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

Why are people so adverse to the definition of racism as in the equality act being used?

This. Incredible how people confuse racism with xenophobia. It means we will never really make progress on either.

Because too many people mistakenly believe that white people can never experience racism.

This. Also, whatever you want to call it, it effects people the same.

i agree with you as an Eastern European. I had countless people openly telling me that “my kind” should go home… And I work in the City and live in London. And some of those people said those things openly at work - global bank. I couldn’t care less anymore. The only thing I get upset about it is if I ever bring this up I get silenced saying how hard is for the minorities and I don’t know how easy I have it as I am white…FFS. Abuse of me or discrimination is not important due to the colour of my skin. Before I get cancelled I am not saying there is no racism towards others, I acknowledge that. What I would like is that my bad treatment is acknowledged as well.

Surely any discrimination deserves the same attention? Why is one more important than the other? I'm finding more and more there is less sympathy. This is why we will never make progress. Not because we don't use the correct label. Which I don't think is the case here. Its racism.

Nice try but it's because white people are considered a single race.

Ethnicity is another matter.

No, white people are not “considered a single race.” There isn’t even an internationally accepted definition of white people…..

Indeed, but the two words have different meanings.

Technically I think @Maximinimalist is correct as eastern Europeans are white, as are the English. White is one of the main races, despite different cultures. I don't think the definition of racism works when you're both from the same race so xenophobia is more appropriate i.e. fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners.

But I think you're right in that it's prejudice that's the real problem, not so much words and their meaning.

Incredible how people on mumsnet make up their own definition and expect others to follow it.

I'll take the Equality Act over the words of some randomer on the interweb.

The Equality Act 2010 says you must not be discriminated against because of your race.

In the Equality Act, race can mean your colour, or your nationality (including your citizenship). It can also mean your ethnic or national origins, which may not be the same as your current nationality. For example, you may have Chinese national origins and be living in Britain with a British passport.

Race also covers ethnic and racial groups. This means a group of people who all share the same protected characteristic of ethnicity or race.

So racism could take the form of discrimination aimed at somebody's Polish nationality or also their Slavic ethnicity.

I wouldn't post such on Mumsnet op ! It's filled with racist people who don't give a damn really ! You're far better off posting about your relationship and parking issues on this forum - you'll gain more empathy and get given better advise!

Like in uk and everywhere else it depends on exact place.
We have different nationalities and a black man in council in town I grew up. Some places are bad some are ok.

They’re not from the same race though. White is only a race category. It’s shorthand for all the races originating from Europe. Much like Black is shorthand for all the races originating from subsaharan Africa. And Asians from Asia. Native Americans from the Americas. Pacific Islanders from the Pacific Islands. Aborigine for the races from Australia.

There is more racial diversity within each of these major categories than between them if we want to get technical and down to DNA.

Sorry to hear this, OP, it’s racist and he should never have to deal with this.

The irony of a thief daring to tell a working man in uniform that he is just here for benefits would be funny if it wasn’t so pathetic.

Congrats on your daughter and I hope things get better.

The biggest problem is all these made up brain washing books and theory’s being parroted as fact, rather than the made up shit that they are. In my opinion they’re the biggest incitement of hate out there, yet their lauded over 🤷‍♀️

Probably need to look it up.

White/Caucasian
Asian
Black
Etc.

Labels may differ around the world but essentially it all points to a small number of groups.

In any case you were making a bit of a stupid point about white people.

Yep. It’s also laymen reading sociological texts and confusing structural and institutional racism for racism. It’s also memes from 2014 comedy Netflix shows being repeated as if they were fact.

I think you need to “educate “ yourself on what Caucasian means and how it’s now outdated.

*They’re

I took it from a 2022 definition of the main races of the world.

English and Polish are not races. Ethnicities yes, races no.

Shocking. Why are humans so
awful to each other?

Lol, you are hilarious. Sounds like you have only looked things up on U.K. websites and not even looked up race categories and data collection anywhere else.

White people are not a single race. You only think that because your understanding is very superficial.