britain First want this rich mix of cultures to be separated out? Would they rather that London became more like Luton? Surely that is nothing short of laughable.
Of course, racism and Islamophobia are nothing new. With the arrival of South Asians, most of them Muslims, into East London in the 1970s, racism was rife; and even before that there was the anti-immigration rhetoric of Enoch Powell.
But down the years, East Londoners have worked together to change much of that hatred into something more like love. Each individual East Londoner has much to offer – skills and talents that will extend the creativity of this country that we have in common; and the basis for this enriching mixture (culturally and economically) is our diversity.
Put diversity first and you will get the full measure of Britain, OK?