Last week I attended a conference put on by the University of Northampton titled Multiculturalism in a Globalized Society. The themes of the conference were European Muslims, Identity and Citizenship. There was a large diversity in the audience as well as the speakers and I found all of the presenters very enticing. Their ideas and the work displayed opened my eyes to a whole other side of England. Before arriving in England I was blind to the issues surrounding multiculturalism that exist here. David Cameron’s speech on multiculturalism could not have come at a better time for this conference. His speech given in Germany on February 5, 2011 addressed issues surrounding terrorism, Muslims, Islamic extremism, and identity. Most media is focusing on his statement about multiculturalism in Britain:
“Under the doctrine of state multiculturalism, we have encouraged different cultures to live separate lives, a part from each other and apart from mainstream. We’ve failed to provide a vision of society to which they want to belong. We’ve even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that run completely counter to our values. “
Overall I think his speech was very bold but this statement in particular has created a lot of publicity in the media. Also, some are critical that his speech was delivered on the same day as the English Defence League march in Luton.
Unite Against Fascism is a group that support multiculturalism and oppose the EDL and BNP. They were also rallying in Luton to oppose the EDL on February 5th.
Below is a video of the demonstration in Luton.
Through this conference I discovered who the British National Party (BNP) and the English Defence League (EDL) are and what they stand for. What I discovered was shocking. England is one of the most multicultural places I have visited and, coming from a multicultural country like Canada, I was shocked at how some minority groups are treated and thought of. I couldn’t believe that there was a large established group of people (BNP) who support a policy on immigration such as the following:
" -Deport all the two million plus who are here illegally;
- Deport all those who commit crimes and whose original nationality was not British;
- Review all recent grants of residence or citizenship to ensure they are still appropriate;
- Offer generous grants to those of foreign descent resident here who wish to leave permanently;
- Stop all new immigration except for exceptional cases;
- Reject all asylum seekers who passed safe countries on their way to Britain.”
Not only do I feel these statements offensive but are also unrealistic.
The views of these parties, I feel, are expressed through a film I watched recently called This is England. The events in the film are based on the childhood experiences of director Shane Meadows. It is based on a boy growing up in England in 1983. He finds a group of guys who accept him and make him feel like he belongs. He is then introduced to Combo who tries to change his views on other ethnic groups in England. I thought the film was very well done. Though it is only a portrayal through film I felt like it gave a realistic view into what some followers of the far right parties of England may believe.
To watch a trailer of the film This is England click below.
