Dismantling the Colonial House of Genocide.

Dr. Darius Green, Ph.D., NCC , brilliant article (see below) serves as a stark reminder that representation and inclusion within oppressive systems are not the solutions many believe them to be. Rather, these gestures are tools that allow white supremacy to evolve, to camouflage itself under the guise of progress while continuing to inflict violence and maintain dominance. The time to dismantle these colonial structures, which have supported genocide across the globe, was yesterday. Period.

Silence in the face of such violence is not neutrality but complicity.

The article referred to can be accessed here, and I highly recommend you read and reflect upon it: https://theconnections.substack.com/p/representation-and-inclusion-will?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=304otd&triedRedirect=true

As Dr. Green points out, the concept of representation in colonial systems is not about liberation. It is about tokenism, about allowing a select few people of colour to participate in a system designed to uphold white supremacy. These tokens are paraded as evidence of progress while the broader structures remain untouched, and the violence continues. The elevation of figures like Barack Obama and Kamala Harris, both of whom have operated within and supported systems that perpetuate global oppression, exemplifies this insidious dynamic. Under their leadership, we saw the expansion of military and carceral violence, often targeting regions populated by People of the Global Majority (PoGM). These so-called ‘leaders of change’ are used as shields to deflect criticism from a system that continues to exploit and oppress people across the world.

Representation at the top in the UK - what has this looked like thus far?

In Dr. Darius Green’s critique of tokenistic representation, it’s important to recognise that this issue extends far beyond the United States. Here in the UK, we see the same troubling patterns, where political figures from ethnically diverse backgrounds are held up as examples of progress. Still, their presence in positions of power does little to challenge the oppressive systems they uphold. Figures like Rishi Sunak, Priti Patel, Suella Braverman, and Sajid Javid may represent a form of ethnic diversity, but their education, politics, and ideologies align squarely with the interests of the very colonial and white supremacist systems they serve.

Rishi Sunak, for example, comes from an elite background, educated at prestigious institutions like Oxford and Stanford. While he is often presented as a sign of diversity in leadership, his policies as Prime Minister continue to favour the wealthy and uphold the same neoliberal structures that perpetuate inequality and marginalisation of the working class and PoGM. Priti Patel, former Home Secretary, gained notoriety for her harsh immigration policies, including the controversial Rwanda deportation plan, which has been widely criticised as inhumane. Patel, who comes from a family of Ugandan Indian refugees, is a striking example of how representation does not equate to progressive change. Her policies reflect a commitment to a system that dehumanises migrants and reinforces the racialised border control system.

Suella Braverman, the current Home Secretary, and Sajid Javid, a former Chancellor of the Exchequer and Home Secretary, follow similar paths. Both are from ethnically diverse backgrounds, yet their political decisions show no regard for the lived experiences of marginalised communities. Braverman’s strong stance on immigration and her disregard for the plight of asylum seekers reflect a deeply conservative and colonial mindset. Sajid Javid, the son of Pakistani immigrants, has held various high-ranking positions, but like Sunak, his policies support austerity measures that disproportionately harm PoGM and working-class communities.

These figures, though ethnically diverse, perpetuate the same values, priorities, and oppressive systems as their white counterparts. Their presence in the highest echelons of power is celebrated as ‘progress.’ Still, in reality, they are agents of the very colonial and capitalist structures that oppress marginalised people, both in the UK and globally. The education they received, the circles they moved in, and the policies they advocated all reflect a deep alignment with the establishment. They are not challenging the status quo; they are maintaining it.

Representation without a commitment to dismantling oppressive systems is hollow. These political figures serve as reminders that simply having people of colour in positions of power does not mean those systems are any less harmful. As Dr. Green argues, the colonial project is adaptive. It allows for tokenistic inclusion as long as the individuals brought into the fold are willing to uphold the same oppressive structures. Rishi Sunak, Priti Patel, Suella Braverman, and Sajid Javid represent the success of this adaptation: individuals who, despite their backgrounds, reinforce the very systems that marginalise and oppress the communities they come from.

This is why true change cannot come from representation alone.

It requires a complete dismantling of these colonial and white supremacist structures.

Having a seat at the table means nothing if that table is built on the blood and exploitation of our ancestors.

Dr. Green’s critique comes at a time when we are witnessing the brutal genocide of the Palestinian people, a crisis that many are unwilling to call by its true name. While Israel, with the backing of Western powers, continues its extermination of Palestinians, the global response has been selective at best.

Where were all the loud voices, the worldwide protests, and the sweeping support for Ukrainian lives when Palestinians faced daily violence and oppression?

The hypocrisy is glaring, and what I have termed colonial selectivism.

Western powers, including the USA, the UK, and France, fund proxy wars across the world while offering tokenistic gestures of food relief, trying to placate critics without addressing the root cause of the suffering. This is not humanitarianism; it is complicity in genocide. Lebanon, repeatedly attacked by Israel, is another country in the region facing continued aggression. Yet, once again, we see muted responses from the same international community that rushes to support others.

This selective outrage, this colonial selectivism, reveals the truth about representation and inclusion: it is not about justice or liberation. It is about maintaining control, about allowing a few to sit at the table while the rest are left in the rubble, continuing to fight for survival. The struggle is not just for a seat at the table—it is for the dismantling of the entire table built upon the blood of our ancestors.

