Riots causing me (Muslim female) anxiety.

[Mavan1984]

I am a Muslim hijab wearing woman (born and brought up in this country). I have 3 kids under the age of 16 and the riots are causing me a great deal of anxiety. Me and dh had planned to take the kids out this weekend but we cancelled because we didn't think it was safe. I feel like we are better off just staying at home throughout the summer to protect ourselves and the kids.

I have had racist comments made at me before, but I don't want my kids to experience this. I feel like the rioting will empower others to be openly racist. I experienced this when 9/11 happened and I am just so scared because this time it feels a lot worse.

Me and dh were born to immigrant parents who worked very hard in menial jobs to educate us. We both have professional careers, but at this moment in time I feel like none of this matters and we are being attacked. Will it get any better? How can I protect my family?

A lot of my Muslim friends are feeling the same and it feels as though we have a very bleak future in this country.

Are you saying that if something happens in your town or city that you don't like, going out and smashing up libraries and shops, behaving violently towards the police, and intimidating and hurting other people on the basis of skin colour and religion is a reasonable response?

So you approve of the riots and back them fully.

Why not just say that?

I am blown away by the scale of this when I saw on the news they were downplaying numbers a bit but there are literally tens of thousands of people at just at one of the riots. The problem is even if the majority disagree the people who disagree are not the ones with the impotus for violence so the situation is the rioters will be able to keep growing because the people who think it’s wrong are not getting off their couch in large enough numbers to stop this. The sentiment is not going to go away there are a very large number of very angry people ,regardless of whether their actions are justified, are not going to be changing their mind and every event which they can use to justify their beliefs will increase the numbers more then when another thing happens it’s going to be worse than before. This is literally how ghettos throughout history have formed immigrant populations will be forced to seek refuge with their own communities in large numbers this causes further division as it well known lack of communication causes these sentiments in people especially when other circumstances nothing to do with migrants are affecting them which they then can blame on the “others”. I mean nazi germany had the night of broken glass very similar situation and we all know what happened next. On top of this when migrant populations defend themselves this will be twisted into a narrative that native populations are under attack causing even more strife. The UK is going to become a lot less safe for everyone. God help us all.

That’s so scary I’m sorry :(

OP, I am so sorry about all of this. It must be absolutely terrifying for you and your family.
If you can, I’d recommend you still take days out but in places where better educated people are likely to be hanging out such as museums, galleries university towns like Cambridge for example.

The types of people looting Shoezone and Greggs and burning down town centres are too saturated in ignorance to ever change, they can’t even articulate their aims when interviewed.

A lot of people like this at my secondary school and you can see the glee on their faces as these Riots are the first taste of community and approval from older males they’ve ever experienced. If only the tattooed terrorists could come together for
a positive cause.

I don’t know anyone who shares their views and I live and work in a very non diverse part of the country.

@Lilysgoneshopping

There are not hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants coming in - hope that
Puts your mind at ease

Most immigrants are here legally

And the race, colour or religion of someone does not indicate if they are an immigrant never mind an illegal one

I rather believe that most people who are not-white were born here

It is not "everyone."

Speak for yourself, but you absolutely don't speak for everyone.

I'm so sorry, you must be terrified for your kids, I know I would be.

Certainly the majority of people would wish you no harm whatsoever.

I don't know how this will all play out but I'm hoping most people will be shocked by all this violence and that the racists have made themselves look like the knuckle-dragging numbskulls they are.

From listening to some of these people on the news, it looks like a lot of them have travelled to cuties from outside to cause a ruck. There was a guy who'd travelled from ( I would guess a pretty white) Wiltshire village to Bristol to 'protest '. There are others who have gone there coked up looking for a fight. If they care that much about Britain, why are they beating up the police and burning down police stations? They just want to start a fight, and much of the time, not on their own doorstep.

Crack on then

I'm really sorry OP. It must be utterly terrifying.
Is there any way you can work from home until things settle down?
I'm so mortified by the behaviour of these thick racists.
Feeling thankful to be in our nation's capital right now.

High migration isn't a problem for the majority of the population. I haven't spoken to anyone who actually gives a shit about it, apart from the older generation who start with "I'm not racist, but..."

They don't know why they don't want the immigrants. They seem to fear anyone with a different skin colour unless they're driving their taxi or serving them a kebab.

