Racism = prejudice + Power

JVL Introduction

Written partly in response to Diane Abbot’s re-suspension, this article outlines how those in power fail to address racism, always preferring to focus on individual prejudices and ignore the power element of racism. Prejudice matters but this is perpetuated by the media and those in power who choose to “other” people, most obviously asylum seekers and then rightly express horror but not responsibility for the attacks on hotels where asylum seekers are housed. This is hardly unique to the UK and the writer also looks, for example at Canada and the US.

This “othering” leads to toleration of genocide in Gaza, the horrors meted out to the Congolose, Sudanese and far too many other people outside the UK and to people of colour and the poorest and disabled people here.  We must ask in whose interest this “othering” works and then consider how the powerful maintain the status quo. Our job is also, more importantly, to understand and dismantle those mechanisms.

LL

This article was originally published by Counterfire on Wed 23 Jul 2025. Read the original here.