Why is there so much more anti immigration sentiment NOW?

Definitely social media. Sweeping generalisation ahead but essentially it took the racist chatter that was usually confined to the back rooms of the pub right into the mainstream and all of a sudden you saw people saying these things out loud and it gave your racism validation.

Then you get the likes of Farage stirring the pot and getting away with it and that's it the genie is out of the bottle. Mainstream racism, but just veiled enough to deny it.

And now especially on here racism is just 'an opinion' and we have to give that opinion the respect it deserves apparently.

Because Britain is really over-full of people and it's affecting every area of life. Things are getting worse and worse. We can't keep cramming people on to this small island.

I think it’s a message encouraged by the last government. They needed a scapegoat to blame as they decimated the country by the fake austerity.

I think there have been a few cultural shifts.

1. Less integration. When my mother came here, she sought out friendship with British people, now it seems people stick more to associating with others from their own backgrounds.
2. More religious fundamentalism so that alarming sights, such as women being covered from head to foot in shapeless black fabric, are becoming commonplace.
3. Expressing discomfort with less integration or more fundamentalism is taboo. People are labelled racist if they voice it, so their unexpressed feelings are festering into resentment and anger.
4. Terrorism in the UK - homegrown extremists, rather than the IRA. People are scared.
5. Overstretched public services and the appearance of newcomers being prioritised in housing, for example, and it being difficult to get a dentist of GP appointment.

I think it’s a backlash. People feel they haven’t been able to express their opinions for the last few years at risk of being cancelled or called racist, especially those in poorer areas more affected by immigration, who are dealing daily with the extra strain on schools, doctors, dentists, other resources. This is just the pendulum swinging the other way as has always happened in politics and always will.

I live in an area of high levels of low-skilled immigration and people feel out of control. Their cultural and social communities change significantly, they struggle to get doctors appointments or school places and in their mind there is one clear reason. And one they never voted for or were consulted on. It’s simplistic and bigoted but I think that’s where the anger comes from.

I’m sorry you and your family are experiencing this. I can assure you that there are far more allies than loud bigots.

Social media aided and abetted by the right is a shit show driven by the ignorant and the stupid.

People fail to realise the reasons for the increase in immigration and don't really care, only how it affects them negatively.

I went to a grammar school.
But i was only one of three non white kids in the school.

Imgkad he didn’t experience it. Although my dad never spoke about the racism he received.

Cost of housing. Lack of integration in certain communities. Boats in the channel. Perceived increased threat of terrorism. Child abuse rings in various towns. Take your pick. There are also huge differences in how certain groups are regarded. Have noticed the incredible work ethic and education standards amongst new arrivals from Hong Kong. There is much we could learn as a nation from them.

Oligarch political parties aligned with hyper-capitalism and Russian interests are using the issue to create a scapegoat for the failures of capitalism. The scapegoat is migrants and ethnic minorities (as well as other minorities), and the issue is presented in ways which appeal to emotions, not logic. They are amplifying this strongly through social media and propaganda news channels. It appeals to low-information / economically disadvantaged people primarily.

It enables oligarch parties to provide a “solution” to the confected problem, and that solution in reality benefits the oligarchy and not the population on general.

This is happening now in the US with “MAGA” and is being attempted in the UK with “Reform”.

I believe that Russia is likely “helping” to traffic illegal migrants across the channel to further reinforce the division and scapegoating, and enable them to isolate us further from allies and international organisations, as well as weaken support for Ukraine, and for renewable energy - both issues a threat to Russian interests.

I am sorry you are experiencing this. Certainly from my interactions with people from both India and Pakistan, I find them to be genuine and nice people if you are genuine with them.

Who to blame for a rise in racism, I'd personally look back to consecutive governments from Blair onwards. We do have an issue with incoming migration, with lack of capacity within our public services.

We should be able to take in genuine refugees fleeing conflict. But our migration system is backed up with those from Vietnam, Romania & Albania claiming asylum where the intention is to work in the underground job market.

My Bangladeshi and Indian work colleagues mainly voted for Brexit and are against the large increase in immigration because they see how it can unsettle a country if it's not controlled.

People see the bad state of the NHS, lack of housing and don't want millions being spent to house and support illegal immigrants. And they want those who commit crimes to be deported.

But white British people can't express the views that my colleagues do without being shouted down on MN and left wing media as bigots and racists.

There needs to be a discussion or Britain will sadly move to the right like much of Eutope and the USA

Being racist and being concerned about the effects of mass immigration are two different things and we have to be clear about that. I know many people who are descended from immigrants themselves who are concerned about uncontrolled immigration levels. Unfortunately it seems to be something we can't discuss calmly without people name calling and taking extreme views.

Because there’s a massive shortage in affordable housing, NHS appointments and education places. People blame immigration. 🤷‍♀️

Many reasons probably. Everyone seems so angry at everything. The UK has gone to shit and immigrants are the scape goat.

Twitter / X is full of hate and easy for anyone to access

Younger people will have grown up with terrorism being constantly in the news. And it’s not like back when you’d have to wait for the news to be on tv a couple of times a day, it’s constant 24 hour news now.

Immigrant communities keeping to themselves instead of integrating. Which is a viscous circle, because who can blame them when racism is rife at the moment.

It is somehow fashionable (for lack of a better word) to openly racist.

Comments I’ve read from young people in Europe. Mainly The Netherlands and Germany is that some of them feel they’ve been treated unfairly throughout their school years with immigrants getting preferential treatment and bullying not dealt with properly due to the teachers fears of being called racist. Now they are old enough to vote and this could be one of the reasons of the swing to the right in Europe.

I feel like it has always been like this. I don’t remember a time when people were not anti-immigrant.

Bottomline is tories not being in charge and pulling a strop about it.
Carry on and keep calm.

My initial reply got deleted as it said two naughty words that people used to do in the 70s towards brown skinned people. It was encouraged by the BNP. Anyway, my point was to say that the racism experienced now is less than in the 70s..in my view. Also social media is a vent for a lot of people so it gives licence to share more inappropriate thoughts.

Blame the daily mail

Social media. At least in the olden days the press were somewhat regulated in what they could say. Now any bigot can get a platform, a following of a million plus and start trumpeting whatever bile they choose.

Also like others have said, we're poorer and worse off for loads of complex economic reasons, some labour's fault from back in the 90s, some tories fault, some Europe's fault, some the fault of Brexit... it's easier to find and scapegoat a minority group than understand the real reasons. It's always been the way. A few thousand years ago it was Christians. Then Jewish people. Then Irish, now POC.

Also the racism I’ve experienced is partly from native English and also from Pakistanis. I live in Rochdale and get stared at everytime I go into the town centre. At least I don’t get followed. (I’m British Indian).

Your dad then was very lucky he didn’t experience racism. It was rife growing up here in the 70s/80s.
things calmed down in the 90s.
Well when i say calmed down it changed. It was more hidden rather than being spat at and told to go back where you came from.

It does seem to have got worse since Brexit. And the govt were happy to blame immigrants for the mess they made of the country.