I am writing to express my alarm and objection to the "race-based anti-immigrant pogrom" playing out in Belfast. Do not attempt to normalise it. Do not pretend it is a recent phenomenon, or even an isolated occurrence. It is the latest eruption of a lethal pattern of violence, which has been deployed against migrants in the UK for decades.
Dear Home Secretary, We are writing on behalf of constituents in Crouch End, Haringey, who have asked us to raise concerns about remarks you made at a public event recently.
On Monday 20 April Shabana Mahmood told “white liberal” hecklers to “f**k right off”. Under no circumstances is this acceptable. With standards in public life in the UK slipping, community cohesion disintegrating, and democratic procedures eroding, Mahmood must be held to account for her abusive language. I have written to my local north London MP, Catherine West, and local councillors, calling for an apology from the home secretary, because everybody has the right to feel safe.
Ishtiyaq Shukri is the award-winning author of The Silent Minaret, I See You, and An Unwritten Life. …
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