Rainbow Riot - By Kemi Iya...ni...

Pedestrians and protesters watched as a group of men wearing black balaclava hood, vigorously pushed a lime-green car parked on the side of the road, the passenger side hit the floor shattering sound of broken glasses ricocheted.   The men immediately ran raising their fist up, the wrist became visible as it revealed white-skin, chanting as they disappeared into the moving crowd.   

Peering into the road ahead, approximately after five to six minutes’ walk, a white colour car turned upside down was set ablaze, broken glasses were splattered onto the floor, thick black fumes spiralled up into the sky. 

Further down the road, about eight to ten police van with yellow and blue chequer plastered across were stationed on the road, two or three of the vans slowly moved forward. 

Bricks, bottle & bins were thrown from the mammoth of crowd facing the police vans, flocks of uniformed policemen carrying shield wearing riot gear moved towards the crowd pushing back the horde of people with their baton and shield.

A man rode on a bike carrying what seems like a bucket but smaller, and poured it towards the policemen, smearing their uniforms with messy white patterns especially the bottom part. 

The policemen scurried towards the man, whisked him off the bike, held him down the floor while another policeman stepped out of the slowly moving van and put a handcuff on him, before he was shoved into one of the police vans.

At some point the policemen managed to push the crowd backward which resulted in creating a clear spacious area between the crowd and the policemen.

Although the mob were still lurching forward, shouting and pointing to the policemen, suddenly a skinny topless white man wearing a full head covered black balaclava hood, his eyeballs visible stepped into the spacious area, raised his fist and the crowd roared in unison.  He started chanting “we want our country back, stop immigration, save our youth” the crowd chanted along with him as they waived the blue, red and white flag.

Suddenly the screen changed showing a different location, this time it was Manchester, then London, Sunderland, Leeds, Bristol and other part of the UK all rioting and protesting simultaneously. 

At that moment I was six to seven hours far away by air from the UK, chilling in the eastern Arabian Peninsula, on the coast of the Persian Gulf, a place where one escapes the hustling and bustling of life, where the problem of the world kind of eludes even if it’s just for a moment. 

All manner of questions began to loom in my mind, what is happing in the UK? Some how I knew it has a lot to do with my race, judging from the chanting “stop immigration”. 

I stayed glued to my seat, refusing to give the tv remote control to anyone in the room with me to avoid going through the trouble of looking for English speaking channel again. 

So here we have it, the killing of the three children who attended dancing classes in Southport provoked a reaction from some Briton. 

Did it really triggered the riot we saw? Is immigrant responsible for killings in the UK? Do the British people have a right to be angry? 

The plane hit the runway and stepping out of the aircraft onto the British soil, for once a feeling of uncertainty swept through my anatomy, it was as if chaos was lurking in the air.  

“Welcome back Kemi, you should have stayed back in Dubai, the commotion in the UK is getting worse, even the Prime minister Sir Keir struggled to bring the violence under control,” my friend said to me on the phone when I called to informed that I am back in London.  

At that moment I wished I had the means to stay longer or live in any part of the world as I desired and love to.

This was because, a voice insider of me spoke, this time louder, even though it felt like a whisper but deeper, it spills volumes, that what we experience might at some point be tamed temporarily, but might be the beginning of an impending quandary, that would impact generation to come. Are we prepared?  The pronoun "we" refers to immigrants/foreigners resident in the UK.  Do they have any contingency plans? As, some immigrants don’t know any other place but UK, born, bred and lived in the UK all their lives. 

As most coloured British citizens are immigrants’ children and people who migrated into the UK through different means; some as refugees, employment (Health and Care Worker Visa), Windrush, marriage, slavery (forefathers) and as students. 

The answer to some of those protesters claiming the immigrants are taking up their job also triggered another question as a response; why is the British authority looking outside of the UK for employment in specific field/area? 

The aspect of those who migrated into the UK through Windrush (1948) who their ancestors/forefathers were workers in post-war Britain, and industries such as British Rail, the National Health Service and public transport.   Jamaicans and people from Barbados were recruited predominantly to help stabilize the British economy. There was plenty of work though African-Caribbean people were encouraged to journey to Britain through immigration campaigns created by successive British governments, many new arrivals endured prejudice, intolerance and racism from sectors of white society.

African-Caribbean people started producing children and generations to come, also a subject of discussion as they were brought in to help build the British nation that exists today, yet their offspring are left with no choice but to continue to face attack, discrimination and ill-treatment by some ignorant Briton not all.   

