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Racism against south Asians in the UK

380 replies

ArtfulKoala · 12/07/2025 13:01

This is a very hard thread for me to begin. I’ve been intending to do it for months but felt unable to do so. I was born in the UK but I am of south Asian origin. My parents and grandparents emigrated here. We are five generations British and counting.

I feel that racism and racial suspicion towards brown skinned people has absolutely gone off the scale since Reform gained a foothold in mainstream politics.

At first it was the little things - being subjected to an extended bag check when entering a museum when white visitors walked straight in or were casually asked to just open the large section which wasn’t really checked. This is especially the case at places like Kensington Palace and the Imperial War Museum. For reference, I am talking about a small handbag 15cm by 25cm probably smaller than their own guidelines state. At Kensington Palace, it actually got to the ridiculous stage where the checker was asking me to open more and more zipped sections down to a 5cm one until there was literally nothing left to open and she was effectively asking me to open non existent ones!
There is an incident every time we are out ( me and my teenagers). People loudly talking about us standing right next to us talking about how we are entitled just because we have been directed to the front of the queue by staff as one of us is disabled.
Yesterday, we got on a damned train with cold, vegan salads from m&s and it started immediately. A white couple complaining loudly about “the smell” when there was none because they judged us by how we look and decided our food was smelly upon that basis. Then, when the ticket inspector came round and we showed the disabled railcard, a running commentary on how we must have gamed the system to obtain that.
It is really wearing. I don’t feel like we can belong here anymore despite being educated and fully integrated here. I fully pay for private housing, healthcare and education and yet I may as well have just stepped off a small boat yesterday as far as they are concerned. I cannot fight random bigots daily when we are just trying to live our lives having low key, relaxing private family time.
It is simply fogging to get worse isn’t it? I honestly believe that Farage will be the next PM ( I am politically literate enough to gauge this for myself rather than buying into tabloid scaremongering. Zayn Malik referred to similar experiences in the song he released last week. We have similar colourings to him and never experienced racism ever before this. Perhaps they think we are Middle Eastern and are directing a particular type of hatred towards us. Perhaps it is a new racism because there were not many Middle Eastern people in the UK until recently.

I know that it is not everyone everywhere but it is now frequent enough for us to come to expect it every time we leave the house. Is this the equivalent of the Weimar Republic for the UK? Since there is no such thing as “stopping the boats” then the headlines will continue and the hatred towards brown-skinned fully fledged Brits too.

If I don’t come back to this thread immediately, it is because it is a massive thing for me to write this down and I will be reading and considering the responses.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
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Namitynamename · 13/07/2025 18:04

MuckFusk · 13/07/2025 03:43

The subject of "white genocide" has been raised, peeps. The shame is crippling white people. It won't be long until they start committing suicide from the toxic shame of whiteness.

Good hairy grief. I'll leave it to you Brits to take that bullshit apart. How do I know it's bullshit, you might ask, since I don't live there? I know it's bullshit because racists in every currently or formerly predominantly white country on earth, regardless of how many new immigrants come into the country every year, make the exact same claims.

Really big noses used to be considered beautiful. Now they aren't
As a thin lipped, big nosed woman I wish beauty standards were other. But I'm not a victim of racism. It's not the same as what OP is talking about.
And I think the same thing happened in the Netherlands following the success of Gerthy Van Wilders. I don't know if people became more racist or it just felt more socially acceptable. Which some would see as shifting the overton window away from Woke. But it's just being a horrible knob head really

I hope in the end that the pendulum swings the other way again. In the Netherlands the racist party have shown themselves up for being the chaos merchants they are. And for not actually giving a shit about the people who voted for them.

2dogsandabudgie · 13/07/2025 18:00

OP - I recently went to Kensington Palace and was subjected to a very thorough bag check where all the pockets abd zipped areas were inspected with a small torch. I'm white so think this is normal when visiting royal palaces which are still used by the Royal Family.

If you go to Buckingham Palace it's like going through airport security

Namitynamename · 13/07/2025 17:53

ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmmmmmmmm · 13/07/2025 14:49

I wonder what proportion of rapists carry rape kits? How would searching a man reveal if he is a pedophile rapist? This is just silly, knee jerk crap. Terrorists carry bombs and weapons. That is why searches are carried out. And the vast proportion of bomb and weapon attacks in this country are carried out by people who would not be characterised as ' white'. You know that's true. It may not correspond with how we may like life to be, but there it is.

Game theory would suggest that racial profiling is counterproductive.
Rape is hard to search for. But the majority of knife crime is also carried out by men and is maybe a better example as it involves carrying a knife..
Imagine that to tackle knife crime the police regularly stop and search men. Including all young men**. This is hugely unfair on those young men who are left feeling like second class citizens. It also means that the men who carry knives just ask their girl friends to put them in their handbags. So knife detection goes down. That's why nightclub bouncers often check women's handbags.
Randomised checks are actually much more effective at stopping crime and terrorism than racial profiling.

