I feel ashamed to be British

If these men weren't so dangerous, they'd be comedy villains

I’m currently on holiday in Devon with my family and thanks to my niece and nephew, my screen time is at an all time low.

This evening, after approximately 10 games of UNO, I took a much-needed sofa and scroll break.

Part of me wishes I hadn’t, because then I’d be oblivious to the white, racist terrorists, targeting anyone who doesn’t resemble themselves.

They burn down Holiday Inns supposedly housing refugees (let’s be honest, fact checking isn’t their speciality), block cars on the road - to check the race of the occupants - and in one harrowing video footage, physically drag someone out their car, while chanting, “Kill them”.

I cannot imagine what it must feel like to be anything but white and living in the UK right now.

The worst thing is, I don’t know what will stop it. Watching these videos, these men are so angry. If they weren’t so dangerous, they’d be comedy villains, with their flushed red cheeks and makeshift St George’s flag capes.

There’s more phones out than at a Taylor Swift concert and when they’re not shouting, they’re laughing.

Granted, there is the odd woman, but it’s predominantly men. Men whose behaviour has been allowed to escalate to the point where they are operating as lynch mobs.

I’ve spoken before about men being unkind, which, from my own experience, is a polite way of wording it and while I know it’s not all men, there is clearly a serious problem. Which is only going to continue, judging by the age of some of the boys in these videos.

It’s not just men in this country who have a problem. Journalism and the reporting on these matters is becoming increasingly frustrating.

On our four and a half hour journey to Devon, I kept hearing how these protests were “In reaction” to the incident in Southport. While that’s what these terrorists would like you to believe, we know it’s not true and they have simply weaponised murder for their own agenda.

Wording matters. Saying these violent attacks are “In reaction”, implies there is some kind of justice being served.

But even before these protests, after the Southport stabbings, media outlets kept repeating how the suspect’s parents were from Rwanda. Every news report was baiting these racists.

Then there’s the irony of publications like The Daily Mail to have headlines like, “Shock moment rioters demand drivers reveal if they are ‘white and English’”, when they practically coined the phrase, “Stop the boats”.

I just don’t know how you reason with these people. Maybe they should be forced to seek asylum. Maybe that’s the only way for them to have any humanity towards people who do.

The only thing giving me any hope about this situation, is the brave people who are out on the streets defending those at risk.

FYI, I don’t even want to call them anti-protestors, because these men aren’t protesting.

It is a privilege to look away and while it’s beyond minute in the scheme of things, I just want to remind anyone who was (rightfully) questioning otherwise, that these people do not speak for all of us and we must work within our communities to ensure they never do.