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.

Exactly. The same thing has happened to the word racist. According to MN, almost every white person is racist.

Except it’s not just immigrants being affected is it? I (a British Muslim female) was born and raised here, my sons were too. We’re the ones that feel unsafe. People being attacked, being targeted are being targeted because they’re Muslim, not because they’re immigrants because there’s no way to know if a stranger is an immigrant.

I agree something needs to be done about immigration but how can you condone this aggressive behaviour towards any other human? All it’s doing is making innocent people feel unsafe.

Dont be afraid to get your family out , you should not be a prisoner in your own home, I am shocked and disgusted at these thugs ,they are trouble makers ,the same ones who go to football matches and stir up racial tension, your British and and should be able to walk the street in safety. It scares the hell out of me their violence and agression it astounds me how many people actually follow them ,lets hope they get long prison sentences and hefty fines, but please dont think we are all like them we are not you hold your head up high your better than them x

So you've said, multiple times for some reason.

I am indeed white and French, I am also married to a "non-white". Racism has been experienced by both of us in our 35years of being together.
Regarding France, I suggest you read on how the voting system works there.

It also makes me feel very sad to see this hatred. Please believe that the majority of people in this country celebrate different cultures, it’s what’s makes this country great. I so sorry you feel this way. X

I never said that didn't happen, I was talking about her saying how unsafe she feels. Caution is always advisable as a lone female but I feel no more unsafe in areas with a high proportion of Muslims than anywhere else and due to a previous job I frequently spent time in areas where there were few white people.

What is it that you think they want? At what point do you suppose they will be happy? Do you think they will let us stop "listening"? We round up the asylum seekers, all their problems still aren't solved. Who do uou think they will go for next?

Why are Muslims being set upon? They had nothing to do with Southport (not that it matters). All seems to be orchestrated by the likes of Robinson.

People were listened to and got Brexit which made 1 million working Europeans leave England.

I don't remember these Brits rushing for the jobs that were vacant (and still are). They are still claiming 'someone' is taking their jobs and homes.

Homes? Try the 30% loss in social housing since the 80's sold off by thatcher. Also take a look at airBnB owners letting out all the flats and houses to tourist in our big cities and seaside towns.

What more do people want? It's not actually clear what they are actually asking.

'We want our country back' means nothing at all.

OP I am so sorry. This must be so terrifying to see. I’m absolutely ashamed to see this disgusting racism and Islamophobia happening in the UK in 2024. It’s a national disgrace.

This land is your land. No pasaran 💪✊🇵🇸🏳️‍🌈🕌🕊️❤️🥊

@IMustDoMoreExercise here here.

If people don't have gripes, people treated fairly, there are enough resources for all then everyone...

Everyone feels more safe

So you agree that these men are using the awful killings of 3 innocent kids as an excuse to be violent thugs?

How anyone can defend that is beyond me.

This is exactly it! People keep crowing on about how they've had enough of "illegals" so they can understand the riots- but they're attacking second and third generation immigrants. People who've lived here all their lives and are British. How can anyone possibly justify this? It just blows my mind that people minimising it.
I read the reports of yobs in Middlesbrough stopping cars and only letting white, British drivers through. This is scary stuff. It reminds me of Nazi Germany. If my Indian DH and children had been driving through, they'd have been stopped. It breaks my heart to think of how scared my kids would have been to be treated so aggressively because they're not white.

So sorry OP. The situation is awful and I'm so ashamed.

I felt really sad to read that you feel this way and ashamed to be reading it in the first place , I hope you are safe and I truly feel for you

It was listening to them that caused the small boat crossings in the first place. There were zero small boat crossings before we voted for Brexit.

"We want our country back."
What does that actually mean? What actions would need to be taken by Govt for those chanting this slogan to accept they have their country back? Only white English speaking Christians allowed?

You've mentioned "stop the boats!" @IMustDoMoreExercise - how does the Govt do that exactly within the law of this country? I see different tactics being used in this country and France to stop the dinghies being launched but organised criminal gangs are behind it and even when you arrest and jail one gang, another springs up, ready to exploit the vulnerable. It's not something that is ever going to be a quick and easy fix. As long as we have inequality in the world, as long as there are wars, as long as there are countries with political instability, then there will be asylum seekers and refugees. And there will be people ready to exploit that group.

But I don't think the mob rioting actually care about whether people are refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants - illegal or legal - because I get the feeling what many of them actually mean is they want the country white British, like them.

@Mavan1984 I'm so sorry you are feeling this way. I very much hope that you are able to be free from fear in your own neighbourhood and beyond very soon, getting back to just living life.

I haven't read the thread and I don't have much in the way of helpful suggestions. But I wanted to comment to say I'm so sorry, OP. It's awful that your family should feel constrained to their house over the summer.

This.

Bullshit. By behaving the way they are, most decent people feel sickened by them and lose any vague sense of sympathy.

Setting fire to community hubs and smashing windows does not make anyone think they have a valid point to make, particularly when the best reason some of them can come up with for their violence and vandalism is "Because we're English".

I feel you OP.

I'm brown skinned and was born and bred in the UK. I'm lucky to have not experienced much racism growing up (or maybe I was just oblivious), but definitely feel it more and more nowadays. I live in a predominantly white town and generally didn't ever think about my skin colour day to day, but as time goes on I find myself wondering more and more whether people notice it when I'm out shopping or in a restaurant or whatever.

Last week I was on a day out in a seaside town (not far from Southport) queuing for an ice cream with my kids, and a (white) family cut in front of us in the queue. I called them out on it and was hit with a barrage of abuse, they walked off and then the man doubled back and pointed at us and screamed "you're racist!". (I'm not, I just don't agree with people cutting into queues.)

It definitely made me feel a little more conscious walking around that day. Wondering if people noticed we were a brown family.

And then a few days later all the rioting kicked off. I do wonder how many people have these suppressed thoughts and feelings and now feel that they have an outlet for it.

Exactly this! Any black, or brown person is fair game to these vile people. How is attacking innocent people going to solve their problems? Any one making excuses for these people should really think about it.