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>Secondly, I suspect that most of the small number of people who did (or >perhaps still do) have a problem with the town's 'visitors' were people from >the 'poorer' estates who were probably 'poor' because they spent a >significant proportion of their money on beer, fags etc, or just couldn't be >bothered to seek a life outside the benefit system. Immigrant-bashing, >whether it be verbal or physical, in this case, is an expression of their >identity - "We're 'British', we're 'poor', and we don't like you coming over >here and taking 'our' money!", which also reflects the 'get drunk, have a >fight' culture which seems to be sweeping the country on Friday / Saturday >nights at the moment. These factors are the same which appear to have paid a >significant part in the kind of thuggery we have seen recently in Brussels >and Charleroi was. I would argue that in essence, immigrant-bashing and >hooliganism by 'England supporters' are in fact just two sides of the same >coin. > Your second point seems to argue that racism is a class problem and that 'immigrant bashing' is in fact a conflict between two sections of benefit scroungers. Ann Widdecombe will surely be loving that one. You then say that "the 'get drunk, have a fight' culture which seems to be sweeping the country" as if it a modern thing. What about teddy boys, mods/rockers, seventies football violence? . Surely its just an old problem in a seemingly new guise. Older generations always seem like to blaming youth for their indiscretions without crediting themselves with some of the blame. Finally, football violence is always argued to be inherently racist/xenophbic in intent. Has anyone actually stopped to consider that these people actually enjoy fighting because of the 'buzz' they get off it, and that national/regional/local conflicts are just backgrounds to a more primal urge for violence, perhaps. What does evryone think? I'd love to hear. Cheers, Paul. ****************************************************** Paul Kent Work: 020 7775 3363 Mobile: 07941 119053 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%