** I know this was an issue especially for young black men in London with stop and search
.it had similar results. Other groups were asked to carry knives and in some cases individuals drawn into crime when they wouldn't have been previously.

notatinydancer · 13/07/2025 17:45

Tofana · 13/07/2025 12:55

Im fucking sick of racists. They’re everywhere currently. Insidious little creatures.
Im white btw so I won’t ever experience racism and have only ever had wonderful experiences with people of colour, but I do passionately hate racists. Stupid people whose biggest accomplishment is being exempt from racial abuse purely because they were born white. Twats.
I live on a council estate in the north west and I am always having rows with people saying racist shit or posting it in local FB groups.
Im sick to the back teeth of stupid people with stupid opinions. They’re equally as sick of me and i was called a “soft woke cunt” a few weeks ago because I don’t support reform. I’d happily put reform in a blender, turn the switch on and happily go about my business being a soft woke cunt.

Do you honestly think white people don’t experience racism ?

VanessaFence · 13/07/2025 17:06

VannessaFence:
'But for those who wish they could be like Japan and have one homogenous British racial and cultural identity - that's simply not our history. That ship sailed (quite literally) with the explorers.'
It literally is my history and the histories of millions of others. Mass migration into Britain is a recent phenomenon. Census data proves this. And for those of us who married our fellow Brits, that 'racial and cultural identity' continues through our children.

When you say recent what do you mean? The number of immigrants has increased in the last couple of decades but we've had large scale immigration since the 50s.

Prior to that British territory extended across most of the world through empire. This country took great pains to spread British cultural norms around the world and install the Queen as the head of state. As a country you cannot act in this way and then be protectionist about your own culture and race. As I said in a PP, my partner's South Asian family have white British people in their family tree from the colonial era.

The idea that we were a homogenous bunch of Anglo Saxons quietly minding our own business until all these immigrants arrived is nonsense. We're quite possibly the most globalist country in history and have welcomed and encouraged immigration/emigration for our own monetary gain for a long, long time.

Yes let's have a debate about whether immigration is too high and let's talk about ensuring people are integrating into British culture. But trying to maintain a "racial identity"? i.e. assigning value to people based on the colour of their skin? That is just racist.

BeRedRobin · 13/07/2025 17:03

As a minority I don't know which is worse, fellow minority who wave racist card at just about anything, or a white person accusing others of racism because they think they are so morally superior without understanding what it is like to experience it. Both sicken me to be honest.

BeRedRobin · 13/07/2025 16:52

Tofana · 13/07/2025 13:09

@GreenGully racist are you?

of course I won’t experience racism. Same way men won’t experience sexism or able bodied experience ableism. Grow up.

Are you kidding? Sorry you can DEFINITELY experience racism if you're WHITE. You need to stop telling people to grow up when you haven't yourself.

ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmmmmmmmm · 13/07/2025 16:08

Simonjt · 13/07/2025 08:29

Really? When Romans first came to the UK they virtually replaced the population that was in the UK at the time, and did so very quickly.

No, they didn't. This is a spectacularly silly thing to say.

overthehillsandverynear · 13/07/2025 16:06

VannessaFence:
'But for those who wish they could be like Japan and have one homogenous British racial and cultural identity - that's simply not our history. That ship sailed (quite literally) with the explorers.'

It literally is my history and the histories of millions of others. Mass migration into Britain is a recent phenomenon. Census data proves this. And for those of us who married our fellow Brits, that 'racial and cultural identity' continues through our children.

ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmmmmmmmm · 13/07/2025 14:49

MuckFusk · 13/07/2025 04:17

Gender profiling is eminently sensible. Men are vastly more likely to be criminals, especially sex offenders and serial killers, and sex offences are vastly more common than terrorist attacks. Would you say men should be randomly stopped to see if they're carrying rape kits or weapons in their backpacks? Should men with children be randomly stopped to insure they're not raping the child?

I wonder what proportion of rapists carry rape kits? How would searching a man reveal if he is a pedophile rapist? This is just silly, knee jerk crap. Terrorists carry bombs and weapons. That is why searches are carried out. And the vast proportion of bomb and weapon attacks in this country are carried out by people who would not be characterised as ' white'. You know that's true. It may not correspond with how we may like life to be, but there it is.

GreenGully · 13/07/2025 14:27

Tofana · 13/07/2025 14:25

@GreenGully glad you have. I really appreciate the time you have taken to inform me I have internal racist beliefs. I shall be campaigning for reform locally and shouting at abuse at african nurses later. Thanks again for your dedication to helping me realise I am in fact racist.

