Questions and answers with Dreda Say Mitchell at the Idea Store London
12th December 2017
The evening didn’t start in a very promising way the modest audience was worrying all of us from Journey to Justice. However, the conversation went far beyond expectations, to the point that we almost didn’t want to leave. When the Idea Store’s staff told us we needed to leave as soon as possible I could see in the audience’s face the will to continue those conversations.
What were we talking about then, you might be wondering?
We were talking about class, Islamophobia, education, Brexit, current politics, immigration, colonialism and history. It might seem a bit too much for an event which lasts just over a couple hours, but it was immediately clear how all these themes were intrinsically linked with each other.
As suggested by Dreda, the question of who holds power was at the core of our conversation. We cannot talk about what is the most appropriate education system, without taking into account how the existence of public schools underlies the will to maintain power. We cannot talk about immigration without considering how colonialism has been a means of exploiting human beings and maintaining a position of power over them.
How does this question of who holds power link to current issues such as Brexit? As always it’s harder to evaluate what is happening right now compared to analysing what was in the past..
As a European without UK citizenship I had always associated a negative connotation to the leave vote, a simplistic, ‘Why don’t they want us here?’ But I had never thought that voting to leave the European Union could have been for some people a form of protest, a way to finally be able to have their say. Before our event, I had never tried to put myself in the shoes of those who had been immigrants in previous generations, of those who had been part of the British Empire. Even if my final opinion regarding Brexit didn’t change – I still think I would have voted to stay in the EU if I could – I have learnt a new angle on the problem. When evaluating if an organisation such as the EU is fair or not, we cannot forget its past. In the eyes of some of those who have been freed from colonialism, the EU is not helping, it is just giving to some people the rights that their parents had to fight for. When looking at the problem from this lens it is clear how the EU could be considered another means to maintain power over others, to keep other countries excluded. I have always been pro open borders, but if we decide to establish open borders why is it that some people who have worked in the UK their whole lives are not allowed to bring over to Europe their own families?
As a volunteer in an organisation which galvanises people to take action for social justice, I thought I grew a sixth sense for situations of injustice. But that night reminded me how it’s not simple, it reminded me how easy it is to view the world as ‘us’ against ‘them’. I had never thought how varied the leave vote reasons were. We cannot stigmatise all of the pro Brexiters with the same labels, because they are individuals with different opinions, perceptions, beliefs and different needs.
I am thankful to Dreda for coming that night because hearing her point of view was extremely useful for my personal growth. I left the Idea Store with food for thought, and some important teachings.
Arianna Assanelli
