Why is there so much more anti immigration sentiment NOW?

[GreyWasp]

Half my family are Indian and came over in the 50s. My British Indian dad (born here) said he has always been very lucky to have not experienced much hate and discrimination. He has a wide friendship network of people from all backgrounds. I’m not saying racism doesn’t exist. Not at all, just that the environments my dad was placed in outright racism was minimal. And he felt pretty much like a normal British lad going to school, uni, clubs, bars etc. My white grandparents had their concerns in the 90s when my parents married mostly in regards to potential bullying any future grandchildren would experience but really they were fine with their marrying. I have genuinely never had one negative experience (granted I have been in somewhat privileged situations in middle class areas in the South plus am white passing but do look ambiguous when tanned).

In recent years I have noticed a shift (for the worse) in terms of negative sentiment towards immigrants/poc. For me, it’s the worst it’s ever been. I certainly did not feel it 10/15 years ago. I see SO many racist comments on social media. Was not the case previously.

Im just interested in having a discussion why this could possibly be the case? People are definitely more woke now than they have ever been.

Is it the social media sites themselves? Less moderation? More political influencers?
More media attention?
People looking for an excuse to blame the economic decline (pandemic, brexit, col etc)?

Just curious what people’s thoughts are?

Because our services are at bursting point.

I'm often one of very few white people on the bus, and that's on a bus of around 40 other people. Everyone pushes their way onto the bus even if I'm at the front of the queue (it's culturally normal for them) and then on the bus a lot are all talking at the top of their voices or have their phones on loud.

I understand that people who may be coming here because of war, persecution or other horrid stuff in their home country, but we are too small an island with too little resources to cope. They need to stop at the first countries they come to for asylum. I also really resent my taxes being spent on hotel accommodation for asylum seekers.

Yes! The men who I encounter often come from countries were men have to be the alpha male. They're arrogant, aggressive and think women are lesser. The women I've encountered are lovely and on the whole, hardworking.

The vast majority do stop in the first country they come to. Look at the figures for Pakistan and Turkey. A small percentage come here.

It’s not illegal. It’s called asylum seeking. The only way to seek asylum is to turn up and claim asylum.

Politicians are using asylum seekers as a way to say it’s not us it’s them. Many do want
to contribute but they are held in limbo. Sometimes for years.

Life has been tough for people since the financial crash.( 2008) Quality of life has gone down.

People look for someone to blame. Usually the "outsider" or "other"(race, disability etc)

There has been more talk in politics about immigrants/immigration.

I think it’s because of the strain that the Boris wave has put on many people’s lives. 20th century migration levels were manageable and largely seen as beneficial because people who were proud to participate in our society moved here and integrated. Gross migration of 1.2 million people a year, 85% of whom are a net cost to the taxpayer is asking for trouble. It was Boris Johnson and Priti Patel who caused this issue. During Sunak’s short time as PM the government did make some adjustments that should cut the figures by about half a million, but they are still too high. There is no democratic mandate for such large scale immigration and it’s irresponsible because it’s likely to cause tensions for well established and well integrated families.

Regarding integration the government slashed funding for esol coyrsrs. Waiting lists are long where they are offered.

I saw on the news that one of the officials of Ballymena refused the integration funding.

The lack of progress on decision making of asylum claims meant a back log. I guess this was done to give a “hostile environment”. But cost a lot of money.

Because the likes of Reform and the Tories are winding up working class white people, in deprived areas, telling them they are hard up because of ethnic minorities. Rather than the actual reality being they are hard up because of rich people wanting to be richer oh and capitalism.

The internet’s complete lack of any morality has made it easy for these arseholes to make their racism seem like “just another opinion”.

People used to be quieter about being racist fuckwits. Now, not so much.

In the year ending June 2023, ONS immigration stats were:

total immigration 1.2 million.
total emigration: 508,000.
making net migration: 672,000.

there are 68.35 MILLION people in the UK. Immigrants are seriously a drop in the ocean. THEY ARE NOT THE PROBLEM!!!

OP back in the 50s smaller more manageable numbers of immigrants came over which meant no pressure on services and I suppose less impact on existing communities and ultimately more assimilation and lesser racism?

Unfortunately when people feel their quality of life is being impacted they will react.

This isn't why for everyone involved I think smaller numbers of immigration should happen.

If that happens every year, then the population grows very quickly. You need to think about your maths more carefully.

The huge rises in the U.K. population recently are down to immigration. When it happens at that rate, it causes problems.

Also, look at this from the reliable source of the migration observatory at Oxford University:

[The UK has] around 10.7 million migrants

At the time of the 2021/22 Census, 16% of people in the UK had been born abroad – a total of around 10.7 million migrants. Although the foreign-born population has increased further between 2021 and 2024, no reliable data are available for later years.

“Culturally normal” for whom? Be specific?

And why do you assume all non-white people are immigrants?

Grooming gangs and attacks on women and girls primarily.
f

But in the 50s anti-immigrant semtiment was rife. I don’t know why people are trying to
rewrite history. The Windrush generation of immigrants faced hostility, abuse and phenomenal levels of discrimination.

Anti-immigrant sentiment is the norm in the UK and - just the focus of the ire changes.

That did not happen.

If bloody well did. Why do u think racism only works one way?

Maybe because queuing is a particular British trait. Not sure if happens so much anywhere else in the world lol

Queue jumpers exist everywhere including in the UK.

But that PP started discussing immigration and immediately linked it to numbers of non-white people on the bus. “Immigrant” and “non-white” are not synonyms.

It did not happen and that is obvious. “White honky” literally makes no sense as the latter is an offensive term for the former.

And the claim about somebody not being part of the “sistahood”. Nobody speaks like that. It’s clearly not true.

I think this nails it plus we keep seeing images of the rubber boats coming across the channel everyday and knowing they will be housed in 4* hotels.

It was true for that particular group of girls then. seeing as I was there and you were weren't I think I'd know. Unless of course you were in my class in 1983

They are NOT houses in 4 star hotels ffs.

Although in reality, you’re statistically most likely to be attacked/ killed by a man you are related to/ live with - presuming from your comment that’s not an immigrant…?

Sure.

Ok.