It sickens me that people, who can't control what colour they are, are faced with this kind of discrimination, for no fucking reason.

it goes both ways. I’m a 50year old white woman and I witnessed a group of 20+ Muslim lad beat up one white lad in Middlesbrough! I don’t feel safe to go out on my own!

I'm so sorry, OP. Please try to remember that the majority of Brits do not agree with these racist thugs. They are loud, but they are the minority.

I can understand you wanting to stay at home at the moment. The racist right are emboldened. A French friend of mine was abused and told to 'go home' recently. She's white but was speaking French to her children.

These scumbags are a shame to our whole Nation.

Why don’t they want them?

I disagree with things like smashing up buisnesses, targeting places of worship, burning police stations, targeting people etc (Although BLM were up to the same stuff a few years ago)

But then I can understand why many people are pissed off because of mass immigration, my country (ireland) has had a big change over the past few years due to immigration and yet many of these immigrants are men who can hardly speak english and are not skilled. Also where I live a woman (A white irish woman in her 20s) was raped by two men who were immigrants a few weeks ago and we also have these "gangs" running around that carry knifes. What about the rotherham rape gangs? What about the terrorist attacks over the past few years? What about the no go zones in europe where you are advised not to go in because its ran by illegal immigrants?

Why cant they actually listen to the public and crack down on mass immigration and do more to protect the public?

And why cant women wear what ever they want in a place like saudi arabia? Why are jews allowed thier own ethnostate (israel)? Why is it christian european countries that have to be "diverse" while others are allowed thier ethnostates?

So where are all of the black, Asian, whatever religion, people of 1st 2nd 3rd generations of immigrants etc in all of these riots?

Because these people who are setting fire to hotels that house children, looting shops and attacking people are all white and 99% male.

This isn’t about immigration.
This isn’t about the murder of the young girls.
This is racist thugs rioting and trying to make their miserable little lives exciting for a few days.

Also I said "mass immigration" not immigration in general, immigration can benefit a country if done correctly and if the immigrants adapt to your culture. But still, there should be a limit

The vast majority of people in the UK hate these senseless protests taking place at the moment. But spare a thought for Jewish people who have felt just as you do every Saturday in London for 6 months having to stay in out of fear from the Gaza protesters. All protests can turn violent and can be quite frightening. There is a rally in the town I live in tonight, supposed to be non violent but meeting up outside a hotel immigrants are housed in. No doubt it will become violent because even protests supposed to be non violent attract violent and aggressive people.

Well let's hope that they have been apprehended and brought to justice

I think as an explanation that doesn't stand up to scrutiny. These groups, and their antecedents, have always been around. Before we had a single small boat crossing, before we joined the EU even.

They've been sold the lie that the reason there's poor public services, that the housing situation is out of control, that they have few opportunities, that their communities and regions have been abandoned is the fault of asylum seekers. Which is bollocks. Even if you widen it to immigration in general, it's still bollocks.

What they're angry about is their shitty lives & having to live near people of colour.

You can protest without violence, you can even engage in direct action without violence.

The white working-class aren't behind it, a section of it has been conned by people like Farage, Laurence Fox, Lord Rothermere owner of the Daily Mail, the owner of GB news etc. None of whom are working-class.

What your claiming is apologism dressed up as reason.

I've just watched a video in Hull of a crowd of men swarming round the car of someone who they deemed a foreigner and dragging them from the car, saying they were going to stab him
Watched in Middlesbrough - men stopping cars and only allowing traffic to move if the driver is white.
In Rotherham, watched them swarm into the holiday inn housing refugees.

This minority is dangerous. I can't imagine how it must feel if you have black or brown skin right now. I'm so sorry this is happening.

Speak for yourself.

I’m embarrassed and appalled by the behaviour of these idiots. I’m sorry that you and your family are feeling anxious. I don’t have an answer but felt it is worth posting so that you know there are plenty who support you.

I am white and also live close to one of the cities where rioting has taken place (Liverpool). We went into the city centre today for lunch and there where people from all different races, cultures and countries all mingling happily, families too. Lots of ladies and girls in hijabs as usual, It was as though nothing had been happening. I'm so sorry that you are feeling like this and can only imagine the anxiety especially as a mother. Sending a virtual hug x