However, judging from interviews and video clips going around on social media, it was apparent that protesters came out for different reasons. 

Some genuinely wanted the k*llings to stop, and there are people who took advantage of the protest, it was the easy way out for failing, for not achieving their goals, for not working, for living on social welfare/benefits for over two/three decades. 

An opportunity to blame somebody else other than themselves for not learning a skill, training, getting a degree or some form of education.

Also, an excuse for ending a family business, no more coal, carpentry, or mining business, a chance to exhibit the hatred they have bored for relatives or extended family for engaging, marrying or doing business with the coloured people. 

A way to blame others for not having an exclusive wh*te community, although inconspicuous, also a reason for why their daughters or sons was not part of the play/sing lead role, or the football game.  Another excuse as to why everything in the country became so expensive. 

Should the British citizens be angry at the way things turned out in their country? Yes.  Nobody is in the position to tell others how to feel, they are entitled to that, but the problem is how they express and demonstrate their grievance. 

If some Briton felt a certain group of people, religion or culture migrated into the UK and started causing mayhem, k*lling, st*bbing and driving trucks/van into their citizens and decided to protest, it’s their human right to do so, and to be fair they should.

It’s fair enough as we are humans and no matter how tolerant we are as people, if there are incessant threat or killing from a certain group, religion or culture, the citizens would reach their breaking point and will fight back.

An example was an incident that happened sometimes ago in Nigeria, for some time there was an influx of Chinese people opening business, restaurant and factories in Lagos, Ogun, Osun, and Oyo state etc. 

The Chinese people employed Nigerians to carry out the menial work not corporate or managerial work at the factory, Nigerians cannot complain, at least they provided employment which most times the government could not make available for its citizens. 

So, at one of the Chinese factories in Ogun-state the Nigerian workers were being ill-treated by the Chinese company, according to report.

The Nigerians workers worked twenty-four-seven until late nights or early hours of the morning, they hardly get time-off and were paid very little in return, N700 a day. 

Workers get severe punishment for lateness and stealing as little as a piece of fabric. Punishment such as cutting off the arms, or legs were inflicted on workers. 

One day another man’s arm was cut off in which the news circulated and spread like wildfire, give credit to social media (Video clips were later removed online to prevent damaging brand that could potentially take over Africa).  A community in Abeokuta on this occasion decided to protest, they stormed the Chinese warehouses and started burning them. The people had enough and were fed-up with the perpetual hostility before the Ogun-state government decided to intervene and pleaded with the Abeokuta community to stop burning the factory’s warehouses and to cease vandalism.   The Ogun-state government decided to take over the situation with the involvement of the EFCC and more laws were put in place to protect citizens both in Lagos and Ogun-state, even though as of today complains of ill-treatment didn’t stop but not as severe as it was before. 

The act though I believe set as an example to other Chinese business owners in Nigeria, as today in Lagos they now have China-town, salespeople are predominantly Nigerians, who are happy to work with them as they were now being treated better, they get time off and some received transport allowance together with their salary.  (Note – this applies to those Nigerians who work in Lagos China town and not those who work in Ogun, Oyo, Osun, and other places as there were so many whinges about the poor condition and treatment of Nigerians working for the Chinese companies.  What is Nigeria government doing about the situation? Subject/topic for another day)

The Chinese saw a gap, an opportunity in which the Nigerian government does not care, protect, or provide employment for its own citizen, and they decided to exploit this fissure. 

Back to the point naturally people are bound to react to foreigners when they are the villain, and the atrocities or crime committed are perpetual not a one off, also if carried out by a particular religion, group, or people. 

As mentioned above some people just find any excuse to blame others for the disenchanting situation, they find themselves, there are people who are not ready to take accountability and responsibility for their laziness, ignorance, criminal record, lack of tolerance and accommodation. 

Chidinma Adeshina who gave up her chance of contesting for Miss South Africa because some South African started protesting, burning, vandalising and looting immigrants’ shops, and businesses simply because she is half South African and Nigerian, that to them did not make her the right candidate for the beauty competition.  The word "Nigerian" triggered an inexplicable hatred, which brought back the demonstration of Xenophobia.    This incident happened in Africa, in a black continent, black going against blacks.   Late president Mugabe once said, “it’s only in South Africa that an illiterate villager thinks a qualified medical doctor, from another African country is the reason for his unemployment.”  I can’t help but to agree with Mugabe’s quote only that it applies to non-Africans as well not just Africans, judging from the Video clip going around which was triggered by the Southport killings at the time.   In an interview, a white man with criminal record was seen blaming the immigrants for his years of unemployment. 

