LETTER: Enough is enough on stirring up racial hatred in Spalding

In Spalding there is a Facebook page called “Spotted Spalding” – the principle behind the page is that people can make posts anonymously. This page has more than 19,000 “likes”.

On Saturday afternoon a post was made that included a photograph of a lady by some flower containers with a comment accusing her of stealing the plants. This could not be further from the truth. She was actually planting the containers as part of the Spotless Spalding Facebook community whose aims are to try and tidy up the town. She actually paid for the plants personally. As a town we should be thanking her.

Whilst the post was taken down fairly quickly after people who recognised the lady concerned made it clear that she was not stealing, the fact the post was made at all is an indication of something that has been troubling me for many months. There is someone in our midst who seems to be deliberately trying to stir up racial disharmony by taking photographs from a distance of what may or may not be anti-social behaviour and posting them on Spotted Spalding.

It would seem that the aim of the photographer is to tar all European citizens who now live alongside us with the anti-social behaviour of a minority. In effect to stir up racial hatred. After the posting on Saturday I feel that it is time that we said: enough is enough.

After reading about the Connecting Communities report produced by Rev John Bennett earlier this year, I think that in order to begin to address the issues highlighted in that report Spalding could learn from the endeavours of the Boston More in Common group that was formed last year and came out of initiatives following the murder of Jo Cox MP.
This group now offers a share space that allows people from different communities to get to know each and understand the challenges that each community faces. Only by connecting with each other can we integrate.

Many European citizens have chosen to lay down roots here just like the Huguenots who settled in the area after escaping religious persecution did 400 years ago and are ancestors of many of us.
Over a generation those Huguenots became fully integrated.

Is it not time that we started the journey that our ancestors did?
I for one would be willing to try.

John Bland
via email