Firstly, I want to give a big shout out to those of you who have sent me warm wishes, those of you who email, tweet and Face-book-message me because you are loving the politics and the real issues I am writing about. I can’t respond to everyone but I want you to know that I read every message and appreciate your support, your words of encouragement and your passion for real change. I never thought I would enjoy writing a column as much as I do but it also makes me realise there is so much to do, so much to change, so much to positively tackle, and crucially, so much to unite on.
As I sit typing my column for DIVA, I can’t help wondering if there is an elephant in the room within our own community regarding the attacks on people of colour, Eastern Europeans, Muslims and LGBT people, which have risen since the European Union (EU) Referendum.
Since June’s vote to leave the EU, Poles have been assaulted for speaking Polish, a pregnant Muslim woman miscarried after she was attacked in Milton Keynes and a Muslim woman in north London had her hijab ripped off. But it doesn’t end there: homophobic hate crimes are up 147% according to hate crime charity Galop. Hate crimes in general have risen in the three months since the referendum, with attacks against a diverse range of people because of religion, disability, anti-gay and anti-trans prejudice. An unfettered surge in racism and hostility towards immigrants has contributed to an overall climate of hatred against other communities. Three years ago, Childline reported that the number of children contacting them about racist bullying had soared by 69%, with immigration and Islamophobia being key factors. Post Brexit, these issues are now not just impacting in the classroom but nationally.