OPINION: Britishness must mean something or extremists will fill the void
Disagreeing respectfully with one another is a cornerstone of living in a liberal democracy, writes Mark Adlestone
I have always placed a great emphasis on engaging with different people in multiple settings throughout society. I have achieved this by running a business with stores throughout the country alongside my extensive involvement with charities. Coupled with my year as high sheriff of Greater Manchester, I feel truly blessed to have encountered people and places from every walk of life.
It has encouraged me to fight prejudice and promote tolerance and think about what being British really means. The way people identify with that concept differs across communities. There have been times where we have all spectacularly come together with a sense of national pride. Examples include the London Olympics, Platinum Jubilee and the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.
However, overall, we have long since struggled to define Britishness and this has led in some quarters to common decency being eroded with individuals pumping out problematic content to millions on social media.
Ultimately, irrespective of our race, ethnicity or religion, we all have being British in common.
Photo credit: http://manchesterlieutenancy.org/
At a recent civic reception to celebrate the Jewish community, I spoke about how comfortably my Jewish and British identities sit alongside one another. As chair of the Mustard Tree, I meet asylum seekers who are desperate to become British and actively contribute to our shared society. I have witnessed the generosity of people who themselves may be struggling who go out of the way to assist those who are vulnerable.
At a time when we are all having to navigate a surge in hate crime targeting minority communities, it is more important than ever that we coalesce around long-established British values. In my mind they are respect for the rule of law, accepting differences, supporting the underdog, being tolerant of the other with a freedom to worship in accordance with your religion and vote freely with your conscience.
The definition as to what constitutes Britishness needs to be wide and encompass people on all sides of the political debate. Disagreeing respectfully with one another is a cornerstone of living in a liberal democracy. We need to be prepared to feel uncomfortable and challenged in robust debate. By having a firm agreement across all communities of what being British means, it will enable us to call out and subsequently sideline extremists. These ideals can be taught as standard in our schools and universities to provide best practice as to what constitutes acceptable discourse.
To uphold these values and traditions, you also need courage and an unbreakable will to do what is right. We are blessed within our region that our elected representatives and those tasked with keeping us safe hold these principles dear. However, the Jewish community has been let down by iconic settings within Greater Manchester who have allowed extremist voices the opportunity to perform at sell out venues.
For decades, Jewish people have frequented the Bridgewater Hall and Stoller Hall. It is therefore doubly painful that not only are they willing to book racists, they are unprepared to cancel when the full dossier of charges has been submitted. By using my above test, both Sheikh Alafasy and Bassem Youseff would be considered extremists and outside the British values. It should have been easy to exclude them on this basis but the venues displayed neither courage of their convictions or moral fortitude to do so.
Despite recent challenges, I remain optimistic for the future as it is still the case that Britain is an open and accepting country in which to live. We simply need to reclaim the narrative that will embolden us to protect freedom of speech whilst making it clear that those who wish to divide us are not welcome.
I urge our politicians to pick up this mantle as a strong definition of Britishness would fill a vacuum that has been deliberately exploited by those with an insidious agenda.
- Mark Adlestone OBE is a former High Sheriff and current Chair of the Jewish Representative Council, Chair of The Mustard Tree and Chair of Beaverbrooks The Jewellers.
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