THE LATE GREAT AMERICAN FOLK SINGER PETE SEEGER HAD THESE WORDS PRINTED ON HIS FAMOUS BANJO - "THIS MACHINE SURROUNDS HATRED AND FORCES IT TO SURRENDER".

Time perhaps to listen to the singer. Every time a politician makes a disparaging remark about immigrants, asylum seekers or refugees they bring the day closer that another terrible incident like the one which took the life of young Labour MP Jo Cox will occur. We now live in a febrile anti Muslim cauldron of hatred because of the constant fraudulent propaganda being put out by right wing groups and reactionary racist MP’S and their fellow travellers, no one would now be in the least surprised if similar attacks are carried out again, such is the unstable nature of our society today and still, the propaganda and hate speech continues. The crime of inciting hatred is now largely ignored because it has been allowed to fester by the authorities who are afraid to enforce the law.     

The other day we saw a truly nauseating billboard displayed by the fascist Nigel Farage who is responsible for stirring up this poison. This billboard showed a large queue of what were clearly foreigners waiting to enter the UK, it was positively Goebblesesque in its conception and display and reached a new depth of racist malice, created and displayed by people who claim to be white UK Christians!. The ‘mob’ is ever susceptible to this kind of filth and no one knows when the propaganda will reach a point where some vulnerable bigot will decide to take action which will lead to tragedy. I do not accept for one minute that those who provoke such incidents can genuinely claim to be innocent of incitement. Here in Scotland we witnessed a pattern of racist hatred against English people which built up over several years which culminated in Scotland being one of the most hate filled countries in the world as we approached the referendum, this was demonstrated in the awful scenes in George Square when the Nationalists lost, some disingenuously expressed alarm and surprise at the events which took place but those who knew the truth saw it coming over a long period of time. Abusive language and constant displays of hatred perpetrated against people who are targeted for being ‘different’ will eventually bubble over and there is no telling where it will lead.         

Action has to be taken now before it is too late to put a stop to those who pedal hatred, particularly prominent people such as MP’S and leaders of political groups and ad hoc rabble rousers who are not happy unless they are abusing someone or beating up someone who is according to their twisted minds the wrong colour. That process should start with The Daily Mail, The Daily Express, the SUN, The Telegraph and the rest of that ilk. Free speech does not mean that the spreading of hatred and encouragement of racist violence should be tolerated.