Who Are The True Victims Of Brexit And The Ensuing Anger?

I would like to take the opportunity to clarify something. This statement is something I have NEVER and will NEVER say.

- Leave voters are unemployed, too old to vote, racist, and ignorant.

Actually, what I said was according to demographic analysis the retired, unemployed, and those with no formal qualifications chose by a majority to vote leave. Those with degrees voted by a majority to stay. That is NOT the same thing as calling leave voters unemployed, too old to vote, racist, and ignorant. To claim I am saying such things is libelous and is the twisting of my discussion points to suit one's own agenda and demonisation of me.

I have stated repeatedly that the older generations have a right to vote, but that 16 and 17 year olds should have had their say too. The only time I indicated anything close to the opposite was not an actual suggestion, it was a point to show that the claim 'having a second referendum is undemocratic' is flawed, because for anyone over the age of 59 this is already their second referendum on the subject of Europe.

As for the racist thing, I've tried not to get involved there because leave voters are not racist, but many racists are leave voters, and like it or not the leave vote is being seen by far right groups as endorsement of hate crime. Racial hate crime has increased dramatically since the result was announced. That doesn't mean leave voters are all seen as racists.

It is no more correct to say all leave voters are unemployed, too old, racist, ignorant than it is to say all Muslims are terrorists. However, it is correct to say analysis of current polls indicate demographics voted different ways, with the unemployed, those with no formal qualifications, the over 50s voting, by a majority to leave, while the majority of people with degrees voted remain, just as it's fair to say ISIS claim to be Muslim. One perspective should never be interpretted as the other as it turns truth into a lie.

In truth, the only people I've personally heard calling leave voters ignorant racist or claiming they shouldn't have voted are leave voters themselves while twisting the words of remain voters into something they didn't say. This needs to stop. Leave voters (the minority who are doing this) need to stop making themselves out to be the victims in their 'victory'.

Why?

Because they aren't the victims, no matter what their age, democratic rights, education, or otherwise.

Who are the victims? They're the ethnic minorities and immigrants who are now being shouted at in the streets, threatened, and attacked. They are the migrant children bullied by British children spouting racist rhetoric which they've picked up from adults. They are the immediate victims, not those who voted to leave the E.U.

Other victims are the people whose jobs will go. People who are going to suffer from a downgraded economy and a devalued pound. They are the people being stripped of citizenship against their will, and people who no longer feel welcome in their own country. They are the people who were lied to. They are the people who will suffer as our government implodes. They are the victims.

Please, don't sit there twisting remain voters words while boasting of a victory and complaining over a perceived insult from the very people who are going through a grieving process because of what you've taken from them. No one gets to devastate another and then dictate how they express their grief. Show a little understanding, please.

Rather than playing the victims go and take responsibility for the unintended consequences of the result. Support those who are now facing racial prejudice and hate crimes, lobby your political leaders for an actual plan in case Brexit goes ahead. Listen to those who are hurting about why they are hurting, without judgement and malice. Half of the electorate won, but there is no justification for the insistance that the other camp need to 'shut up and move on' just a few days after the referendum.

I have not personally attacked any individual. I've discussed demographics and that is it. All the same in the last two days I have been called disgusting, ignorant, a prime example of everything that's bad about the remain campaign, a sad loser, the type of person I am has been questioned and judged, I have been told I don't know what I'm saying by someone who wouldn't listen to what I was saying. I've been ranted at, raved at, accused of things I haven't done. The list goes on. To top it all off I have to see in the news about far right members of our population calling Polish migrants and workers 'Polish Scum'.

For the record, my granda was Polish-Ukrainian and my husband's granda was Polish, while we are both British European, the "Polish Scum" thing is still offensive. Really offensive, more so rather than any analysis I've given. Both our grandfathers were displaced persons following the war, in other words, they were refugees. Right now we have thugs on the streets intimidating refugees, those fleeing war torn countries, but what I'm seeing is a group of leave voters taking the roles of both victor and victim.

This country is divided. That won't heal any time soon, but if a minority of vocal leave voters continue to both gloat and complain, that's going to take longer to heal. Show a little empathy to the people who've lost something due to this glorified opinion poll. Get your heads out of the sand and stop denying that nothings going wrong yet and it's not that bad. Go out and help, rather than sitting behind your screens being both smug and offended all at once. That is the only way we're going to get past this. Get out there and make it clear to the far right that your vote was not an endorsement of their actions. Hold your government accountable for forming a plan. Stop dismissing the worries of those on the other side and try to remember that when you walk down the street, half of the people you pass had different priorities to you. Half of them.

Right, that's me done for the day. Goodnight.

Carmine Raven