To be embarrassed to be from Hull right now?

[Chester23]

These "protests" just look like a load of people out for a fight. People on live steams talking about going to get beer and seem to be having a great time.
Causes are lost because of reasons like this? Why would I support you when you are destroying my city? Setting fire to bins? Throwing all sorts at the police. I can't support this.

I don’t mean to disparage the place. The people are second to none, and the pride Hull found during its City of Culture tenure genuinely moved me.

Absolutely don’t condone that either. If people move to a country, the least they should do is embrace the culture of that country, learn the language. Instead a lot of ex pats don’t learn the language, want to have their own bars, only mix with other ex pats. It’s just divisive and causes resentment, similar to what we have here.

Posts like these have been eye-opening to me. I’ll admit my first impression was “scum” - a quick reaction to the shocking violence and looks of the people involved - but I really get what you’re saying.

Of course they’re not making educated decisions, of course they aren’t well turned out, of course they have bad teeth and unhealthy lifestyles.

I’m still sickened by it, especially when you see them laughing and joking - not too concerned about the “issue” in these moments are they, more riled up by the excitement of being bad boys. But I understand it more.

No. I don't see why people are reacting the way they are (to what, exactly?), nor do I condone the underlying sentiment fueling the violent protests which are a stain on my home city and currently many others.

I'm not a raging racist. I do not condone people of colour being made scapegoats for a very longstanding set of social circumstances which cannot be laid at their door.

And you claim I'm the one who's the problem?

It means different things to different people. I can only speak for myself when I say the bare minimum is actually learning the language of the country you’ve chosen to live in. Otherwise the biggest barrier is right there - not being able to speak the language means you can’t integrate because speaking to each other is an integral part of integration. Make efforts to talk to the people you have come to live amongst, rather than wanting to have your own little village with your own people, and being hostile to others around you. Understand and respect our culture. I actually wouldn’t ever expect your aunt not to speak her own language when speaking to her friends and family - that’s part of her identity, as is eating what foods you like.

Bit hard to integrate with people who are a misinformed Facebook post away from stoving your face in with a brick, though, isn’t it?

If they hadn't spent several years previously making parts of the city no go areas and knife fighting amongst themselves in the streets in broad daylight then they may well have had a different response.. ...

No more than you are it seems .

Racism is racism, whether it lives in a nice market town or on a boarded-up council estate.

Whether it uses euphemisms and platitudes or just calls brown people ‘P@kis’.

Whether it’s dressed in Fairfax and Favour or Primark.

Whether it goes out and gets its hands dirty, or sits in its detached house typing justifications for disgusting behaviour on its laptop.

One feeds the other. There is no room for ‘understanding’ why an adult chooses to go and hurl bricks at people they have decided are ‘other’ because they’re pissed off at life. All that does is feed the beast.

The only times I’ve ever been a victim of any kind of crime have been at the hands of white English people. Does that mean you’d understand if I came round and threw bricks at your boyfriend’s £700k house?

I'd assume there'd be some reason to attack him so probably. We'll have to agree to disagree on this one then. I just don't understand why you can't see what I can 🤷‍♀️

Racism, by its definition is thinking that one race is superior to another and discrimination against members of the perceived inferior race. Racism absolutely isn't thinking that there's too many people in a small country and some of the arrivals from overseas behave in ways I find abhorrent, for example assaulting children in the street. People throw the word Racism around far too readily and nobody dares challenge it. And I'm typing on my phone as it goes.....

Give that dog some extra treats!

I work in the leisure industry (water sports). The people who cause us the most problems are all white British. They steal, are overly harsh with their kids, disrespect our equipment. I’ve had several lie blatantly about being told our rules.

Thus far, I’ve never had an issue with anyone other than white British (which I am also). We have many immigrants who come to enjoy our facilities too.

Political choices have brewed resentment. Choices like austerity, Brexit, the 2 child benefit cap, leaving asylum seekers in limbo, not funding education, not funding mental health teams, stoking division using hateful speech, raising taxes to an all-time high and a Tory government who were in it for themselves all the way have resulted in a perfect storm. Blame economic and social inequality and stop projecting your discontent onto immigrants.

There are far more British men raping and assaulting women than there are Polish. Stop scapegoating.

The concerns she has are related to social and economic inequality - a political choice made over many years. If you leave people in limbo for years, they will inevitable develop health and well being issues.

Is this Lytham?

Have you considered volunteering with refugees to teach them English?

She is conflating the hardship of political choices (austerity) with immigration.

Understand what, exactly? How to pander to racism and succumb to docisl media brainwashing? What do you understand exactly?

Fair point. I think this is divide and rule politics coming back to bite itself on the backside.

Of course cities have always had problems. But the problems have trebled in recent years, because not only have we got our own homegrown issues, but hav3 been importing more to add to it. People can generally see the behaviour happening in their towns and cities from our own idiots, but it becomes a problem when we are introducing others from abroad into the mix, imposed on us by uncontrolled immigration.

Nope. I actually work. Fulltime. And have no desire to teach English to people who have chosen not to learn it. There are English classes available in every college. It’s not the lack of teaching, it’s the lack of wanting to learn/integrate. You can’t force people to do something they’ve made a choice not to do.

We don’t know the backgrounds of the people rioting. They may hold down good jobs, might not be disadvantaged socially or economically. Thugs don’t necessarily equal no job, no house, no prospects. Some might, but equally some might not. Hence some wearing masks. They don’t want identifying to friends, family, employers.

Most people who move do learn English.

There have been big cuts to the funding for English lessons over recent years, so lessons are much less available than they were.

There is also a difficulty because those whose visa/asylum claims have not been processed are restricted from accessing education and of course have no funds to pay for lessons themselves.

There is factual information available e.g. https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/english-language-use-and-proficiency-of-migrants-in-the-uk/

Well of course access to English lessons, or any other education, is going to be restricted whilst their applications are being looked at. We don’t know if their applications are genuine, or are going to be successful, so why would we we invest our very limited education resources in teaching them English? And the processing delays are another big issue. Far too long. The Government need to either make good on their promise to speed up the process, or take France up on their offer to have a processing centre located there.