To be tired of the ‘racist UK’ remarks?

[AGermFreeAdolescent]

By that I mean people talking down the UK and say that it’s a racist country since Brexit. I appreciate everyone has their own experiences but I dislike when people say Brexit has made the UK more racist and make out it is more so than its EU counterparts when I, as a non white person, feel WAY more safe anywhere in the UK as I would compared to any other country in Europe. Can’t help but feel that the people that denigrate the UK for racism because of Brexit are white and have not visited countries in Europe as, or with, a person that isn’t white. Started this thread mostly because of the ‘shock’ about the racism that Bulgarian fans displayed to England and my first thought was ‘And this is a surprise, because...?’

I think YABU. Glad you personally haven’t experienced much racism in the UK since the whole Brexit thing but unfortunately lots of others have.

I’m not white, I have been experiencing more and more racism in the UK. I have traveled extensively in the EU, I haven’t felt unsafe and I haven’t personally experienced any racism. I have however been beaten up in the UK for being a “paki bastard”.

sadly the uk has gone backwards. racism and disablism is now even more rife.(odd that no one says much about disablism.)

I am non-white and have experienced far, far more racism in the UK and Europe since Brexit. I have even experienced it in London which is mindblowing because as a commuter I generally don’t.

I don't think it's become a more racist country since Brexit, just a veneer of politeness has been removed so you see its true nature a little more.

I agree that the UK is much better than most (maybe all?) other countries, but I don't think we can sit back and say 'job done' yet, personally.

Brexit hasn't made the UK more racist.

What it has done is made people more comfortable and open in spreading their bile-filled crap.

YABU.

Started this thread mostly because of the ‘shock’ about the racism that Bulgarian fans displayed to England and my first thought was ‘And this is a surprise, because...?

Oh it wasn't a surprise - have you taken note of the amount of racism in British football?

I also think that people feel freer to express racist views since Brexit than before.

But also agree the UK has come much further in the battle against Racism than other countries.

There’s been a local spate of anti-Semitic attacks, including the Orthodox rabbi being attacked on the street, which means two local synagogues have had to up their security, and way more graffiti on mosques lately. And while I’m white, I’ve had more unpleasant anti-Irish remarks than at any point since the 1990s.

Comparing the UK with worse levels of racism in other countries is irrelevant if it’s getting worse here.

*Brexit hasn't made the UK more racist.

What it has done is made people more comfortable and open in spreading their bile-filled crap.*

Yes to this. The people being racist have always been just were more scared to be as open about it. It's as though brexit has given people the green flag.

Same here. I'm glad the op has not experienced more racism but unfortunately that is not necessary the case for everyone. I personally feel like there is more racism and mistrust around in the last couple of years. I am Asian and was born here and have been matter-of-factly told by people who i actually get on with generally that i do not belong here really.

Says it all to me. Imagine people i do not get on with.

And yes YABU

Oh and i agree. I think alot of the people were closet racists and brexit have given them free reign to do and say things

Even as a white person I've seen far more examples of racism since Brexit. It has already existed but now it's seemingly accepted to be open about it.

I canvass for my local Labour Party, and when we ask residents about issues that are concerning them, it's like open season for a racist rant. These aren't Labour supporters, they're the Farage Fan Club types. They're not all old either, the youth football team is ran by one of these types and he's done a great job of feeding his vitriol to the players.

We did used to try to engage with the above types, but after various safety concerns we now walk away. That's another part of the problem, you can't engage and try to change minds because you're met with physical aggression.

@Samcro

"sadly the uk has gone backwards. racism and disablism is now even more rife.(odd that no one says much about disablism.)"
Are you saying 'disablism' is more rife as a result of Brexit or just increased anyway? I'm not actually sure what you mean by 'disablism' anyway. Can you explain further either on here or by starting another thread?

There has been seriouse issues with racism in eastern Europe. Turkey, FRance, Italy, Germany. It ha been in the press many times through BBC3 programmes, programmes about immigration ect. It happens every where Nut yes i think some idiot think that brexit is an excuse to be racisit. Often to people who,s family origins are from not European countries which really shows there ignorance..

I emigrated from the UK a few years back and was surprised to find that, elsewhere in the Anglosphere, I've repeatedly encountered general perception, amongst people of colour, that the UK is particularly racist.

That said, if I think about my family members views on race, I shouldn't really be surprised.

Yes this is definitely correct in my case. We are a mixed family and my children are half Asian. Live in an Asian country but we come back to the uk twice a year and for an extended period of time during the summer. 7-8 weeks.
It had been getting worse for us over the years but the summer after the Brexit vote was awful for us. It made us feel quite uncomfortable.

I'm not white and travel Europe, whilst some comments are made it hasn't really increased since Brexit IMO and is overall no difference here than other parts of the EU.

The UK consistently polls in the top 3 in Europe for being more welcoming/less racist.

Is there work to do, of course.

I don't know if "being a bit less racist than some other, more racist places" is the pinnacle of achievement Britain should choose to rest on.

There are areas near where I live where racist views are frequently and openly expressed. Comments on the police force's Facebook page, for example. I don't think Brexit has made much difference to it either way.

Are you saying 'disablism' is more rife as a result of Brexit or just increased anyway?

From what I've heard hate crimes against all protected characteristics increased round the time of the referendum, haven't returned to previous levels and a spike is expected round Oct 31st and whenever Brexit actually happens.

OP I worked in other Northern European countries and felt as safe in them as I did here before the referendum. There is more open racism since 2016 here but I experienced lots before it.

Also if you know any non-white children particularly those involved in sports like football they would also tell you the bile they have encountered.

I don't know if "being a bit less racist than some other, more racist places" is the pinnacle of achievement Britain should choose to rest on.

I don't know what other European countries who had colonies had a Windrush.

YABVU. Do you live alone on a mountain top? Brexit has unleashed the inherent xenophobia and inferiority of many who now feel they have licence to make themselves feel better by making others feel worse. Whether or not its less racist than other European countries is irrelevant. I'm glad you feel safe here. I hope that continues.

YABU.

It's modern UK. For some reason, we just love to kick ourselves for our "weaknesses" (even though we're often better than lots of other countries) rather than celebrate our strengths.