AIBU to think Brexit has shone light on a really unpleasant racist underbelly allowing it to flourish?

[KennDodd]

I know, I know not all Leavers are racist, really, I do know that. But the (lovely, non racist) Leavers must be able to see this, they really cant be blind to the unsavoury characters and groups promoting Brexit for all their worth. I don't know what can be done about this, if there's any way to put these groups back in the box?

I accepted low-grade (and often subconscious) racism against EE as just a normal feature of British life long time ago. Imagine the public outcry if that meerkat ad (for the life of me just can't remember what they advertise) had featured any other accent.

Eh? Meerkat? Have no idea what you mean.

I believe the meerkat is russian🤣🤣🤣

Yes he is Russian

Isnt it compare the market or something

I don't buy that many leave voters want selective immigration I think the only thing that will appease them is "to get the foreigners out"

Well you're quite wrong. All the Leave movements have always supported skills-based immigration. Two of the initial five Brexit Party candidates were from ethnic minorities and they are making an effort to have diverse people in their ads. Why would they do that if their core vote was racist?

And on the subject of Russia what I never understand is given there is racist underbelly why is it predominantly directed at those from Brussels not Moscow?

We have regular Russian military craft invading our air and sea space. The Parliamentary committee showed there were more Russian IT hits on the govt report into political interference than there were in London. Plus Salisbury.

Yet having the insurance policy of a strong united joint front with our neighbours against Russia rarely features in debate.

Given there is a racist element why are Russian politicians immune from it.

@lucyinthefry

Do you think there is racism in UKIP and The Brexit Party?

Russian interest - but we aren't interested in their interest!

publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmcumeds/1791/179109.htm

??? So that's a racist advert insulting Russians? What?

UKIP and thebrexitparty.com use the get out clause of "we want people from all over the world" as a smokescreen the sell the facade that they're not racist which is total bollocks, yes there are some Ukippers that hand on heart believe this but I suspect the majority don't. Lest we forget these parties are nationalist with nasty nationalist populism at their core as they have revealed with Batten and Yaxley Lennon at the helm and if you as a UKIP supporter believe differently you are fooling yourself.

So when we are victims of racism or witnesses to it should we say and do nothing! If we don't standup and call it out for what it is there is no hope for any of us.

To attack someone with the term racist because they are demonstrably racist is perfectly acceptable.

@InternetArgument
a vitriolic splash of hatred intended to disfigure the victim, who is always white

So racists can only be white or people accused of racism are only white?

What a bizarre statement to make. People of all colours and creeds are racist. We could look at racism in other countries and minority communities but this thread is about Brexit and the racism it has brought to light.

So in that context UKIP is a racist party, if some people in it are black and Asian then they are standing under a racist banner and acting in a racist way.

"Others witness the ugly fate of those denounced by some self appointed commissar and are terrified they too may attract attention"

So when the man himself NF comments on Catherine Blaiklock and says her comments have fallen below an acceptable standard is he the "commissar" in question?

More reversal ukipper, bugger off and take your distortions with you.

Windows
I think there is racism in UKIP and islamaphobia.

I don't think there is racism in the Brexit Party. Look at their candidates.

I may have to apologise as there may turn out to be a few racists in the Brexit party just as there are a few racists in the Tories and Labour and everywhere in our society. But they will have to resign.

I think Amber Rudd and May are casually racist. They only apologised for the Windrush scandal because they were forced to. I think many Corbynistas are antisemitic including the man himself. I think many Tories are islamaphobic, Zac Goldsmith for example. I could go on but it's depressing.

@lucyinthefry when you say "look at their candidates" do you mean - some of the candidates are not white?

Racism does not only exist within the white community in the U.K.

I agree causal and institutional racism exists within all political parties but the nature and extent of racism within the Brexit focused parties is more obvious, more vitriolic and more worrying.

These are right wing parties members of whom are linked to the extreme right in British politics, the EDL and the BNP. They are linked to Breitbart and through that to the KKK. They laughingly refer to themselves as Grand Wizards it is very concerning and is of a different type and nature to the more 'run of the mill' racism.

Look at their candidates o please stop.

Brefugee it was foolish of successive governments to ignore the plight of many people in this country

It was incredibly foolish to ignore the rise of UKIP regardless of them not being in parliament (apart from one MP) they were the third by number of voters

It was foolish to ignore that people who had been let down over and over again were desperate for a change

It’s our MP’s that foolishly went ahead blindly with a referendum to not see the writing was on the wall

I absolutely agree that recent governments have done nothing to help themselves in terms of how they have treated the country, ignored those who were affected by the financial crisis. In fact if they had handled the bank bailouts (etc) more sensitively, and not gone for the neo-con lie of trickle-down economics in favour of Keynsian economics it would all have been very different.

But the electorate took absolutely the wrong opportunity to make their protest. After the Tory/LibDem government they should have used the next election to do something. But then … they voted the way they did and BANG! more neo-con twaddle. None of that is down to the EU.

And again: I remember right after the referendum that Cornwall then said, pretty much, "right. Now we're out and can't have our EU funding, you'll make it up, right?" and the government said, pretty much, "lol, right."