How British are you?

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Obviously, when the "protesters" say they are protesting immigration and want "the boat people" to go home what they mean is brown people, not immigrants, but they cannot say this because they are not racist.

So, in their minds, how British do you need to be? The young man who committed the crime that triggered this was Welsh with immigrant parents, so clearly, the children of immigrants are not welcome. What about grandchildren of immigrants? Or great-grandchildren? Are you allowed to stay if you have one British parent?

I'm musing because based on the people I know the country would be empty if we went more than 2 generations back. My Grandmother was an immigrant so I assume I would have to leave, not sure about the DC but DD2 is clearly of Romanian descent so I'd not fancy her chances of being able to stay.

Would you be able to stay?

Why do you think anyone would, or would want to, be accepted as English if they lived in Wales, Northern Ireland, or Scotland? You seem to be conflating "England" with "UK".

it is well know to be the wealthy country with the very soft touch

Paternal family Welsh, maternal family not.

I bet most of the protestors were happy with a US born, partly Brussels raised man with a French grandparent and a Turkish great grandfather. Who wanted to honour the man who assaulted his mother inflicting injuries that required hospital treatment, and has children with at least three different women.

I live close to Middlesbrough.
They were stopping cars. But only the ones with POC in them. Not the whites.

Do you think all the POC around there are illégal immigrants?
I suspect many actually have been there for a generation or two. Maybe more but heyho 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Exactly, way to start a shit storm. What exactly is the point in this line of questioning?

Most “British” people are descended from immigrants.
My 10 times great grandmother was a Jamaican slave, impregnated by her Scottish owner whose father was Scottish nobility. We’ve traced that line back to the early 1400s so far .

I'm half Irish, and on my 'English' side a bit English, a bit French, a bit belgian and a bit scottish.

So a mutt. Like most British people.

It’s not just these people they are targeting though is it?

@MrsTerryPratchett same experience here.

Oh no, not you!! Is the usual answer.
With the usual mix up between immigrants (legal), asylum seekers (legal) and illegal immigrants thrown into the discussion.

I get what you mean but I feel we should to quote that awful meme. I want my country back- the tolerant generous one.

Not wishing to derail the OP's original question, but to address yours. I teach in an inner London primary school. We have amazing groups come in to speak to our kids - Ben Kinsella Trust etc - wonderful people who do wonderful work - and still we see so much horrifying knife related violence, within our community, our pupils! What happened to those little girls was horrifying, utterly unacceptable and terrifying, but cannot be conflated with the racist attacks on immigrants or those perceived to be. The knife situation is an entirely separate issue - and I agree needs to be urgently addressed - but is not an immigration issue, that is, in the community I teach in, part of every day life for these young people. The young man who carried out the attack will have his reasons - which will absolutely never be acceptable - but they aren't likely to be because of his heritage.

I've done a lot of genealogy in my time, and have a number of immigrant ancestors scattered about my family tree.

Many of those protesters would be in for a shock if they traced theirs.😂

Exactly, I'm white, dual nationality and born in the far East so strictly speaking, an immigrant. Since when do we have to start justifying and explaining our heritage?

That’s what often shows up too when they do those genetic test showing what is your heritage isn’t it?

The shock of those who think they are ‘pure’ English when they discover some of their heritage isn’t white, let alone European….

A: there are no legal routes into this country.

B: migrants put more into the system than they take.

Going back to my great grandparents level I'm a mix of English, Irish, Roma, Russian and Welsh. I'm dark haired and olive skinned who moved around a lot as a child so don't have a typical accent and have been accused of being French, Spanish, Iranian, Russian, half Japanese and Mexican amongst other things by various people. However not "nastily" apart from one service user who was determined that I was in the pay of the Kremlin.

Dh has one Scottish Parent (who came out 50 percent Norwegian when he did a DNA test...essentially that side came south from the Orkneys at some point remaining in close net communities) and one Northern Irish parent.

unfortunately the thinking of these people is “you can stay as long as you look like me”

They don’t moan about immigration of white Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, Americans, Europeans etc.

it’s 100% racist

I always wonder what the point of this comment is? That most British people are descended from immigrants. Does that mean we have no right to control our borders and limit immigration? How far back does the argument run? What about other countries whose population is made up of immigrants, e.g. Australia and the US, as they certainly have strict limitations on immigration and border control. And how is it consistent with the notion that all immigration is good? Is the sole purpose actually just to try to undermine any sense of national identity of British people. Please enlighten me.

Had the same experience in the run up to the Brexit vote.

Western European white female. Immigrated in 2000, now having a UK passport.

I still have some accent, I work for a company in my home country so speak my mothertongue each day, especially as DH is also from there.

Just seeing me you wouldn't guess it.

But I see myself less British than someone whose grandparents came via Windrush or are from India or Africa and who are born and grew up here.

DontKeepScratchingIt · Today 20:01
Bollocks. The people coming here in boats are coming here illegally, being housed in hotels, given meals and clothes, are getting healthcare, etc. They haven't paid into anything, they don't bring anything to contribute to anything, and are here - I'll repeat it - illegally. That's why people don't want them here. Nothing at all to do with their colour or race”

Take your bollocks and raise you bullshit. Anyone arriving on British shores has the right enshrined in law to claim asylum. Once they have done so, they are perfectly entitled to be in the UK until their claim is assessed. Only when it has been refused do they become “illegal”. It is not their fault that UK public services are so appalling that their claims take sometimes years to be processed. You can lay the blame for that squarely at the door of the previous conservative governments.

The national health service in particular has benefitted from skilled workers from countries such as Syria and Afghanistan.

I'd have to go. Dad was Yugoslav.

Before I married, I had an obviously Slavic surname. I was born and brought up in Scotland.

I was working in a school in the area where I was brought up. Had been there for a few years.

A new bloke from the south of England sidled up to me one day: "So...When did you come to this country?" [Relevance of south of England: he didn't recognise my local accent and just homed in on the surname.]

I gave him my date of birth.

My great grandfather was German... can i have an eu passport

It’s not illegal to seek asylum.

It's dangerous.