Gina Miller Talks: Vile Racist Abuse and 'Those attitudes that still exist'
It is sad to think that Gina Millers childhood was filled with the typical Caribbean / Commonwealth ideologies of Britain, that paint a picture of a ‘Motherland’ that is welcoming and fair and just. Miller says in her book, Rise: “As a child of the Commonwealth, I had been brought up to believe Great Britain was the promised land,” she writes, “a culture where the rule of law was observed and decency was embedded in the national fabric.”
To think that a woman so committed to Britain and British Democracy, would be brave enough to challenge the government in a court of law, is then subjected to constant hate fuelled racial abuse, rape and death threats, and threats to her family is unbelievable in Britain! Right? - Surely, you say, this should be a synopsis for a fictional novel - but its not!
If you know nothing else about Gina Miller, you would have to be holidaying in outer space not to know that she is the business owner and activist who initiated the 2016 R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union court case against the British government over its authority to implement Brexit without approval from Parliament.
In September 2019 she successfully challenged the government's prorogation of Parliament. And won!
“As a child of the Commonwealth, I had been brought up to believe Great Britain was the promised land.”
The price of victory is vile abuse
Her recent legal challenge met with a constant stream of vile abuse from Brexit supporters, including racial abuse and death threats. In her book, Rise, Miller reveals she even received abuse from Journalists, some of whom she had known personally as business acquaintances.
In the two days following the judges' decision, more than 79,000 tweets mentioned her, of which it is estimated 13 per cent were hostile. Many tweets referred to her as a traitor and mentioned her ‘foreignness’ or race. In 2017, prior to the legal challenge, Miller said she had already faced continuing threats of acid attacks, and feared leaving her home.
In a recent interview about her book: Rise, Miller reveals some of the shocking messages she receives, like this very chilling warning that a “Jo Cox killing would be too good for you”, and that Miller is “not even human, just an ugly ape who needs whipping into obedience”.
Miller said in the interview with Guardian.com: “I was absolutely shocked,” …. “I just didn’t know that those attitudes still existed, and I still find it shocking now.”
No doubt Gina Miller's childhood view of Britain had already changed somewhat, but imagine the shock and fear she has experienced as a result of the abuse she has suffered from bitter brexiteers. Judging by the disgusting tone of the abuse, these are people disgusted that she dared to be a brave woman of colour, successful in her own right and a person committed to standing by her principles.
Miller and her family have suffered unbelievable abuse and hatred. She is admired as a formidable woman, who fights for what she believes in and she a leading legend and history maker.
Read the ‘Who is Gina Miller’ article in Urban Kapital Magazine.
Comments