Erasing history is not just the the tactic of the Nazis and ISIS

What do you see here?

What I see is a child, of migrant descent clearly from his skin tone, attempting to burn the nations flag with a cheap lighter.

I made “migrant descent” bold because I wanted to emphasise that the person attempting to burn this countries flag comes from 2 parents that were given the opportunity to live in the great land that is the UK and reap its benefits from free healthcare, free transport and a great education system. And what does he do?

He burns that very flag.

Why does this make me feel angry? Not because I’m a member of the EDL or any of those racist football gangs, but because my parents were refugees that fled conflict in the Balkans and narrowly even fled genocide. If it weren’t for the UK and its NATO allies that came to help. And so my parents were lucky enough to get a permit to live in the UK and that in turn allowed me to grow up in such a beneficial country that provided everything for me. It helped me to grow as a kid, giving me chances and opportunities I would not have gotten back in the Balkans.

Growing up in the UK as the son of refugee parents has made me so grateful of what I’ve been given especially when I visit cousins back in my home country and see the state they live in.

My point is, a lot of the people on the streets in London are currently not white people. Their parents are either migrants or refugees that were lucky enough to be able to live in the UK yet here they are, burning the flag of the UK, vandalising the memorial of men that fought for the UK and removing statues of important figures in British history.

How is that fair?

Britain has done nothing but give its hospitality to so many people that otherwise would be living in a house with no solid internet connection or even under an incredibly corrupt government or regime. So why do these people, who are incredibly lucky to even live in the UK just like I am, go to the streets to slam the country that helped them down?

It makes me mad because I see it as hugely disrespectful and I know it will come to bite me once people start to blame Muslim migrants and refugees more and more until racism is actually becoming a problem in the UK. Before these “race riots” they weren’t as huge of a problem as people are making them out to be.

I am ashamed people are taking to the streets to desecrate memorials and statues that remember the men who served and died for this nation and the men that contributed heavily towards the development of Britain. By removing those statues and demanding they go, you are in turn erasing parts of British history simply because you fail to agree with it and that is the problem here, not racism.

Erasing history is the tactic of the Nazis and ISIS.

This piece was written by Toby Aleski. lives in The United Kingdom (2003-present)

I love History, mainly 19th century – end of the 20th century with a bit of love for the Romans and Ancient Greece.