I think it’s ok for me to clear my diary tomorrow evening to protest the Muslim Ban. Yep. It feels a bit strange. I happen to be wearing #thegoodimmigrant sweatshirt, calculating my taxes to pay HMRC, then planning to protest outside No 10 tomorrow.
I know a lot of Muslims inside & outside the UK, in the US, in Malaysia where I grew up. As a person of colour, I am taking this personally. In case I need any more convincing, Asian Americans are being attacked in the US. Rising hate crime against Asian Americans relate to DT repeatedly stating that China is the enemy of the people.
(This xenophobic fear-mongering happens in UK too. In the past year, I have been asked several times to audition for roles which IDENTIFY “the Chinese” and China as, in all seriousness, the baddie that white people can stand around and point fingers at, be afraid of, and attack. This is NO JOKE no more. In the last week during a casting, I was asked to be scarier & ruder to frighten western corporate figures. You want to know why I bother objecting to silly little plays or films which objectify Chinese and yellow people? Why I worry when there aren’t Asian people portrayed as regular human beings in the media? This is why. Because eventually, it leads DIRECTLY to violence.)
Women, LGBTQ+, disabled, the elderly, any marginalised group, anyone who is not a billionaire, DT’s policies affect you. Yes, I’m protesting because I’m scared for my own safety, and yes, I’m protesting because I’m scared for the safety of others. Either way, the fear isn’t going to go away very soon and I’m going to trust, and risk, that others have my back.
Some resources:
(Please send suggestions of further links if you find them particularly helpful, thank you)
How the media should be covering DT
Donate to help Syrian refugees
If you’re in the UK and upset with what’s happening at JFK you may want to get involved with some of these guys (via Harpreet Purewal):
Chok Notes to Self 