Bigoted attacks from the right became a new normal. It’s been a sorry spectacle, says Guardian columnist Zoe Williams
Consider the toxicity Sadiq Khan has faced as mayor. If he wins again, what a credit to him and LondonDonald Trump opened the floodgates and bigoted attacks from the right became a new normal. It’s been a sorry spectacleayoral elections can seem set apart from the main drag of politics. People vote for individuals and their records, it’s not outlandish to stand as an independent, and even candidates within a party can float above it.
Sadiq Khan has pretty unusual international name recognition for a city mayor, and the reason – no offence to him, his Hopper bus fares are good too – is that he has been the focus of racist and Islamophobic outbursts ever since Donald Trump called him a “This has been interesting for two reasons.
The narrative is complicated by the fact that, in any single political speech or media encounter, there will be elisions and things left unsaid . So Suella Braverman might describe pro-Gaza demonstrations as “”, but stop short of linking the hate to Khan; James Cleverly will take up the baton, and claim that the mayor talks “more about Gaza than black kids getting murdered in south-east London”, but stop short of drilling into those murders.
This doesn’t map neatly on to voting intention, but it does tell us something about how information percolates to people who, in an ideal world, would be thinking about something other than regional mayoral elections. Messages don’t arrive clean and complete, neatly labelled with where they came from and which bits are true.
This is asymmetric polarisation in action: the right has been radicalised in its Islamophobia, and there has been no – or, OK, not enough – radicalisation in the fight against it. Khan said recently, in an interview with Mehdi Hasan: “In real time, I was calling out labour politicians and practices of the Labour party that were antisemitic... I would have hoped in the Conservative party, there would be Conservative politicians calling out what is clearly Islamophobic, anti-Muslim hatred.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Sadiq Khan urges young Londoners to vote or risk ‘repeat of Brexit and Trump victory’Labour mayor’s lead over Tory rival has narrowed in week before mayoral election in the capital
Read more »
伦敦发生持刃袭击事件 14岁男孩死亡四人受伤伦敦发生持刃袭击事件，造成一死四伤。英国首相里希·苏纳克（Rishi Sunak）和伦敦市长萨迪克·汗（Sadiq Khan）表示，这起事件“令人悲痛”和“震惊”。
Read more »
A teenage boy has been killed in a London sword attack. Here's what we knowLondon’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, said he was “absolutely devastated” about the incident and the UK’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, described it as “shocking”.
Read more »
Tory staff running network of anti-Ulez Facebook groups riddled with racism and abuseInvestigation finds groups hosting Islamophobic attacks on London mayor Sadiq Khan, white supremacist slogans and antisemitic conspiracy theories
Read more »
Israeli war cabinet to meet again to consider response to Iran’s attackBenjamin Netanyahu yet to declare a decision as rest of world remains on high alert for potential escalation
Read more »
Tory hopeful for London mayor joins anti-Ulez Facebook group rife with IslamophobiaSusan Hall became member a day after an exposé about its contents – much of which is directed at Sadiq Khan
Read more »