Last week's failed terrorist attack in Exeter has caused a wave of shock and surprise and has far reaching consequences for the political situation in Devon and Britain as a whole. Luckily, there was only one casualty, Nicky Reilly the bomber who suffered mostly superficial injuries.It appears that there were two devices; one which failed to go off and the other which accidentally exploded in Reilly’s face while in a toilet. The bomb exploded lunch time on Thursday 22nd May in a small café in the heart of the new Princesshay shopping centre. Whether a botched suicide bomb or an accidental explosion, the perceived arrival of terrorism to the sleepy city of Exeter will have a huge effect within the community as well as to the political situation of Devon and even Britain.
Exeter is a small city which, superficially, has a relaxed atmosphere. Exeter also has little tradition of violent confrontation let alone terrorist attacks. Exeter itself prides itself on being a peaceful, picturesque city. However, a quick look beneath this veneer will show that Exeter suffers from the same problems that many cities and towns in Browns’ Britain also face. It is clear that people in Exeter face real stresses and strains which simply do not match the portrayed idyllic view of Exeter. Exeter’s suburbs face large areas of deprivation and a real lack of services. Recently, the working class have been facing closures of post offices, libraries and the wholesale sell off of all of the city’s secondary schools.
It is ironic that the shopping centre that the bomb went off in is a classic example of Exeter City Councils pro-big business agenda. The Princesshay centre, developed at a cost £230 million, is intended to draw in customers who would normally shop in Plymouth or Bristol. The Devon Branch of the Socialist Party made the point that the city council should be spending that money on improving services for the community and not on big high street chains to make even more profit. We called for the £230M to be invested in community centres, youth groups, libraries and improving housing. Unfortunately the bombing has highlighted further the inequality and despair that exists in Exeter and Britain.
Although racist violence and intimidation is comparatively small in Exeter, the recent bombing will expose many underlying tensions against Muslims in the area. It is obvious that the vast majority of the Muslim population wholeheartedly disagree with methods of terrorism and the ideas of right wing political Islam. Moreover the Muslim community will be as shocked and saddened as the rest of Exeter. The idea of Muslim extremists active in Devon will create fear, and could prompt a rise in racist violence, but it is clear that the attack was not a well organised terrorist attack. It seems that Nicky Reilly was one man acting alone. He is also suffering from mental illness which could have been the cause for the attack. This was clearly not a concerted attack by members of the Muslim community but instead the dangerous actions of a sick man.
The Muslim community must be defended from any kind of attacks. The whole of Exeter has to unite and must refuse to be pulled into sectarian violence.
It is clear that the forces of the far right will try to use the bombing in order to opportunistically build their support in Exeter. The BNP and National Front have not had a real basis in Exeter since the 1980s but are obviously keen to exploit this situation to their advantage. We have to counter their lies and distortions. They will cynically play on the genuine fears that people in Devon will now have. They will use the bombing to put forward their disgusting racist lies about immigration and multiculturalism. It is important to remember however, that terrorist attacks do not take place because there are Muslim people living in Britain, but that a small minority are driven to extremism because of social and economic factors.
At a quick glance it is confusing why Exeter found itself subject to Britain’s most recent terrorist attack. Most of the national newspapers have also adopted this confusion, pointing out that nowhere is now safe from the forces of terrorism. However, it is important to make a deeper analysis and show that the conditions created by neo-liberalism and New Labours’ polices of war and imperialism affect the whole of the British working class.
Brown, and Blair before him, inherited and then expanded Tory economic polices. Since 1997, New Labour has consistently sold off public assets to big business fat cats. Essential public services like the NHS and the post office have been cut to their bear bones. On top of that, poor pay, terrible working conditions and general attacks against the poorest sections of society, like the 10p in the £1 tax fiasco, have had a real impact on many working class people. This, combined with the current credit crunch, Britain is a place where the richer get richer while the workers foot the bill.
Moreover, New Labour’s abhorrent foreign policy in the Middle East is imperialism in the 21st Century; pillaging Iraq and Afghanistan for oil, prestige and power. Millions of people in Britain find themselves despairing at these policies and want to stop British Imperialism. However the War on Terror is also affecting people in Britain with state forces building up more and more power and infringing on civil liberties.
Muslims and other ethnic minorities in Britain are the ones who are feeling the sharp end of these new powers, while Islamaphobia is a real problem to the Muslim community. Muslims in today’s Britain find themselves victimised, oppressed and discriminated. It is no wonder that working class people of all religions and races are angry and desperately searching for an alternative. Unfortunately, a very small minority make a failed decision and choose right wing political Islam. This kind of religious fundamentalism and its terroristic methods provide no way forward for oppressed minorities or the working class in general.
Socialists absolutely condemn individual terrorism. Not only does it indiscriminately kill and maim civilians, but it is also the least effective route of struggle. Tactics like suicide bombing only cause to divide the community on religious and ethnic lines. Bombings of this nature also rarely get the concessions they call for. Instead, they give an excuse for the government and the police to introduce more repressive legislation and anti-terror methods.
The working class and oppressed ethnic minorities need a political party which can fight New Labours’ policies on a national scale. A mass party of the working class could cut across racial divisions and unite all ethnicities and religions in a struggle for public sector services, better pay and fairer society.
A party which had socialist policies and one which effectively fights against New Labours’ cuts locally and nationally offers a far better and more successful route of struggle. However, only a socialist society, where the needs of the people come before the needs of profit, could the reasons why people turn to terrorism be tackled and defeated. In this society, imperialism, state repression, cuts in essential services, poverty, despair and exploitation would not exist.
However, until then socialists, community groups, trade unions and individuals must unite and fight for jobs, services and houses. The misguided actions of someone who was mentally must not play into the hands of the vile far right and divide us. Now is the time to fight against war, terror and racism.
No to racist attacks. No to terrorism.
No comments:
Post a Comment