You are most welcome.

Tofana · 13/07/2025 14:25

@GreenGully glad you have. I really appreciate the time you have taken to inform me I have internal racist beliefs. I shall be campaigning for reform locally and shouting at abuse at african nurses later. Thanks again for your dedication to helping me realise I am in fact racist.

GreenGully · 13/07/2025 14:19

Tofana · 13/07/2025 14:18

Fine @GreenGully Im racist. Im sexist. Im ableist.

I wish I was as great as you.

I never suggested I was great. Just pointing out your hypocrisy.

Tofana · 13/07/2025 14:18

Fine @GreenGully Im racist. Im sexist. Im ableist.

I wish I was as great as you.

GreenGully · 13/07/2025 14:16

Tofana · 13/07/2025 14:06

Will you go away? I used the phrase “ethnic minority” in response to someone else.

you are becoming obsessed with replying to me when I have said I don’t want to talk to you.

No.

I'm just pointing how inadvertently racist you really are.

downwiththatsortof · 13/07/2025 14:15

@EmeraldShamrock000 So in response to the fella being rude, you tell the Irish man to go back his country, but that's ok because he's white and Irish?
My parents were Irish and lived in UK and had to face quite a lot of racism, but apparently that's ok.

Tofana · 13/07/2025 14:12

Fffavvavaa · 13/07/2025 14:03

"brown people" have done shitty things as well. Hindus used to make their wives jump into the funeral pyre as well. White people/British empire abolished that.

The Muslim mughals were oppressive as well. The Japanese massacred and slaughtered the Chinese.

Most people have done shitty things but that doesn’t mean I’m ever getting on board with racists. I can find shitty behaviour shitty without it making me dislike everyone else, including white people.

Bowing out this thread. Hope OP doesn’t experience any more racism.

Hoppinggreen · 13/07/2025 14:09

As a white person I would never tell anyone who is not what is or isn't racist.
Part of my job is to welcome and people to The Uk from all over the world often from India and Pakistan and in general they tell me that they don't face any issues here when I check in with them. In fact quite a few come via The US and are very relieved by their reception here.
I am sorry you have had these experiences OP, its not on at all but I still think (hope) that the majority of people here are not racist

Tofana · 13/07/2025 14:06

GreenGully · 13/07/2025 14:04

I know right. 😂

Calling an individual 'an ethnic minority' when not talking about a group of people, thereby reducing this person to his ethnicity is all rather racist too. But Hey Ho @tofana is a self styled champion for the minorities (whether they want it or not)

Will you go away? I used the phrase “ethnic minority” in response to someone else.

you are becoming obsessed with replying to me when I have said I don’t want to talk to you.

GreenGully · 13/07/2025 14:04

Sskka · 13/07/2025 13:54

@Tofana “Last person I had a physical fight with was an ethnic minority”

Hahaha!

Edited

I know right. 😂

Calling an individual 'an ethnic minority' when not talking about a group of people, thereby reducing this person to his ethnicity is all rather racist too. But Hey Ho @tofana is a self styled champion for the minorities (whether they want it or not)

Fffavvavaa · 13/07/2025 14:03

"brown people" have done shitty things as well. Hindus used to make their wives jump into the funeral pyre as well. White people/British empire abolished that.

The Muslim mughals were oppressive as well. The Japanese massacred and slaughtered the Chinese.

Tofana · 13/07/2025 13:55

Sskka · 13/07/2025 13:54

@Tofana “Last person I had a physical fight with was an ethnic minority”

Hahaha!

Edited

and he fucking won 😤😂

Sskka · 13/07/2025 13:54

@Tofana “Last person I had a physical fight with was an ethnic minority”

Hahaha!

GreenGully · 13/07/2025 13:53

Tofana · 13/07/2025 13:51

Acknowledging that white people have done shitty things isnt self hatred, it’s knowing what I think is an acceptable way to treat people.
I treat everyone the same. I don’t have some white saviour complex. Last person I had a physical fight with was an ethnic minority. Just because I can’t stand racists doesn’t mean i infantilise PoC etc :s

All races have done shitty things.

'I don’t have some white saviour complex.' That's exactly what you have and it's condescending.

Tofana · 13/07/2025 13:51

Fffavvavaa · 13/07/2025 13:44

"Suffering we've caused". Please stop being a self-hating white person. All I ask is you treat an ethnic minority person just normally. Honestly.

Acknowledging that white people have done shitty things isnt self hatred, it’s knowing what I think is an acceptable way to treat people.
I treat everyone the same. I don’t have some white saviour complex. Last person I had a physical fight with was an ethnic minority. Just because I can’t stand racists doesn’t mean i infantilise PoC etc :s