David Lammy: I was spat on for being Black – but Britain is not racist
David Lammy has insisted he does not believe Britain is a racist country, despite the terrible prejudice he experienced growing up, and lashed out at those who “try to make us believe we are more divided than we actually are”.
write specifically for Independent To mark Black History Month, the justice minister told how he was spat on as a young boy for being Black and said he was “horrified” by skinheads “patrolling our neighbourhoods, spreading their hatred”.
But he stressed that his experiences in efforts to combat division showed that Britain was not a racist country, but rather a country of people “determined to do their bit to put this situation right”.
Arguing that most people want to live in a “tolerant society”, Mr Lammy hit out at Reformation, warning that the party’s worldview was contrary to the true spirit of Britain.
Speaking to Talk TV last weekend, he drew attention to comments made by Reform’s Runcorn MP Sarah Pochin, who said it angered her to see black and Asian people in adverts, and warned that such remarks had become “normalised” and signaled a return to “overt racism”.
Although Ms Pochin later apologized, Labor ministers said she was only sorry “for saying the quiet part out loud”.
Mr Lammy said: “Most people want to live in a tolerant society and are disgusted by the racist views of Reform MP Sarah Pochin, who said there were too many Black and Asian faces in adverts. They sense the danger of such comments becoming normalized and stand with us against the return of such blatant racism.”
He warned: “In Britain today, we can all feel a sense of division pulling at the seams of our society. Some people would have us believe that we are more divided than we really are. They pit neighbor against neighbor, feed fear and stoke anger. But they are wrong about our country.”
But the deputy prime minister said his experiences growing up in London showed him how inherently “progressive” British history and attitudes are.
He said: “I lived [racism] As a young boy growing up in London, where the ugly face of division was seen every day. I feared that skinheads would patrol our neighborhoods, spreading their hatred on street corners and football fields. One time, while I was doing my job with my mom and sister, we got spat at each other just for being who we were.
“But what I remember most vividly are the people standing up to them. Volunteers of all races and backgrounds standing shoulder to shoulder, refusing to be intimidated. Most of them were not politicians or activists; they were our neighbors and friends.”
His article follows a major push by the Labor government to highlight the racist language used by Reform on issues such as the immigration debate, as Nigel Farage’s party leads the polls.
But Mr Lammy insisted that the Reformation’s view of England was contrary to the reality of English history.
He is the Rev. Dr. He said the spirit of civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King “is at the heart of the Britain I know and love, where decent people rejected the temptation of hatred and chose instead the path of unity.”
And he insisted: “England is a story of progress. And it is our history of neglected solidarity that has powered that progress over generations. During the US Civil War, mill workers in northern England refused to process cotton grown by enslaved people in the American south. They did so knowing it might cost them their livelihood. Yet they took a stand – looking across the ocean at an injustice and saying: not in our name.”
He highlighted almost forgotten events such as the Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963; “people from all backgrounds came together to support Black and Asian people fighting the ban on hiring local bus crews.”
He continued: “During Black History Month, we celebrate the stories of Black Britons. Not apart from our national story, but at the very heart of it. It is a story of courage and contribution, but also of solidarity and hope to make our country a better place.”
Mr Lammy played a key role in righting the wrongs of the Windrush scandal in the 1950s and 1960s, when the Home Office mistakenly deported people who did not keep their papers properly when they arrived.
He wrote: “When the Great Windrush Generation were invited to Britain after the Second World War, they encountered hostility and racism. But they persevered and built lives here, while also helping to rebuild Britain. Solidarity was there from the beginning. Take the first Caribbean Carnival in 1959, when people of all colors and backgrounds helped to get back on their feet just a year after the Notting Hill riots.”
He highlighted Black pioneers like Bernie Grant, the first Black MP, and Paul Boateng, the first Black cabinet minister.
“They fought to break down the doors so people like me could get through more easily. There was solidarity for them, and for all of us, in the Labor movement and beyond,” he said in a rallying cry.
“These stories about Black Britons remind us that the progress of the Black community was never automatic. There were tough times. None of us have forgotten horrors like what happened to Stephen Lawrence. But solidarity was there at every turn.”
Independent He demanded a response from Reformation. Earlier this week, Mr Farage described Ms Pochin’s comments as “wrong and outrageous” but insisted he did not believe she meant to be racist.
