Poppy Jay
Broadcaster, director and co-host of the 'Brown Girls Do It Too' podcast
Last year, when the details of the Southport attack emerged, my Black and Asian friends all had the same reaction: “Oh God. Here we go again.”
We knew that before the facts had been settled, before the investigations had finished and before grieving families had buried their dead, race would become part of the story. Again. We knew the incident would be used by right-wing politicians, exploited to whip-up rage and racism towards people who looked like us, and attempt to justify anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Watching the reaction this week to Henry Nowak’s horrific death has given me that feeling all over again. The same way it did with Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana, and with the Huntingdon train attack last November. Any major incident where the perpetrator comes from a minority ethnic background makes our hearts skip a beat. Because we know what comes next.
