withoutsanctuary.org

[Anti-colonialist]

Thankyou for this immensely important archive. I just want to put some of my responses in writing.
These horrific photographs are Historical in the sense of their significance but the main thing I think when I see them is that it was not that long ago. Some of the people from the communities where these racist crimes ocurred may still be alive. One of the things that horrified me most is the thought: how much remains of these hateful ideas and how have they affected our society.
In terms of how white-dominated western society treats others I'd like to pose a few questions. Could there have been such public support for the fire-bombing of Tokyo or the use of nuclear bombs in Hiroshima & Nagasaki if the victims had been white? More recently: Could the British & American governments even attempt to justify the killing of innocent civilians in Iraq if there hadn't been a sustained campaign in the right-wing media to demonise Muslims and people from the Middle-east? Do these pictures remind you of the very recent pictures of the mistreatment of prisoners by solidiers?
As a British person I am deeply ashamed by our colonial history. But I am angered by our more recent history, which we are all making. Neo-colonial actions are justified, and I think that one of the tools of that justification is demonisation of foreign cultures. When every time the word "Muslim" is mentioned and the next word is "terrorist," that is demonisation. When every time the word "socialist" is mentioned and the next word is "USSR," that is demonisation. When every time a black person is on TV they mention "guns, violence, pimps," that is demonising and outrageously racist.
Racism was a tool of the British empire, used to justify inhuman actions and oppression. It was a tool of white society in America, used to justify the lynch mobs and other racist oppression. The fight against racism and other forms of oppression is on-going. Learning about our history and getting involved with our present is part of this fight.
Thankyou for making this resource available