Do Europeans hate the Brits?

[Floofydawg]

We're in Spain at the minute and have encountered some pretty hostile behaviour. Not so much from the Spanish, as we speak the language, but from other Europeans. We've been coming here many years and I've never before encountered such hostility. It got me thinking, do many Europeans dislike the Brits?

Small village, the same people every day see you out and about, parking at the beach, loading stuff into your boat etc.

I wonder how they know people are 'English specifically'?

Because they serve them the entire time they're there on holidays. They speak to each other. They say where they are from. Plus they're very used to the accents.

Yes stereotypes hurt sometimes but doesn't mean it's not happening.

I'm French and never heard anyone hating on the Brits. Some mockery, yes, but same as I hear as a frenchie. No hate.

Regarding Irish vs English, I really doubt that my fellow EU citizens give half a fuck to that. First, they'd need to know that your accent is irish vs english. Second, they'd need to care, which is unlikely.

This is confirmation bias, nothing more.

Thank you @FastFood I think this is probably going to be the case really. I work in central London so obviously speak to people of different nations every day. Do I favour Polish over Croatians or Portuguese over Spanish? No I don't care as long as they're pleasant. Same goes for Scottish/ Irish or Welsh btw.
And actually most English people likely aren't "ethnically"English. Is that even a thing? For example I'm English/ Welsh / Jamaican heritage but live in England so I'm English!

I speak fluent French and Spanish plus pretty good Italian (degree in MFL) and this does change people’s demeanour towards you. I have noticed that saying I’m Welsh rather than British has a positive effect too.

@fastfood my experience is that some people do care (see my posts above). Not all obviously. They "know" from our number plate (we don't have either English or Irish accents).

Very few people are going to learn the language of a country they're only going to be in for a few days. And often if you do attempt to speak it, or even if you speak it quite well, you'll be answered in English anyway.

Also, people from all over Europe, whatever their native language, often assume that everyone speaks English these days. I've seen so many tourists just walk into shops or restaurants in Italy or Spain and speak English without bothering to ask if the person speaks it too. And these people are from places like Germany or Scandinavia, not Britain.

I'd be really surprised if it was anti-colonialism, very late in the day. Union flag shaggers abroad can behave very badly indeed. Perhaps it's that. Scotland didn't want to leave the EU. S Ireland is part of the EU. Perhaps they are quite understandably, fed up with us.

The one nationality that hates the English abroad the most are fellow English people.

Sorry, I was talking about citizenship not birth certs really. There is a difference. You are a British national if born in NI in most cases, not an Irish one ( though entitled to citizenship it's not automatic).

This is what Ireland's (ROI's) Citizen's Information site says about Irish citizenship.

"1. Born in Ireland before 1 January 2005
If you were born in Ireland before 1 January 2005, you are an Irish citizen by birth.
If you were born in Northern Ireland before 1 January 2005, you are entitled to claim Irish citizenship. This means that you can choose to be an Irish citizen and apply for an Irish passport if you want to.

2. Born in Ireland after 31 December 2004
...
If either of your parents was an Irish or UK citizen at the time of your birth, you are automatically an Irish citizen if you were born in Ireland. If you were born in Northern Ireland to an Irish or British parent, you can choose to be an Irish citizen."

Thus, if you are born in NI you are automatically a British citizen by birth mostly , even if you do not choose to be and never have a British passport. Renouncing a British passport - which is neccessary for some immigration cases if you want to be considered Irish - costs you time and money. Hence De Souza's objection. It's not the same the other way round. You are not automatically an Irish citizen by birth if you are born in NI.

The GFA says you can be Irish OR British OR both. It's not clear to people that the choice to be Irish will cost you.

What's so distinctive about an Irish number plate that random folk in Croatia will instantly be able to see it and say 'Oh great. The people in that car are Irish, not English. I can like them!'

Brit, long term French resident..with that in mind..

