On the day of the 10th anniversary of the tragic passing of Labour MP, Jo Cox, who will poignantly be remembered for her maiden speech in which she said “We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.” We contrast that with the juxtaposition of what emerged on Sunday when Nigel Farage had taken to social media and laid claim to Anti-white racism after he said that Britain was now a “two tier state against white people”.

Tragic events over the last fortnight have triggered memories for me long since buried, some 23 years ago now, of my younger self from south-east London, who would embark on a journey for liberalism seeking enlightenment and a future where no one is judged on the colour of their skin but on the content of their character.

These events affect me personally, my family, friends, colleagues and the wider communities in which many of us live and work. What troubles me, however, is the increasingly familiar patterns that follows. The actions of one individual quickly become a justification for collective blame, suspicion and hostility directed towards entire communities.

When I joined the Party in 2003, Charles Kennedy and the Party were in its ascendency, 31% in the National polls – ‘level pegging’ with Labour with the Tories slightly ahead on 34%, shortly before the Brent East Parliamentary by-election, back in those halcyon days when you could expect to win a Parliamentary by-election against Labour in Ken Livingstone’s backyard.

As a young activist, I would meet amongst others a fellow Lib Dem party activist named Hughie Rose, who within months of me joining the Party, would defect and form the UK Chapter of the US-based organisation, The New Black Panther Party (NBPP), ostensibly preaching the virtues of Black Nationalism, hate, self-defence, and black separatism.

The relationship between myself and Hughie Rose was rather reminiscent of one of Anthony Trollope’s novels of two social outsiders – vulnerable and marginalized, failing miserably to navigate society’s elite. Then, rather like a scene in the musical, Blood Brothers, we went on divergent paths and he became the ‘restless wanderer’ in the land of Nod.

In 2006, the former Leader of the Commons, Jack Straw MP, commenting on the state of community relations, said that unless action is taken soon Muslim and white communities will ‘end up leading parallel lives’.

In the aftermath of the most heinous attempted murder of a man by a violent perpetrator. The devastation on the streets of Belfast are there for all to see. Race-based pogroms on the streets of the United Kingdom, sadly not for the first time. In better days, I had the privilege of attending conferences in Belfast and have had several memorable trips with friends to places like Portrush, Coleraine and Portstewart.

The unionist MP, Jim Allister was rightly rebuked in the Commons last week when asking a question to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, for suggesting that the perpetrator in Belfast, heralded from an ‘alien culture’. The attempted beheading by the perpetrator drew direct comparisons to the atrocity in Woolwich, south-east London back in 2013 and the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby.

As we all collectively approach the 10th anniversary of the EU referendum and the infamous joint speech by two former Prime Ministers, Sir John Major and Tony Blair, walking united together along the Peace bridge in Londonderry, to warn that a vote for Brexit could “tear apart the United Kingdom” and plunge Northern Ireland into a new era of instability, we do well to remember Jo Cox’s words.

The “silly season” refers to a period, often in summer, when media coverage tends to focus on trivial or frivolous stories due to a lack of significant news events. While I would not even begin to suggest the events over the last few weeks were not significant, I do recognise the toxicity and sensitivity in how the Nation navigates the coming days and beyond, as we lead up to the Makerfield by-election.

We must not throw the baby out with the bath water, and abandon the hard work of so many, including our own dearly departed Lord Lester and others, in eroding anti-discrimination legislation and guidance put in place to protect those most susceptible to hate-filled abuse and violence.

* Michael Bukola is a former Lib Dem Councillor within the London Borough for Southwark where he defeated the BNP during the local elections in 2010. He is on the Lib Dem Campaign for Race Equality (LDCRE) Exec.