Riots, protests and Kamala Harris: Readers weigh in on this week’s news
Where does Harris stand on Gaza? And what next for Bangladesh after students toppled the prime minister?
Welcome to openDemocracy’s weekly reader comments round-up. We receive so many carefully considered messages about our work, it seems a shame to keep them to ourselves!
You can send your thoughts to be included in next week’s round-up by replying directly to any of our emails or commenting on our articles or Instagram posts.
These comments have been edited for clarity, accuracy and length, and aren’t necessarily a reflection of openDemocracy's editorial position.
Re: Racist riots are nothing new – they’re part of the fabric of British society
British people have had this sense of superiority ever since the British ‘empire’ started to spread round the globe. There was a brief period after the horrors of the Second World War when the dream of a liberal democracy took hold in the West; Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan put a stop to that with their monetarist policies.
But even in the post-war period, the education system, with its grammar schools and secondary moderns, did nothing to counter the sense of superiority and privilege. Nothing I was taught in my history lessons in the 1950s and 1960s had anything to say about the brutality, racism and sheer nastiness of colonialism, even as the last remnants of it were falling apart.
Only in the last few years have I begun to teach myself about this; the appalling consequences of barging into a continent, wrecking its social structures and health, and plundering its resources.
I believe what we are seeing on our city's streets recently is largely due to the failure of our education system: the narrow exam-driven curriculum inspired almost entirely by productivity and the profit motive; the failure to instil in our children a social conscience and respect for others – tiptoeing around the topic of colonialism and racism and not calling it what it is: one of the most unpleasant aspects of human nature. –Christopher Shaw
I feel disappointed with this article, not least because it focuses on the negatives with few positives. The responses by millions of people to the riots has been an encouraging development. Being Welsh, I think the article is also faulty in seeming to play down the fact that neither Wales or Scotland saw rioting. Indeed, on social media if I mention I am Welsh, you can only guess at the abuse I get. To downplay the Englishness of this issue is an error. So, while it’s an interesting piece, personally I disagree with much of its analysis. It is too simplistic. –Patricia Leiglngly
I don’t think these racially based riots are part of the fabric of British society, though they do happen from time to time, and of course there is always some undercurrent of racism. –David Manovitch
While I agree with the overall content of the email, no mention is made of East Asian people or Gypsies and Travellers. All these groups experience racism and must be included when talking about these matters. –Nicole H
Re: US elections: Where does Kamala Harris stand on Gaza?
We know where Kamala Harris stands. So long as support for the Israeli state will gain her political and financial favour – Palestinian lives are worthless, and genocide is acceptable –Jen Lea
“They say the next drones will be sent by a woman!” “Really makes you feel like you’re a part of history” –KJ Reid shared via a meme on Facebook
Re: The boy with the bullet wounds: Neglect and brutality in Uruguay’s care homes
All children are children no matter where they come from. All are living on this planet under the same roof but not with the same opportunities. Yet they are fundamentally all the same: children. So many human beings are sick. –Ernie
Re: Students toppled the prime minister, but what next for Bangladesh?
Following history around the world, Bangladesh will almost certainly become another dictatorship, since people can never agree after toppling a tyrannical system – and hardness always takes over. –Ian Marlow
Re: More police officers are never the answer. Only we can stop the far right
I agree that more police is not the answer and that our government should do more to support people coming to this country (a consulate in Calais, as suggested by France, would be a start).
Above all, we need to listen to the grievances of the racists and see what can be done to meet their insecurities. Vilifying them or ignoring them leaves them with the feeling that the only way to get heard is to take to the streets and is not going to help. Let's focus on solving the problem of racism. –Janet Shimmin
More police is not the answer to the riots; the answer is dealing with the causes of Nazism. That urgently needs to be done. Banning the looney far right doesn't stop people thinking these thoughts.
There are major issues with immigration, especially people trafficking, where migrants are taking terrible risks to come to the UK and end up as modern slaves without union representation. The Home Office couldn't organise a booze-up in a brewery. This needs fully staffing and decisions made efficiently and sensitively. That way the backlog can also be quickly dealt with. –Chris Youett
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