Please take note of the below.

We are not asking to be included in a system that has historically oppressed us. We are demanding the decolonisation of this system and the dismantling of the structures of white supremacy that continue to perpetuate violence, displacement, and death.

So, What Can We Do as Individuals?

• Support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Movement: One of the most impactful actions we can take is to support the BDS movement, which calls for economic and political pressure on Israel to comply with international law. By boycotting products and companies that are complicit in the occupation of Palestinian land, we can disrupt the economic systems that fuel genocide. This is not limited to Palestine; we can apply similar pressure on companies and governments complicit in violence across the globe.
• Write to MPs and Politicians: We must hold our elected officials accountable for their silence or, worse, their complicity in funding and supporting oppressive regimes. Writing to MPs, attending town halls, and consistently raising the issue of genocide and colonialism forces politicians to take notice. We must demand that they stop supporting violent regimes and call for policies that genuinely promote peace and justice. Silence from our governments is a tacit endorsement of genocide, and we must refuse to let that silence continue.
• Raise Awareness and Speak Out: We cannot afford to stay quiet. The more we raise awareness, the more we disrupt the narrative that allows white supremacy to thrive. We must call out genocide for what it is and reject the soft language used to obscure the violence happening in Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, and beyond. Whether through social media, protests, community meetings, or one-on-one conversations, we must keep speaking out, keep raising awareness, and keep resisting the structures of oppression.
• Challenge Hypocrisy: Where are the supporters who rallied for Ukraine when Palestinian lives are on the line? Why is the world so selective in its empathy? We must challenge this hypocrisy and hold people accountable for their selective outrage. The lives of Palestinians, Yemenis, Syrians, Iraqis, Lebanese, and others are just as valuable as those in any other region of the world. We cannot allow the international community to ignore these atrocities because they are politically inconvenient.

Dismantling the Colonial System Globally

The colonial project that birthed modern imperialism is not a relic of history—it is an ongoing reality. Countries like Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Iran, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kashmir, and Lebanon are all suffering under the weight of colonialism and imperialism, supported by Western powers who continue to fund and benefit from the violence. This colonial system uses economic exploitation, military dominance, and political manipulation to maintain control over resources, land, and people.

The violence in these regions is not accidental; it is by design and upheld by global systems that profit from human suffering.

The Path Forward

Dr. Green rightly calls for an abolitionist praxis. We cannot simply reform the systems that oppress us; we must dismantle them entirely. This means:

• Economic Justice: Redistributing wealth and returning stolen resources to the communities from which they were extracted. Economic systems that thrive on exploitation must be reformed, and reparations must be made to those who have been harmed by colonialism.
• Sovereignty and Self-Determination: Allowing nations to govern themselves without interference, without the looming threat of Western intervention. Sovereignty means reclaiming control over land, resources, and political systems that have been dominated by colonial powers for far too long.
• Abolishing the Military-Industrial Complex: Ending the reliance on military solutions to conflicts and shifting towards peace-building efforts that prioritise justice and equality. This means defunding military budgets used to enforce oppression and reinvesting in care systems.
• Building New Systems of Care: Creating community-led, non-hierarchical systems that prioritise healing, accountability, and justice over punishment and control. We need to move away from carceral systems and towards models of transformative justice that allow for true healing and liberation.

Dr. Green’s article is a call to action.

But what does the term abolitionist praxis mean?

Abolitionist praxis is not just a theory or an abstract concept; it is an active, purposeful approach to dismantling the oppressive systems that have dominated our world for far too long. At its core, it goes beyond surface-level reforms and demands the complete eradication of the institutions and structures that perpetuate violence, inequality, and exploitation—whether that’s the prison-industrial complex, policing, colonialism, or capitalist greed.

For me, abolitionist praxis is about rejecting the idea that these systems can be fixed or reformed. It’s about recognising that they were designed to oppress, control, and marginalise, something I emphasise in all of my work. Trying to ‘fix’ them is like cleaning a house built on rotten foundations. Instead, we need to tear down these structures and build new systems that prioritise care, justice, and healing. Systems that work for everyone—not just a privileged few.

It’s not just about dismantling what’s wrong; abolitionist praxis also means actively creating something better. It’s about building communities and systems based on collective care, where people are held accountable through transformative justice, not punishment and control. It’s about healing the harm that’s been done and creating a society where everyone has the chance to thrive.

This is what true, transformative change looks like. Abolitionist praxis doesn’t settle for token gestures or piecemeal reforms—it’s about a complete, radical shift in how we think, live, and relate to one another. It’s the work of creating a world free from the chains of oppression and violence, where equity, dignity, and liberation are the foundation of everything we do.

In simple terms: it’s about tearing down the systems that are designed to hurt us, and building up new ones that genuinely care for us all.

Representation and inclusion within oppressive systems will not save us. The time for change was yesterday.

We must actively dismantle the colonial systems that perpetuate violence, oppression, and genocide across the world. Our silence is not an option.

Every day we remain quiet, more lives are lost. It is time to speak up, act, and reclaim the power stolen from us. Only through collective action and resistance can we begin to dismantle the structures that have kept us oppressed for far too long.

Written by Ifza Shakoor

Decolonial Scholar and Genuine Transformative Equity Diversity & Inclusion Consultant