Although This Type Of Crime Should Be Severely Condemned, By Any Right Minded Person, Is Diane Abbott Correct In What She Says?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4372442/Six-held-savage-attack-teenage-asylum-seeker.html

/// 'With right-wing politicians across the world scapegoating migrants, refugees and others for their economic problems, we are seeing a deeply worrying rise in the politics of hate. ///

/// 'We must make clear that there is no place for anti-foreigner myths, racism and hate in our society.' ///

Fine words, but are they the answer, should crimes committed by migrants be varnished over, so as to not encourage hate crime?

Is it not correct that the increase in migrants, refugees and others has caused economic problems?

[Togo]

//We don't require alternative suggestions, unless you witnessed the crime you should keep quiet and leave the experts to investigate. //

I have had a look through the thread from the beginning(after not using the web yesterday) and am struggling to find "alternative" suggestions. But I suppose the advice may have been useful if it had been directed at Diane Abbot.

[Togo]

//I think the word you were after actually was 'victim' rather than 'immigrant' perhaps?//

Perhaps AOG was assuming that the use of the word immigrant naturally implies that the state of victimhood applies in all situations?

[andy-hughes]

The difficulty with an issue like this is ensuring that no-one runs away with the idea that an assault on an asylum -seeker is either more or less reprehensible than an attack on anyone else, anywhere else, ever.

It is not something to make political capital out of - it stands on its own as a dreadful incident, and trying to drag in political issues to tie onto it helps no-one.

[kvalidir]

I would slightly disagree with that Andy.
The idea that someone is attacked because of their ethnic group, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity etc is a very important distinction to make because an attack of that nature underlines the fact that certain sectors of our society are happy to propagate hatred towards groups of people which directly challenges the equitable direction we wish society to go in. A random thug who mugs anyone be they black, white, male or female is of less consequence in terms of the potential effect on society, although for the victim the consequences are obviously very dire.

[andy-hughes]

kvalidir - I must in turn disagree with your view.

My position is that I would not be remotely interested in dissecting the reason why someone was attacked - in my view, if you start sectioning of motives, then the validity of one motive over another becomes a real possibility.

I prefer the blanket approach that anyone attacking anyone for any reason is wrong - the rest is fine print and is irrelevant.

[kvalidir]

On that basis Hitler is merely as bad as the glue sniffer up the road who attacks and kills people because he doesn't like himself very much, and I'm sure that's not what you're suggesting. I do fully agree that all lives and suffering is equal, but the motivation behind a crime is very important and in fact enshrined in law and sentencing.