Disturbance on the Piccadilly Line
I was standing at the end of the platform listening to my MP3 player with my nose in the evening paper when over over the sounds of light jazz I became aware of shouting at the other end of the platform. As I glanced over the top of my paper I noticed a young black man, well dressed in casual designer clothes, walking up the platform in full angry rant towards anyone who would listen, this being London I thought nothing of it and continued reading. The man continued walking until he was about three metres away from me and took a seat, continuing with his soliloquy all the while.
After a few minutes I became aware that he had seemingly referred to me so I surreptitiously lowered the volume and started to listen to what he was saying. He was engaged in a lengthy rant about how the African race was superior to all others as he listed his avowed racial hierarchy, going on to explain what should be done to “avenge” his slighted racial pride (this seemed to mostly involve punishing and killing people) and how it was our racism that was preventing the ascendance of the African race. Soon enough the train arrived and as I have done a million times I stood at the side of the doors to let the passengers off before alighting the carriage only to get the immediate feeling of a presence behind me so I braced my shoulder reflexively for impact as the young man slammed his shoulder into mine from behind but I think somewhat surprised that I did not yield as I strode into the carriage and took the last remaining seat without even looking up from my paper. He came and stood directly over me and continued his racist tirade to the entire carriage of embarrassed commuters.
Two stops later and the woman next to me got off so he took a seat but kept his gaze away from me as I think I’d now established in his mind that I was not easy prey. All of the time hardly stopping for breath. Two stops further and the train remained on the platform as a posse of LU guards gathered on the platform clearly preparing to strike. Eventually a middle-aged and burley black guy pushes his way onto the carriage and says “There have been complaints from other customers that you have been making racist comments”, which was an understatement, “please could you leave the train and talk to us on the platform?”. To which he accused the guard of being a racist and refused to move. This pointless procedure continued for several minutes as each [black] guard tried in turn to politely encourage the man to comply.
As luck would have it after a short commotion on the platform a middle-aged white man then pushed his way into the crowded carriage who turned out to be his employer. At first he was polite but firm but when met with continued rebuttal his patience began to wear thin and he angrily threatened him with immediate dismissal if he did not leave the train immediately. Which much to the relief of the other passengers was sufficient to dislodge the young man and soon enough we were back on our journey with everyone gratefully acknowledging the now red-faced employer for his intervention.
(One evening last week)
Horrible. Had a few similar experiences and holding your ground but ignoring as much as possible is best approach I reckon, not good to appear intimidated. Too many dangerous nutters in society, a cull is well overdue I reckon.
Unfortunately experiences like this are becoming far to regular in London these days, hardly a week goes by without some sort of hassle as I make my way to and from work. If things don’t start improving soon my wife and I may join the “white flight” out of London.
Wolfie
Used to be an almost weekly occurrence on the NY subway. I used to laugh at all the white guys in suits scared out of their brains, who thought that they could make the problem go away by burying their heads deep in their WSJ.
btw, any reason you’re not a member of BlogPower?
Nobody asked me if I wanted to be a member Pommy.
I can’t see any reason to be intimidated by these morons, but one day I’m going to old and I don’t want to be fighting my way through life then. Don’t see why I should have to either.
Hmmm, tricky subject…
I see stuff like this every day. And it’s not just White on Black. Many East Europeans don’t like Blacks. Many groups within the Black ‘community’ don’t like Somalis and it’s fair game for virtually everyone to get stuck into Muslims. The permutations for one group having it in for another in London these days are virtually endless
I can’t speak for the rest of the country but social cohesion in London is under strain. Economic inequalities have a part to play as well.
Too many people from too many different backgrounds piling into one place too quickly. It’s bound to cause issues and something I personally have been grumbling about for years now - very often to be met with accusations of racism. Curiously for a racist, I know 2nd generation Asian and Jamaican Londoners who share my concerns
The issues are not necessarily insurmountable ones but they require wise and decent leadership - and that’s pretty thin on the ground these days
Me, I’m lucky and I’ve got a couple of possible ways out - and I’ll be taking one of them before the end of the year. Like so many other people have already…
PS I would trust the stats at all. They’ve been crooked for years now and way under the mark…
Accusing people who wish to talk about this subject of racism is the easy, lazy and cowardly option which many people opt for. Likeability over substance is very popular these days, right up to high office in No. 10.
My concern is not that we have racists but that we are importing them whilst ignoring the issue or worse still blaming the victims.
Agreed that the social cohesion in London is in serious jeopardy, but I don’t see how that can be addressed. Its a financial capital and there will always be inequality but I would even suggest to you that even under a Marxist utopia these problems would not go away because they go right to the heart of the fundamental primitiveness and tribalism which define mankind in most parts of the world. I don’t even think that wise leadership could solve where we are headed, at least not without closing the borders.
Earlier immigration waves felt the need to integrate because they were a minority. Now the immigration levels are high enough that the new entrants can feel that they can form xeno-cultural communities without the necessity to integrate and in doing so we are left with hostile intra-community suspicions. Recall the last spate of Asian/Afro-Caribbean gang warfare/rioting, based mostly on the premise that each was more privileged than the other.
Nobody really believes that official stats anymore.
One big difference between immigration past and present is that back when, say, my family came over from somewhere as relatively close as Italy the act did require a certain degree of commitment to your new home and separation from your old one. Nowadays people have access to cheap calls, the Internet, cheap flights, free movement of capital, and what have you.
That’s just one factor - there are loads of others. All of which combine to leave parts of London feeling more like transit camps than committed, established communities. As it happens, I just spent the afternoon strolling around a few places just like that today - not too far from your neck of the woods
London has always been home to the kind of xeno-cultural communities you refer to. I grew up in one. A White European community admittedly but with its own identity nevertheless. I don’t think xeno-cultural communities are necessarily problem. They do become a problem when the rate of their growth outstrips the host country’s ability to assimilate them. I think large parts of London passed that point five or more years ago
The thing is, even if restrictive border controls were introduced tomorrow that won’t shift the balance back. Short of deporting millions, and it would be millions, of people this major demographic change is already a done deal and its impact will take years to be fully manifest
And, of course, the same thing is happening in many other developed countries. My take has always been that this was the result of deliberate policy to lower the wages of jobs that couldn’t be moved to undeveloped countries and to create a fractured, divided underclass that could be more easily ruled. Chuck in the impact of f*cked up state education systems and the implosion of the middle class that’s just around the corner and we have a Brave New World ahead of us
But I am a conspiracy theorist and therefore mad
I had a similar experience this week. Only I was threatend by a bunch of white chavs in the middle of the street, for the usual reason i.e. looking at them.
Hard to stand your gorund but it normally does the trick and saved me this week again. Glad I leanred my lessons in that respect when I lived in LA.
I really don’t think that the waves of European immigrants such as the Italians is remotely comparable. Not just because they are white and European but because they were hard-working and contributory, mere cousins from a cultural perspective.
Not just is it to keep wages low its also “blow-back” from Globalization. How can the population of third-world countries fight exploitation of their homelands if the brightest and best always emigrate to a better life? Ever wonder why this country has been so keen to take-in individuals who are an irritant to foreign resource-rich countries? Political asylum only allows the host governments to carry on as they do as all dissent is no longer obligated to stand and fight as our forefathers have done to make this country what it is (at least what it was 7+ years ago) today.
Stef, you are not in the least bit mad.
unslicker @
I can’t remember the last time a chav had a [serious] go at me. Must be my face.