The Cable View: The right-wing press peddling hateful, racist bullshit has fuelled the violence on our streets. It’s time for change.
Photo: Simon Halliday
For as long as there has been immigration in this country, there has always been a backlash. And it’s the right-wing mainstream media and politicians who have always been sounding the alarm.
From Oswald Mosley and the fascists in the 30’s, through to Enoch Powell and his infamous “Rivers of blood” speech, the skinheads, the National Front. More recently – the British National party, the EDL, UKIP, and now Nigel Farage’s new outfit, Reform.
On Saturday, the far-right rioters who descended on Castle Park organised under the banner of ‘stop the boats’ – the constant refrain of a dying Tory government clinging to power, knowing they were done for.
You’d think politicians would realise the bloody, violent consequences of stirring up this hatred – of reaching for that tired message of scapegoating all our country’s problems on an ‘Other’, on ‘Migrants’.
The right-wing press too. For pasting their front pages with racist, xenophobic, anti-immigrant sentiment that we hear being spouted by those who’ve joined in the far-right violence on our streets in the past week.
On Thursday, the Daily Mail ran the front page, “Night anti-hate marchers faced down the thugs,” distancing themselves from the scenes of violent disorder. But, as many have pointed out, this is a very transparent effort to now launder their reputation.
Choosing to favour inflammatory, sensensationalist drivel over accurate, balanced, nuanced and insightful journalism, has left this country less informed – in a digital age of disinformation when this stuff matters so much.
Social media and influencer-hate preachers like Andrew Tate deserve a mention too. It’s thanks to them that the lies which sparked the violence across the country were able to spread so rapidly, having such a devastating effect.
Something needs to change, and we believe independent, local media has a role in that. At the Cable we’re committed to reporting on and calling out the violence by racist, far-right fascists, and to providing a reliable, local source of news to counter disinformation.
Our reporters were on the scene during Saturday’s violence. But we don’t rush to be first to the story, instead using our resources to give readers a more in depth insight into what happened, and why.
And it doesn’t stop there. We’re continuing to dig into the underlying issues of anti-immigrant sentiment, and how different groups of people are set against each other by the media – because when the violence subsides, the underlying issues will still be present.
We need to report on the issues, not just the flashpoints.
For years we have written about the organisations who provide vital support for refugees and we’ll continue to do so – we’re proud that Bristol is a city of sanctuary. And we stand in solidarity with those organising resistance to this hatred.
We celebrate the bravery of the counter demonstrators who put themselves between the thugs who targeted a hotel housing refugees and asylum seekers in Redcliffe on Saturday, and those who turned up on Wednesday to send the clear message that these people are part of our community – welcomed and loved.
And, we will, as we have done, go to the front of the action to do it.
We know this is a situation partly brought about by the polarisation of society, the culture wars and the demonisation of the working class. So we will continue to reach across the divide.
Often what we hear from those too simplistically termed as the “far right” are people that are pissed off, with real problems – homelessness, poverty, defunding of social services, a lack of social housing, the cost of living.
And we want to show that this anger – while totally misdirected – is valid. We just need to hold the right people accountable: not migrants, not Black and Brown people – the government, rampant capitalism, and a gutter press.
The mainstream media has been all too happy to throw vulnerable people under the bus to sell papers and get clicks. But we are here to provide an alternative model, both in our reporting and by lobbying for a fairer, better media landscape.
A way to take on the right wing press is to become a member of the Bristol Cable. We need your support more than ever to keep going, so that we can tell these complex stories and counter misinformation.
Next week, we’re hosting an event at Easton Community Centre about how to build a better media, and in light of recent events we’ll be discussing what Bristol can do to take on the right-wing media.
