“London has changed, and it’s out of my control”. Thoughts like this one often flit through my mind as I make my way through the bustle of the big city.
Although I wasn’t born in London, I have lived in the same East-end locale for more than 30 years. In this time I believe I have experienced the discomfort of change that would rival that of those who have moved across cities and regions. I have been witness to my friends and family’s growing irritation with the demographic - the general mess, disorder, crime and litter that comes with fast changing populations, the increased number of women in headscarves and men in traditional wear, and overwhelmed public services.
I’m particularly struck at how much it feels like a significant season to write my first article for Evangelicals Now.
I am humbled and shaken by recent shifts in the global political landscape, and I hear similar sentiments from friends who look and sound like me: young(ish), Black, African, Christian and resident in multi-cultural cities in the West.
Flags, fear and the question of identity
I walked to a birthday dinner through the streets of London on Saturday 13 September, and remembered that I am mortal.
This was the day that a rally, organised by anti-immigrant activist Tommy Robinson, saw up to 150,000 people march through central London. Held under the name “Unite the Kingdom," Robinson promoted it as a free speech event.