Sometimes I no longer want to see the news

There was a horrific attack in Belfast two days ago. A Sudanese refugee stabbed a white man. He has been arrested. As he should. It was a terrible incident. And then the violence began. Hard right racists dressed in black with balaclavas over their faces decided the entire migrant community was going to pay for one mad man’s actions. They burnt down homes of people who weren’t white. People who seemed like a migrant in their community. Women had to flee for safety with their children. Fathers had to turn their televisions off, and reassure their young sons that they didn’t have to worry about the colour of their skin. They lied, because they couldn’t tell them the truth. That their skin put them in danger right now. It was awful to see. But I’m here to write that even in the midst of this overwhelming hatred, there is hope. I visited a church in the East End of London today. Their members are ministering to the people in asylum seeker hotels. They are continuing to extend their hand…