Moreover, not justifying the act of vandalism, destruction, and attack over the innocent immigrant as some of those people who were attacked are a key part to upholding UK’s developed structure and fluctuating economy.   These people unswervingly paid taxes, for the purpose of paying UK’s health (NHS), transportation, schools, universities, defence services and welfare. 

Not only do they pay taxes they filled in the employment gaps most Britons would not dare to work especially in the health sector, jobs such as care worker, social-workers, nurses, doctors, etc. 

The last time an English doctor attended to me in the general practitioner or in any UK hospital was probably twenty years ago, one would hardly find them, UK doctors are predominantly Asian by my observation at least eighty percent, the other twenty percents are Africans, European, Caribbean etc. 

Those immigrants who came into the country via employment or were already in the country who found work didn’t just snapped their fingers and jobs dropped onto the doorsteps.  The narrative “immigrants are stealing or taking our jobs” need to be discussed. 

It needs to be talked about openly, on social media, television channel etc, not to instigate trouble but to educate those who are ignorant or intentionally wanted to spread propaganda. 

As mentioned earlier some of these immigrants already applied for jobs to the UK from their various countries, in which they studied, and worked diligently. 

Some foreign students who paid twice or three times the amount a UK citizen would pay to study already earned the acquired knowledge/skill, those who also decided after graduation to work in the UK are also classify as immigrants.  

However these foreign students and immigrants in employment are industrious, they earned a living, which led to a common silent rule within the African communities, “if you are a person of colour you must work/study three times harder to align or earn as much as a middle-class whit* person.” 

Some Africans resident in the UK live by this silent rule and raise their children with this mentality, which works in my opinion.

Immigrants in the past were known and seen to do drudgery work even the graduates, and sadly some Britons not all though are comfortable with this, as though carrying out tedious menial jobs aligned with coloured people only. 

Nonetheless wisdom need to be applied not everybody that belongs to a specific group/religion or culture are in support of the atrocities committed; in otherwise those criminals who choose to brutally k*ll the innocent citizens are not a representation of all. 

Maybe a representation of like-minded individuals who share the same opinions as them but not for all. 

There are cases of wh*tes killings including murdering people from the same race, it does not mean that all wh*tes are murderers, same applies to the people of colour. 

Sometimes in 2011, white Norwegians Ander Behring Breivik, a far-right extremist who went on a shooting spree, killing a total of seventy-seven people.

Anders carried out a massacre simply because he was against the government, the civilian population, and the Workers' Youth League (AUF) summer camp. 

Even though Breivik was later convicted of mass murder and terrorism the emphasis here was that first he was white who went on a rampage for whatever reason, although it was such a sad tragedy, but his action was not a representation of all the white race. 

Axel Muganwa Rudakubana who brutally and callously carry out the Southport murder of  those innocent children deserve the ultimate punishment but should not be a representative of the black race, religion, culture, age, looks or root. 

Vandalising, burning cars, houses, mosques, and looting shops would get a sane government to turn a deaf ear to disgruntled protesters, not only because the approach was wrong but also, we live in times of social media, the world was watching. 

UK government had to live by example and know not to condone vandalism and attacks they’ve openly disparaged.    

The month of August 2024 was a critical moment for the British government especially with what is going on in the world, the war going on in Russia against Ukraine, Israel, Pakistan then Iran, any of these countries could take advantage of the chaos if the UK government does not move in to suppress the pandemonium. 

The UK government at the time should be extolled, they did tremendously well in restoring order to the nation. 

We need to accept that others, in respective of religion, colour, hair, skin, accent, outfits, attitude, culture could be different, but it should not be a crime, a detriment, or disadvantage. 

Anything alien or foreign should not immediately connote nihilism. 

From observations the reactions from some British in the UK or South Africans in Africa could be due to lack of tolerance, acceptance, or projection of their inadequacies, jealousy, lacks and bitterness in these individuals’ lives. 

The odium against immigrants/foreigners who came into a strange country and decided to work hard, turn sugarcane into a well refined fanciful packages of sugar, strived, explored, and take advantage of the opportunities open to everybody, that in which some of the citizens took for granted was evident and should be cautioned.   Also, the positive impact migrants has on the British economy should be clearly highlighted and disseminated to all media platforms.

May the innocent souls of those who were brutally and callously murdered rest in peace.

Written By Kemi J

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