To think people don't realise how much racism is directed towards Eastern Europeans ?

[rudolphrainbownose]

My boyfriend is Latvian, I am English. I've never really mixed much with the eastern european community until we started dating two years ago, so naively assumed racism wouldn't be so much of an issue.
However, my boyfriend works security at a railway station. He is often allocated to a very small station in town, and so is normally the only employee/ worker present. Due to this, his employer provides him and all staff with body worn cameras so there is audio/ visual proof of the following. Whenever people start behaving in an antisocial way at the station, ( e.g. kids trespassing on the tracks, smoking/ drinking alcohol, attempting to board trains without tickets etc), he will challenge this as part of his job. Obviously, as soon as he starts speaking/ engaging with these people, it is clear he has a strong eastern European accent. Without fail, they will normally retort, "well f back home/ back to Poland", ( he is not Polish, has never even been to Poland, but it is always "go back to Poland," ), that is the insult. Yesterday evening he tried to stop a man from stealing a passenger's bike, ( they have bike lock/ sheds there) . The man became enraged and started yelling , "just here for our benefits, go back to Poland!" ( despite the fact my boyfriend was in work uniform and obviously working). When my DP pointed out he was working and so not a benefit claimant anyway, the guy became very aggressive, shouted , "just f off back home and pushed my partner over." I'm genuinely shocked. Whilst physical violence like last night is rare, the "go back to Poland!" comments seem to happen at least once a month or so, just for doing his job and asking people not to steal/ smoke / drink/ tresspass etc at the station.

It's got to the stage that he insisted our daughter , ( two months old), had my surname when we registered her, as he didn't want her to receive abuse for having an eastern european name. AIBU to feel we don't actually recognise this group receive a lot of abuse ? To be perfectly honest, I was not aware of the extent of it until I met my partner.

On the other hand, it may just be that working security , ( and therefore "annoying," people by asking them to stop antisocial behaviour so they retaliate), means he is unfortunately much more prone to abuse than someone working in a shop/ factory / office etc

@Herja, I have done the same for my husband because of his strong accent. If I answer, in my nice middle-class English voice, he gets much more work. Sad but true, we have approached it pragmatically.

What kind of abuse does your DD2, who by your own description is white British, get?

I can only think it must be sexist abuse if she works in a male dominated industry. Now imagine if she was female AND Black, working in the same industry. I somehow doubt she'd be experiencing "the most abuse".

@MNHQ come on now. What did I do? I said one word 'unlikely' to @Quisquam's post.

'unlikely'

why? What guidelines did i break?

I see it as prejudice personally, separate to racism as a concept but still damaging, having experienced it many times.

The most upsetting times have been for my children. ‘Jokes’ about no need to rush moving sets because ‘he’ll be a builder won’t he?’ (No…it’s unlikely and they did actually not fuss themselves ensuring the correct set). Being spat on and told ‘to fuck off home’ when wearing national dress on the way to school. I have a mental list that makes it hard to go to some situations or engage with new people.

However, whilst I think prejudice and the attitude of a significant number of British people is rather shit I think we need to have the discussion separately. It’s not racism as it doesn’t involve the power imbalance, history or systemic aspects of racism.
My children can, if they wish, change their names one day and be white British. Their children can, they have a choice. Your daughter will have a choice. Your husband, whilst experiencing an unacceptable level of hate, can mitigate in a way a black man simply can’t. He also hasn’t grown up in a system where is systematically experiencing a loss of privilege compared to his peers. There simply isn’t the legacy that has shaped him growing up. He may experience prejudice, but not that generational level of inequity.

There is racism and prejudice AGAINST every nationality in the world, FROM every nationality in the world. It can be based on skin colour, ethnic group, nationality and god knows how many other qualifications that humans beings can note as differences. Humans evolved as tribal creatures and dislike people who aren’t in those tribes - and it could be anything from the Japanese and the Koreans, or the Kenyan Luo and equally Kenyan Kikuyu, those from London vs those from Liverpool or even on a lighter note, those who support Arsenal against those who support Tottenham. It might not be right, and people and society have to work on removing those prejudices, but to travel widely across every continent on earth, rather than seeing everything through a UK and also US lens (we live in the American age after all) is to understand, but not excuse, that fact.

Disclaimer: I am not criticising you, OP.

Let's start with the fact that Eastern European is a racial term and has nothing to do with common culture or language. - newrepublic.com/article/165603/carlson-russia-ukraine-imperialism-nato

Latvians like your boyfriend are not even Slavic (true for most Poles but not all). Bulgaria is Eastern Europe but not Greece. With one look at the map at you wonder why. Poland is Eastern Europe but not Sweden. Eastern European is just a euphemism for primitive and poor due to own stupidity.

Poles were racialised throughout history, and it hasn't changed. Being called a Pole is a slur in Germany and USA. In the UK, being a Pole, thus being stupid, isn't unheard of too. Portray of Poles in the UK and USA is clear. All BBC's Poles are silly, drunk, and criminally inclined.

The Guardian, when describing polish fans at the match ENG-POL, used the phrase "Aryan-looking children" in the context of this (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebensborn), it is more than disgusting. Lebensborn was a Nazi program for 'pure nation'. Among others, polish women who were, after measuring their heads and bodies, deemed Arayn were raped and their children taken.
Not so long ago, there was camping in Germany asking if you already own a Pole. We all know what most people think when they hear Eastern Europe.

The point is it is not a coincidence but centuries of prejudice. - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Polish_sentiment

BTW. This article is rather interesting - kenanmalik.com/2015/11/03/who-invented-fortress-europe/

one look at the map and you wonder*

Who are you to say that sexism is less of an issue? It's more of an issue to me personally. Women have been treated abhorently throughout history. Raped, sent to workhouses, abortion, not allowed to vote. The list is pretty endless. I'm not sure why you think it's OK to minimise this comment with your othering!

@Sometimeswinning she wasn't suggesting sexism was less of an issue, she was saying imagine sexism combined with racism. How could you not get that? Hmm.

But if he was fat say, they would of been calling him a fat fuck.

I was going to give exactly the same answer! It's likely less a case of genuine dislike for Eastern Europeans than it is just somebody picking on the first thing they see.

(Also, I hate to be that poster but it's 'would have' not 'would of).

‘Eastern European’ isn’t a race.

It was definitely suggested. Maybe go back and read the comment. Somehow doubt she's getting the worst? Perhaps she is being treated just as badly?

It really wasn't

Well to be exact it's panethnicity.
Ethnicity is covered under Race in EA2010 as pp said.
People often use both terms for one thing

My family are from Yugoslavia, we’ve had abuse all our lives because of it. None of us work in security or a ‘high risk’ job.

Well it was. You are just not able to read subjectively I guess!

Latvia is Northern European and not from even the same language branch as Polish, so the connection of accents is non-existant.

There’s definitely less favourable sentiment towards Polish people in the UK, but amongst uneducated population.

But I can usually at least read a room...

Thats a sad little life to lead. I'll stick to having my own opinions thanks. My daughters will benefit from me not telling them constantly, it could be worse!

They don’t say oh “not you” because your DH is Canadian. It’s because he is present in the room. If your DH were Eastern European, they’d say “not you” just as easily. It’s the old “present company excepted” chestnut. They do mean him. They just think if they say that, then they can be as racist as they like and he won’t object.

YANBU, but sadly there’s a large cohort who don’t give a shit what happens to you if you have white skin.

No, it’s racism not xenophobia.

He should ask for some training on how to deal with it.