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| Ignore the rightwing scaremongers. A ‘day of rage’ is completely necessary | Ignore the rightwing scaremongers. A ‘day of rage’ is completely necessary |
| (7 months later) | |
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| Thu 22 Jun 2017 14.49 BST | |
| Last modified on Tue 15 Aug 2017 11.54 BST | |
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| If you picked up a newspaper yesterday morning, you’d have got the impression that something terrifying was going to happen. The Sun, The Telegraph, the Daily Mail and Daily Express all published foreboding pieces about a “day of rage” in London – demanding justice for Grenfell Tower victims and planned to coincide with Wednesday’s Queen’s speech. On Twitter, the #DayOfRage hashtag was filled with rightwing MPs, activists and commentators preemptively condemning future violence and/or property damage that may or not have been about to occur, and you got the sense that some of them were practically salivating at the prospect. | If you picked up a newspaper yesterday morning, you’d have got the impression that something terrifying was going to happen. The Sun, The Telegraph, the Daily Mail and Daily Express all published foreboding pieces about a “day of rage” in London – demanding justice for Grenfell Tower victims and planned to coincide with Wednesday’s Queen’s speech. On Twitter, the #DayOfRage hashtag was filled with rightwing MPs, activists and commentators preemptively condemning future violence and/or property damage that may or not have been about to occur, and you got the sense that some of them were practically salivating at the prospect. |
| Interspersed between the po-faced condemnations were tired jokes about anti-capitalists drinking Starbucks coffee and hippy layabouts without jobs to go to, as are standard when any protest occurs. The only thing that seemed to be missing, curiously, was any significant contingent of leftwingers cheering the protest on. | Interspersed between the po-faced condemnations were tired jokes about anti-capitalists drinking Starbucks coffee and hippy layabouts without jobs to go to, as are standard when any protest occurs. The only thing that seemed to be missing, curiously, was any significant contingent of leftwingers cheering the protest on. |
| That makes a lot more sense, though, when you consider that only about 400 people had indicated they were likely to attend, with a further 900 or so politely selecting the “interested” option, like you do with the birthday drinks of a former colleague you never really had much in common with anyway. The actual turnout for the march ended up being even lower: most estimates place it at about 200. | That makes a lot more sense, though, when you consider that only about 400 people had indicated they were likely to attend, with a further 900 or so politely selecting the “interested” option, like you do with the birthday drinks of a former colleague you never really had much in common with anyway. The actual turnout for the march ended up being even lower: most estimates place it at about 200. |
| That’s all this actually was, you see: a march. It set off from Shepherd’s Bush Green at 1pm and reached parliament an hour or so later. The Facebook page listing invited participants to meet beforehand at 11.30am to “make signs, banners and speak out”. The sole basis for the pre-emptive pearl-clutching the event provoked seemed to be the use of the word “rage” in the event name. There was some rhetoric about “bringing down the government”, true, but that’s commonplace in protest movements. I’m willing to bet that most participants didn’t have anything more dramatic in mind than another election. | That’s all this actually was, you see: a march. It set off from Shepherd’s Bush Green at 1pm and reached parliament an hour or so later. The Facebook page listing invited participants to meet beforehand at 11.30am to “make signs, banners and speak out”. The sole basis for the pre-emptive pearl-clutching the event provoked seemed to be the use of the word “rage” in the event name. There was some rhetoric about “bringing down the government”, true, but that’s commonplace in protest movements. I’m willing to bet that most participants didn’t have anything more dramatic in mind than another election. |
| How can anyone look at the way these people were treated by politicians and not feel a fiery, burning rage? | How can anyone look at the way these people were treated by politicians and not feel a fiery, burning rage? |
| Of course there was always a chance that untoward activity could occur. Whenever people gather in public there’s a possibility that a minority of them will do something unwise – that’s as true at a nightclub or football match as it is at a protest, but I’ve not noticed any rightwing commentators suggesting our emergency services are so overstretched that the Premier League should be shut down. Groups speaking for the community around Grenfell Tower expressed a desire that all political action on their behalf remain peaceful. Reports suggest that one man was arrested after an altercation during which a policeman was knocked off his feet, but that most participants respected the Grenfell residents’ wishes. | Of course there was always a chance that untoward activity could occur. Whenever people gather in public there’s a possibility that a minority of them will do something unwise – that’s as true at a nightclub or football match as it is at a protest, but I’ve not noticed any rightwing commentators suggesting our emergency services are so overstretched that the Premier League should be shut down. Groups speaking for the community around Grenfell Tower expressed a desire that all political action on their behalf remain peaceful. Reports suggest that one man was arrested after an altercation during which a policeman was knocked off his feet, but that most participants respected the Grenfell residents’ wishes. |
