A Rainy Night in Birmingham

The house is gloomy, even with the lights on. I’ve drawn the curtains on the dark saturated streets and the sodden garden. The cats are bored because it’s been too wet to go out and play today. They hate the rain too.

But rain isn’t just an irritation here these days. In the same way that catching the strain of a police siren to me means “terrorist attack”, rain now means “tornado”.

Poor Birmingham. I don’t take nearly enough notice of what goes on here. Mostly because nothing much happens where I live. It all seems to happen in other wards, with names familiar to me, but otherwise unknown. I read local political blogs, watch the local news, and very occasionally buy a local newspaper, but I know I have a restricted view of the city I live in. Making an effort to get to know it better is on my list of Things To Do.

Especially when tonight Birmingham is back in the news again for all the wrong reasons. There is racial tension in Perry Barr since a rumour began to circulate that a young black girl had been raped by a gang of Asian men. The black community has come out onto the streets, presumably in a show of anger. The local news reporters interview Asian shop keepers who say they are afraid of a violent backlash.

And when something like this happens, how quickly a community of blended races becomes like oil and water. And why? Because of human nature. We naturally flush with righteous anger and want to band with our own against a perceived threat from others. Some revel in it. Spreading rumour, firing up the story, pouring fuel onto the flickering flames of outrage. Puffed chests, flexed muscles, all of that. The initial incident, and so too the victim, get used as propaganda until they become almost unimportant in themselves. And all the while every little bit of bigotry on both sides, previously hidden or unacknowledged, will come flooding out, and community relations in this area will be damaged for a long time.

The rape hasn’t been reported to the police, because it’s assumed the girl is in the country illegally, and so it’s difficult even to confirm the rumour is true, yet alone investigate any crime. And that can’t be helping the situation.

I hope tonight that there are many voices calling for calm in Perry Barr. I hope that people are trying to curtail their emotional responses. I hope that any nastiness exposed by this incident get dealt with. And I hope that the girl, if this did happen, is being loved and cared for tonight.


Update:

Meanwhile, back in the real world, wouldn't you just know it?:

Pickled Politics and Harry's Place. With thanks to Unity for bringing these to my attention.

I have just spent nearly an hour going through the comments at PP on this post, and all power to Sunny for being the voice of reason amidst some pretty fierce comments on the post. There's some nasty stuff there too, which makes you worry about the truly fetid thoughts that some people have festering up their heads.

I note that the demonstration today passed off peacefully. Perhaps now the puffed chests and flexed muscles of Ligali can piss off back to London.

Final word to Sunny (taken from the comments):

"I find it totally idiotic that such a heinous crime is being made into a racial war. I don’t see what that will achieve."

Anyone?