When they come to ethnically cleanse me/Will you speak out? Will you defend me?

[nanila]

I should be sleeping. Instead, I'm watching the results of the European elections come in, with a mounting sense of horror.

The massive gains by far-right parties in mainland Europe.

UKIP winning its first-ever seat in Scotland.

UKIP topping the polls in England.

And I'm wondering, did I become British just to watch the UK I admired and wanted so much to be part of, crumble in front of my eyes? I don't want this to be so. I very much don't want this to be so.

I voted. What else can I do to stop this seemingly inevitable march towards xenophobia, racism and isolationism?

Welcome to a state, where the politics of hate
Shout loud in the crowd, watch them beat us all down
There's a rising tide on the rivers of blood
But if the answer isn't violence, neither is your silence


Pop Will Eat Itself - Ich Bin Ein Auslander

Listen to the victim, abused by the system
The basis is racist, you know that we must face this
It can't happen here, oh yeah?
Take a look around at the cities and the towns

See them hunting, creeping, sneaking
Breeding fear and loathing with the lies they're speaking
The knife, the gun, broken bottle, petrol bomb
There is no future when the past soon comes

And when they come to ethnically cleanse me
Will you speak out? Will you defend me?
Or laugh through a glass eye as they rape our lives
Trampled under foot by the rights on the rise

Ich Bin Ein Auslander, Ich Bin Ein Auslander
Ich Bin Ein Auslander, Ich Bin Ein Auslander

Welcome to a state, where the politics of hate
Shout loud in the crowd, watch them beat us all down
There's a rising tide on the rivers of blood
But if the answer isn't violence, neither is your silence

If they come to ethnically cleanse me
Will you speak out? Will you defend me?
Freedom of expression doesn't make it alright
Trampled under foot by the rise of the right

Ich Bin Ein Auslander, Ich Bin Ein Auslander
Ich Bin Ein Auslander, Ich Bin Ein Auslander
Ich Bin Ein Auslander, Ich Bin Ein Auslander
Ich Bin Ein Auslander, Ich Bin Ein Auslander

By the way, I want it on the record that if next year's general election results demonstrate that I'm overreacting here, I will be overjoyed. Because I care far more about compassion and kindness winning the day than I do about being personally in the right.

Comments

[nanila]

Yes. It makes me even more upset that these new UKIP MEPs are likely to be as deliberately disengaged with the EP as the others. MEPs get paid well to represent their UK constituents in Europe and I expect people who earn a decent salary to fulfill their job descriptions!

[cosmolinguist]

I can only hope that disengagement at least means they won't be making things worse.