| It’s hard to escape the feeling that the march was jumped on by rightwingers for entirely cynical reasons. That fears about possible violence were tangential, at best, to the goal of discrediting street protest wholesale. It’s particularly interesting to see a push to make anger a proscribed emotion. | It’s hard to escape the feeling that the march was jumped on by rightwingers for entirely cynical reasons. That fears about possible violence were tangential, at best, to the goal of discrediting street protest wholesale. It’s particularly interesting to see a push to make anger a proscribed emotion. |
| Anger is not inherently violent. An angry person can choose tactics that are entirely peaceful, yet remain righteous and determined. Anger is a motivating force that keeps people fighting even when the odds are stacked against them. From Rosa Parks in 1950s America to the 60,000 participants in Gandhi’s Salt march, people throughout history have chosen to resist injustice because, as Rosa herself said, they’re “tired of giving in”. | Anger is not inherently violent. An angry person can choose tactics that are entirely peaceful, yet remain righteous and determined. Anger is a motivating force that keeps people fighting even when the odds are stacked against them. From Rosa Parks in 1950s America to the 60,000 participants in Gandhi’s Salt march, people throughout history have chosen to resist injustice because, as Rosa herself said, they’re “tired of giving in”. |
| A week ago, more than 79 people died in a preventable fire in a social housing block. Important questions are being asked about the decision to use a cheaper, more flammable cladding to cover the block and whether it was to make it more aesthetically appealing to wealthy residents of the surrounding area. Many are similarly questioning the Conservative government’s history of opposition to mandating sprinkler systems be installed in buildings, on the basis that it increases costs for landlords. What’s more, in the wake of the tragedy the Grenfell community feel they’ve been abandoned by those in charge. Nobody from the local council has come to speak to them. No assurance has been made that they’ll be rehoused in borough, and some residents fear they’ll be forced to move hundreds of miles away. | A week ago, more than 79 people died in a preventable fire in a social housing block. Important questions are being asked about the decision to use a cheaper, more flammable cladding to cover the block and whether it was to make it more aesthetically appealing to wealthy residents of the surrounding area. Many are similarly questioning the Conservative government’s history of opposition to mandating sprinkler systems be installed in buildings, on the basis that it increases costs for landlords. What’s more, in the wake of the tragedy the Grenfell community feel they’ve been abandoned by those in charge. Nobody from the local council has come to speak to them. No assurance has been made that they’ll be rehoused in borough, and some residents fear they’ll be forced to move hundreds of miles away. |
| Not only is anger legitimate in these circumstances, it’s practically a moral necessity. How can anyone look at the way working class people, predominately from ethnic minorities, have been treated by the politicians who rule over them and not feel a fiery, burning rage? Street protests are one of a limited range of tactics available to communities with little formal power. The individuals marching in solidarity on Wednesday had a duty not to distract from the cause with criminal activity, but anyone willing to dismiss demands for safe housing, fair treatment and basic human dignity on the basis of such misbehaviour needs to examine their own conscience. | Not only is anger legitimate in these circumstances, it’s practically a moral necessity. How can anyone look at the way working class people, predominately from ethnic minorities, have been treated by the politicians who rule over them and not feel a fiery, burning rage? Street protests are one of a limited range of tactics available to communities with little formal power. The individuals marching in solidarity on Wednesday had a duty not to distract from the cause with criminal activity, but anyone willing to dismiss demands for safe housing, fair treatment and basic human dignity on the basis of such misbehaviour needs to examine their own conscience. |
| In the face of injustice, calmness isn’t a virtue – it’s a privilege afforded only to those who’ve never needed to worry that their concerns are being heard. | In the face of injustice, calmness isn’t a virtue – it’s a privilege afforded only to those who’ve never needed to worry that their concerns are being heard. |
| Grenfell Tower fire | |
| Opinion | |
| Protest | |
| Social housing | |
| Communities | |
| Housing | |
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