A Restorative Justice response to far-right violence
This is a blog by our Deputy CEO, Kate Aldous.
I watched with horror as the recent anti-immigration and racist violence spread across the country, and then with very mixed feelings, the Government’s harsh crackdown. I wanted this frightening and hate-filled behaviour to stop – and I am greatly relieved it has. But I am also aware that you do not change hearts and minds through repression. If we want to stop this happening again, we need a different approach.
I don’t want to play down the abhorrence of the scenes that unfolded on our screens and streets, of people being hateful and violent to others. These scenes are frightening and threatening, especially for those of us who are, or have family members and loved ones who are, Muslims, refugees, asylum seekers or belong to the global majority. Lives have been turned upside down by fear, and questions remain about whether normal, daily activities are safe. No one should live in fear for their safety because of who they are.
For those of us in the Restorative Justice world, we can see its potential not only to repair the damage done, but also to transform attitudes and behaviour through connection and understanding – strengthening communities and their resistance to far-right rhetoric and violence. This is unlikely to be achieved through harsh sentences that will negatively impact life chances, increase resentment, and silence and repress existing racism and faith hate. On the other hand, restorative processes could be used to explore and challenge racism and faith hate as well as showing the impact it has on individuals. In this way, we are far more likely to change hearts and minds.
Whilst the violence was instigated by far-right activists, others may have been influenced by the negative government and media messages about immigrants and Muslims. Combine that with a sense of dissatisfaction with what life has given you, a lack of investment in public services, and high levels of poverty, and that might have been enough for people to erupt into anger against easy scapegoats.
If we want to repair communities and build connections between people, Restorative Justice has a key part to play. We can offer restorative interventions to those who have been convicted. Where there is no identifiable victim, we can offer creative alternatives, such as Restorative Justice with a proxy (another member of the same community representing the impact of hate). We can also offer restorative circles to build understanding and connections between people in the most affected communities. There have already been examples of communities courageously reaching out to those who were attacking them, and examples of Restorative Justice conferences being transformational in the 2011 unrest.
We would love to discuss different options and explore how we might work together with practitioners and others to support healing. Join us for a forum on this topic on the 11th September at 12-1pm.
