And they probably don't realise that the ancestors of these folk also lived in this country, some of them going back hundreds, maybe thousands of years. Unfortunately, because they aren't recent immigrants, that makes them bad, and they're doubly bad for having the temerity to be white. That doesn't make them all racist, however. Here's the whole BS:
The actor Emma Thompson has urged a university to work to stamp out racism after her adopted son endured "unpleasant" experiences while studying there. Thompson says Rwandan-born Tindyebwa Agaba suffered because of the colour of his skin during his first year studying politics at Exeter University.Also in The Times.
Speaking at a diversity event at the university, Thompson claimed the leader of the BNP, Nick Griffin, would "love" the area because of its relative lack of racial diversity. She urged staff and students to carry on trying to drive out prejudice.
The Oscar-winning actor had been taking part in a project at the university called One World, aimed at celebrating diversity. She led a drama workshop, and joined a creative writing session and a debate.
On Thursday, during the debate entitled All Africans Now: Artistry and Activism, a member of the audience raised the issue of the BNP and comments by its leader that London was no longer a British city because of its racial diversity.
Thompson replied that Griffin "would feel very comfortable here". The questioner asked: "What can we do to change the whiteness of Devon and Cornwall? How can we expand our university?"
Thompson replied: "This is how we're doing it [by talking about it]. It's depressing when people think nothing is being done about it.
"Tindy had his experience and now we're having a big week of educational events to try and help it. Please understand you're already engaged, give yourself small goals. You must understand you have a staff who want this university to be the most humane, safe place it can be.
"You're not going to get hundreds of black students here overnight, but what you can do is make them more comfortable. Visitors are never the ones who come up with the solutions, it is up to you."
Opening the event, Agaba said he had suffered problems in his first year. He said: "I studied politics and international relations here and had a beautiful time, especially in my second and third years. I had some problems in my first year."
Sam Miles, an organiser of the One World project, said the event had been very positive. He said no one had been shocked by Thompson's comments about the BNP, but had taken them as criticism of Griffin's inability to live in a multicultural community.
A spokeswoman for the university said Thompson had said Griffin might feel more comfortable in the south-west of England because it is not as ethnically diverse as London.
The spokeswoman said: "This was in response to Mr Griffin's reported comments that London can no longer claim to be a British city because of its diversity."
She added: "Emma Thompson spoke in very positive terms about the university's efforts to encourage equality and diversity. We have a zero tolerance policy towards racism on campus. There are very few incidents: out of more than 18,000 staff and students last year there were five reported incidents of this nature on campus."
The university says about 12% of its student population consisted of black and minority ethnic students, compared with 3.2% in the Exeter region.
Agaba was a former child soldier who met Thompson and her husband, the actor Greg Wise, at a Refugee Council party in 2003. He is now studying for a master's degree, but while at Exeter University expressed surprise at the low number of African students. He wrote: "I find it incredible that I am the only African student in the entire politics department."
1 comment:
What is wrong with being white? I'm sick to death of these people. Thompson should move to Africa permanently. I won't be watching her films anymore. What a self hating white hating bitch!
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