Anyone thinking the UK being a former colonial power might be a reason why the English might especially hated in Europe has got a pretty narrow view of history. They maybe need to have another look at the twentieth century and then consider who, if they were so minded (few are), many Europeans would have most cause to get upset with.

Locally most grumbling about foreigners is about those who come down here in holiday season with caravans and camping cars (hint- generally not Brits) loaded to the roof with provisions so not much spent in the locals shops. There’s definitely an increase in trans nationality ribbing during the Six Nations Rugby…other than that everybody rubs along.

Oh and few if any of the locals can pick the difference between the English, Irish, Australian or American accents so I suspect as @FastFood said there’s some confirmation bias going on.

In Italy I’ve seen signs outside restaurants saying (in German) ‘Potatoes like Mum makes them!’
Just saying…

Seems like it might be you who doesn't like English people from your responses...

OP, no haven't encountered any issues to be honest. But we don't tend to travel to resorts where lots of Brits abroad ar. Not sure if thats linked. Going by the mass immigration into England particularily from Europeans I don't think it's universal, our practice is probably 50% European employees at any one time.

Yes, I agree, is it likely the accent will be determined so frequently, not really!

I don't think it's to do with accent.
People chat and often ask holidaymakers where they're from.

True, but many will simply say they're 'British'. And even if they say they're from Newcastle, Swindon or Aberdeen, that probably won't mean much to many of their interlocutors. As some of us have said above, many, probably most, Europeans have only a vague idea that the United Kingdom is made up of 4 nations, and certainly don't have the strong opinions about Welsh versus English that some on here seem to think.

Yes but even if they do that, it is just chit chat and confirmation bias at work, I doubt these strangers really care! I find it bizarre that anyone would think it is more than flattery! My experience of being assumed Scandinavian on continental Europe didn't give me an elevated level of courtesy! In Denmark, an older member of the public started to chat to my son and I in Danish in the Design Museum so tourist hotspot and when we said we were British, he smiled and warmly started a conversation with us as did his wife. In all these interactions they didn't suddenly convert to frostiness when they found out we weren't Danish or Swedish! My experience of hostility is more I would suspect about being a tourist or not!

But if they say they're British they probably won't see the change of attitude that happens if they say they're Scottish instead?

If you're outside your country you're more likely to name your country as your home rather than town or city anyway I think. Unless you're from London or Paris or somewhere like that.

As for buying up properties, at least one other nationality is notorious for that in Majorca!

Not long ago dh heard from a Dane at one of his professional conferences, that the reason Denmark bans foreigners from buying property - unless they’ve actually lived there for 5 years - is that otherwise so much of their housing (especially given their extensive coastline) would be bought up by Germans.

But obviously they can’t specifically ban one nationality so they made a blanket ‘no foreigners’ ban.

It has the EU flag and IRL on it so pretty distinctive. I can tell most European countries by their number plates most have the first couple of letters from their country on it. UK is one of the only countries that don't, some do have GB though but not many

But what is this 'attitude' which so magically changes when the words 'I'm Scottish' are uttered?

Tourists in a hotel bar in Spain

"So where are you from?"

"I'm British."

"Where exactly?"

"From Aberdeen, in Scotland."

What great 'attitude' change is supposed to happen in an interaction like this? And since you can't known if this same dramatic change would have happened had you said 'I'm from Newcastle, in the north of England', then you can't possibly know it's all down to your cuddly Scottishness.

I agree with other posters above. A lot of confirmation bias going on here.

But do you think that all those who have noticed a difference in attitude are imagining things so?

I think it's a bit arrogant to assume that, just because you haven't experienced something personally, it can't be true. And that those who claim oherwise must be mistaken.

Lots of people on this thread have said they've experienced a change in attitude when they clarified they were Scottish as opposed to English for example. I'd be inclined to believe them.

That's not really 'distinctive' though is it? Are folks in Croatia really paying attention to foreign number plates and forming their opinions on the passengers on that basis?

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