March 22, 2005

Roma rights

This is yesterday's front page story from the Independent, headlined, in the print edition, Are these Britain's most demonised people?. The Tories have decided to make vilification of travelling people their main campaign issue for the expected May election. It seems like only yesterday that the same Tories were denouncing Labour for being anti-semitic for caricaturing Michael Howard and Oliver Letwin as flying pigs. I think we can probably argue over whether travellers or Muslims are the most demonised in Britain and indeed Europe. I don't think travellers are an issue in America so Muslims/Arabs probably have the number one spot in the irrational hatred stakes in the West as a whole.

Anyway, a chap called Guy believes that now is the time to celebrate rather than denigrate diversity with a site called Xenophilia. The site is still under construction but it has some charming potted histories of various (mostly) minority communities. I say charming because they are free of schmaltz (well, almost) and of rancour but see for yourselves. He also has a section on Palestine. I think Guy is some kind of craftsman who lives in Lyme Regis but again see for yourselves.

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