Councillor Gary Malcolm, leader of Ealing Liberal Democrats says Ealing is a melting pot for different cultures – there should be no place for hate in our society.
“Ever since the recent asylum hotels have made the news with the associated coverage on TV, a number of my friends and colleagues have said they feel less safe.
“There are many people in attendance at protests or riots who hide behind masks and balaclavas while chanting their racist slogans. With the hate filled comments from many right-wing political parties this adds to the fear that has increased recently. I get that sense of fear I had when I was caught up in the Ealing riots in 2011. I felt trapped, as people set bins alight and was lucky to escape when a gang of people threw bottles at my head.
“The Enoch Powell stickers seen in Ealing recently give rise to the fact we are seeing more people who clearly are hateful of others who are not white.
“Ealing is a melting pot for different cultures – there should be no place for hate in our society.
“Being patriotic is not just about flying the flag but is also about what a person does in their community like helping to drive a vulnerable patient to the hospital, helping someone infirm to cross the road when it is icy or volunteering such as at an Ealing food bank.
“The Prime Minster and the Home Secretary should not be pandering to the extremists by out-doing each other about how many flags they have up in their home but instead make a clear public statement on TV that terrorising asylum seekers is not acceptable. The police need to get on and arrest those shown to be racist or involved in violence, graffiti or criminal damage of property and our public spaces.
“The Prime Minster needs to get a backbone.
“The truth is that asylum hotels are a massive cost to the taxpayer, and it is a shameful legacy of the Conservatives. Liberal Democrats have long called to end their use. The asylum backlog has been far too large for far too long, and the Labour Government needs to urgently get a grip on this crisis – stopping dangerous Channel crossing and speeding up asylum processing to bring down the backlog and end hotel use once and for all.
“But asylum seekers awaiting a decision should not be terrorised. Full stop.
“What I want to see is the Government to speed up the processing of applications so that those with no right to be here are sent back swiftly and those who do have a valid claim can get a job, integrate and contribute to the community.
“As we saw in Epping the far right will seek to take advantage of peaceful protests for their own aims – spreading fear and hatred. At these types of events we so often see damage to local businesses such as shops or damage to local infrastructure. We will always defend the right to peaceful protest, but we must stop the intimidation from those causing fear in person or on social media and those looking to incite fear.
“Far-right extremists are seeking to undermine our British values of decency, tolerance and respect for the rule of law. We saw it last year in the lawless riots following the horrific murders in Southport. Liberal Democrats will always stand firm against hate, violence and racism in all its forms.
“On the related topic of flags, the Union Jack and St George’s Cross are meant to be symbols of national pride and unity. Recently though we have seen many people defacing flags or placing them in positions to create disharmony. Any abuse or racism is totally unacceptable.
“Whilst the Prime Minister seems to be either turning a blind eye to these issues, or in some cases to be supporting those with extreme views, we must ensure that that those people creating disharmony are arrested and dealt with by the courts.
“As a Liberal Democrat politician, I believe decent politicians should be standing up and calling for the many bigoted views to be challenged so we can bring our society closer and make it safer.”
