It was only afterwards that I realised how bizarre the situation had become. As so often with fast-moving events, you are too busy coping with things as they happen to step back and see the bigger picture – or in this case, a different picture altogether. But I’ll come to that.
Leicester’s prominent anti-racist organisation, The Race Equality Centre, or TREC, organised an “Anti-Racism Workshop” at De Montfort University a few weeks ago. Someone from my office picked up a leaflet announcing the event and passed it on to me. As the Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire and Rutland my remit includes fostering community cohesion as well as trying to improve public trust and confidence in the police.
I thought it would be interesting to attend the event to gauge how the public responded and to see firsthand what sort of events TREC was organising. My interest was solidified when I saw that the main speaker was Shareefa Energy. I had never met this young lady, but knew her by reputation. She describes herself as “a working-class Indian award-winning poet, writer, documentary producer, storyteller, art and wellbeing practitioner, educator and anti-racism creative campaigner”. Google her if you like.
After all, the police are routinely accused of racism by race activists. And Reform UK, of which I’m a member, attracts similar accusations. In neither case is any evidence put forward. The accusation alone seems to be enough.
So after work on the appointed day I
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They don’t want you to find out about what ails the youth or their “communities”. They want special privileges and money and to have something to moan about, forever.
Look at the amount of wealth that has been transferred to descendants of spaces in the US. Probably trillions. When will it be enough? Add in the ambition among certain elements of the Muslim population to establish a more Islamic culture and you have a force that will never stop
It seems to me that the best way to do that is for the police to do a good job, by which I mean deter crime by having police on the beat, pursuing criminals (real ones) and otherwise leave people to their lives.
Going to a meeting about racism to “foster community cohesion” sounds like politics, not policing.
That said, the story is interesting and insightful.
100%
Fostering community cohesion is not very well disguised code for pandering to supposed victim groups
Largely paid for with our money.
According to recent The Race Equality Centre (TREC) financial reporting, the charity relies primarily on institutional grants rather than individual philanthropists. [1]
The primary top donors, grant-makers, and funding partners backing their projects include: [2]
Public & Government Bodies
Trust & Foundation Grant-Makers
Civic & Independent Partners
Give no money to any of the above – and don’t play the lottery.
Oh dear. Is this the best that can be managed? Just shuffle out when told to?
How about staying put and demanding to know how old was too old. Just staying put and challenging Miss Award-winning Poet to see if she was ‘creative’ at anything other than hectoring old men.
Instead of being dismissed, demand to know why you were the subject of ageism. Why were you being denied the opportunity to ‘share’. Or was supper just too attractive. One must get the priorities in the right order.
Of course, facing these aggressive types down is a hard and exhausting task. But if you don’t go to the gym, you will end up flabby. Is it likely that these activists put luncheon before their organising?
Indeed, you should have stood your ground and asked “what they were going to do?”. They now know they can push the indigenous population around without concern.
I think DeMonfort should be brought into this as well, supporting ageism.
I agree.
These award winning wokesters only have the power that we are willing to relinquish.
By quietly shuffling away, by not questioning, resisting, challenging their behaviour you, Mr Matthews, have handed over to them another victory. You have confirmed that they are right, that you are a soft target, that you are a pushover.
And I note that you are a police and crime commissioner. This is not an “old lady too frail to fight off a thug” situation, no. You should have the authority to raise your voice. I would go as far as to say that you get paid to ask difficult questions.
But yes, of course, the idea of supper was more attractive.
“It was only afterwards that I realised how bizarre the situation had become. “
I think, Claphamanian, that we can all sympathise in this regard.
But, yes, I would have expected more… force (!) from him.