HTR (18): on the Christian virtue of resisting ethnic replacement

Ethnic cleansing is wrong, even if those eliminated are white

I am watching with great interest the argument around the potential ethnic replacement of the indigenous English population within the territory of England. I am interested especially in what is happening in the Reform party, that seems to have adopted the establishment perspective on immigration, as shown rather effectively in this short video from the Homeland Party (above). As David Betz has argued, one of the principal triggers for civil war is when a previously dominant group sees its status as under threat, and acts to challenge the diminution of that status. We are tottering on the edge of that moment; Starmergeddon beckons.

I support a multi-racial monoculture based on Christian values – that's what I call 'British'. It might seem that this involves a 'race-blind' perspective – and I do see racism as an evil, that's non-negotiable from a Christian point of view – yet the rejection of racism does not entail the denial that different 'races' (human population sub-groups¹) exist; and the elimination of a race is a grievous wrong. It diminishes all of us. That applies even if the race eliminated are white people. The English (the indigenous ethnic group of the major part of the island of Great Britain) are facing the danger of elimination and are starting to wake up to that fact. The English need to be supported in their resistance to ethnic cleansing – that is a Christian task, an exercise of charity, 'seeking the good of another'.

Such an elimination can fairly be considered to be a genocide, or an ethnic cleansing. Whilst not prosecutable as such ('intent' to genocide needs to be shown) such actions do need to be resisted as being genocidal in effect. An essential part of this resistance is cultural and symbolic – protesting against replacement theory – and I shall look in more detail at that another time (although see this). The key point for me to make here is about the Christian virtue of patriotism.

Aquinas describes patriotism as a virtue, and argues that its virtue proceeds from a right understanding of 'the only commandment with a promise', ie 'honour thy father and mother that thy days may be long upon earth'. The honour that is due to our specific earthly parents is extended and broadened to that of the wider patrimony represented by a nation. Whilst this can extend to something idolatrous, in the same way that any other human good can be made more important than it deserves to be, this risk does not mean that patriotism as such is inherently wicked. On the contrary, the classic Christian position is that it is right and good to defend one's nation, one's people, one's ethnos – most especially when such things are at risk of being destroyed.

Is England ('England' understood as that combination of people, culture and place that qualifies as a nation) at risk of being destroyed? It would certainly seem so; indeed the process is well underway.

The genetic stability of the population of the British Isles is remarkably robust (see here) – at least until the post-war rise of immigration, and most especially since Mr Blair and then Mr Johnson threw open the gates. The level of immigration that the English are now experiencing is utterly unprecedented in the history of the nation.

This unprecedented immigration has had very significant consequences, many of which are toxic and destructive. Most especially the collapse of ethnic homogeneity drives a breakdown of social trust and cohesion, which destroys the possibility of peace within a community. These are costs that may not show up on a balance sheet or – worse – may show up as benefits on a balance sheet, such as for those who sell home security systems. This indicates the nature of the problem that we face.

For the truth is that this level of ethnic replacement isn't simply enabled passively by governments, it is actively supported and incentivised by governments. Which means that the resistance to ethnic replacement has to involve the dismantling of the government structures that give effect to genocide. Which brings me back to where we started. It is fascinating to watch the 'received opinion' (aka 'the royal consciousness') squirm when the consequences of such policies start to surface in the awareness of the common people.

If we do not start to actively move away from the high-immigration pattern, and do so seriously, with conviction, and with persuasion, the future is looking very bleak – and it is those who act to defend their nation against genocide who will be acting in accordance with classical Christian virtue. Faramir expresses this virtue so well: “I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.” Or, in Aragorn’s words, from the film version:

1. It is unarguable that the English are a distinct human population sub-group.