Brexit, Minorities, and Populism in Europe

[jasonschumann]

Dear all,

Is this something EdgeRyders can help me with?

Although an advisory, Brexshit was forced upon Brits and the EU as part of #AgendaEurope - white working class apathy, because of decades of neglect and underinvestment in poorer parts of the UK - and the fallacy of what has been termed as Schrodinger’s immigrant.

Now Farage has gained a modicum of power, following the results of the EU elections, this is where #AgendaEurope starts to kick off.

Farage has today announced he is in discussions with far-right groups in Germany and Italy, which will result in further marginalisation and discrimination against minority groups.

For minorities in the UK, this means more hate crimes and, should the UK Electoral Commission allow Farage to go unchecked, a further reduction in rights - including repealing the Human Rights Act - and perhaps another Windrush scandal.

How do we stop it? Well, I haz a cunning plan, which can be replicated elsewhere in Europe.

As with the UK, some minority groups are less inclined to vote and be actively engaged in political discourse, so, the simple answer is to mobilise such groups.

Hope Not Hate did so against Tommy Robinson in his campaign to become an MEP, and it worked.

In UK cities such as Birmingham, Manchester, Leicester and large parts of London, minorities make up the deciding vote in all elections, but only if we turn out to vote.

Take the upcoming London Mayoral election, for example, the Conservative party have put up a black candidate against the current, Muslim, Labour party Mayor.

My question is how do we engage minority groups to stop the rise of the far-right, and what tools and resources are available for us to do so?

Rgds,

Jason

[mattias]

@jasonschumann

My question is how do we engage minority groups

Very important question. My take: The most important thing to do is to actively seek these groups out, talk to them and engage with them, not online, but AFK and interview them about what you’re interested in. Also, depending on their situation, it might not be the right timing for them to be on the frontline to stop the rise if the minorities are already exposed to hate crime in their everyday lives.

[nadia]

Ahead of the european elections my Dad asked me who/what I would be voting for. He’s very capable of processing vast amounts of complex information in multiple languages - even for him it was difficult to discern what the different political parties are about and the implications of voting for them.

I told him I prioritise information politics in this round of elections. More specifically political representatives I can trust to fight against breaking net neutrality, against online surveillance and censorship and copyright. I pointed to our having to know what is happening in order to be able to defend our other rights. Connecting this to the implications of internet acces/access to information in the ongoing uprising against military dictatorship in Sudan ( see #sudanuprising on twitter). He got it immediately.

I believe you need to find connections between what is happening in the society where people currently live, and the places where they have cultural or historical ties. The dynamics of divisiveness and authoritarianism are fairly similar I think and if described in terms that connect the issues and struggles. Making a more sopisticated/nuanced connection to how these ideologies affect geopolitics and the effect on people’s everyday lives in both locations. Children of the diaspora are generally well equipped to do this. Especially if we are well connected with people of our generation that were born and raised “back home” as seen from our parents’ perspectives. BUT, this is if we ourselves are engaged and informed.

I feel an important challenge here is getting people to look beyond the rhetoric and really understanding the foundations of how society works in order to make wise decisions. And honestly, I think non-minority groups underestimate curiosity and willingness to learn amongst minority communities. Study circles, lectures, webinars etc.- easily accessible resources for about learning how ones societies work. They need not to be patronising and contents need to live up to standards of intellectual integrity.

For me Sudan and Ethiopia are closer, but I have seen these dynamics play out in Sweden. @youel is of an older generation and has lived in multiple parts of the world during key phases and was never engaged in politics as far as I know. @jasen_lakic has also shared some experiences of dealing with these dynamics.

[evangineer]

@mattiasx

Very important question. My take: The most important thing to do is to actively seek these groups out, talk to them and engage with them, not online, but AFK and interview them about what you’re interested in. Also, depending on their situation, it might not be the right timing for them to be on the frontline to stop the rise if the minorities are already exposed to hate crime in their everyday lives.

I can endorse this point from actual experience. At London Creative Labs, when we ran an inclusive work creation programme, we went out and met “hard to reach” groups where they are.

We didn’t use digital for our outreach.

As a result, we massively outperformed both the public and private sector in our outreach to the target groups.

[nadia]

How did you start/who did you approach first in the places you went?

[nadia]

oh and hi and welcome @evangineer

[evangineer]

Super short summary:

1. We spoke to people at Job Centres.
2. We posted leaflets on so-called “sink” estates (projects).
3. We ran recruitment events at community centres on estates and job centres.
4. We spoke to people in an authentic way coming from a strengths-based approach.

There is no substitute for getting out there and meeting people face to face on the ground.

[nadia]

sounds legit Any surprises?