The bottom line for me are the greatest commandments. To love God, and to love ALL my neighbours as I love myself. We are all neighbours, we share our communities and country together. If we are going to disagree with each other, let’s try to do it in a peaceful way, and shake hands afterwards. Very difficult to do, in the middle of tensions caused by PERCEIVED injustice, passion and anger on both sides. If I caused anyone to feel uncomfortable, I am deeply sorry.
I went to the protest to support the pro refugee group. I was happy to stay with them, all the time they said, ‘Refugees are welcome here’. Then their chants turned to, ‘Go home racists’ ( for two hours). Imagine what it must be like, to be in a group, and people are shouting at you and calling you a racist.
I now felt deeply uncomfortable, because I have witnessed many times how words can turn into anger and violence. I left the pro – refugee group, to join the Southampton Patriots, not because I agreed with them, but because I felt the need to calm tensions. The most angry person I listened to in the Southampton Patriot group said, ‘how dare they call me a racist. My child has married a Muslim from another country and we have welcomed them into our family.
On the 8th August, I joined the Southampton Patriots again, my message to them was, please don’t get arrested. I can only say, I felt at peace walking amongst them during the protest, I was with them for about four hours. None of them were aggressive towards me in any way. My sole purpose was to try and be a calming influence. Thankfully there were no arrests. Afterwards, I was given a lift home by a member of the Patriots.
My story.
My mother and grandparents escaped a genocide when Smyrna was burnt to the ground on 13th September 1922. They described being on small boats and boarding a ship in the harbour, depicted in the link. They were refugees until 1940, when they came to Portsmouth during WW2. I am thankful to the British people for allowing them in. I was born in Leicester and have worked fifty five years in this country, and now do voluntary work. I am in support of asylum seekers being given a chance like my grandparents.
Eric, Southampton
