This happened to me at the weekend and I feel ashamed I did nothing - Racism

[Changedusernameforthis2]

I was at a car boot sale at the weekend and there was a large stall there- that was a man and wife- selling 'fill a bag' type stuff - they were a house clearance company avoiding paying dumping fees I think

There was a lady there who was wearing a headcovering, she kept going behind the stall and they kept shooing her out
The man said in a sort of 'I'm muttering but loud enough for everyone to hear' way - he said "They're like rats, it might help if we stop giving them everything"
I was really shocked and just walked off but I feel really ashamed I didn't tackle it

What can I say if I find myself in this position again? I do not want to stand by and let it happen- I feel embarassed of being a coward

Yes, but why was there a need to post? She could've felt regret without posting. Very attention-seeking!

Virtue signalling at its finest. Look at me, aren't I wonderful clutching my pearls on behalf of somebody else.

Because she has realised that racist people are everywhere, including on this thread, and that good people can’t just stand by and watch, they need to be allies and help make a difference by speaking up.

How is OP admitting she didn’t intervene in a racist incident virtue signalling?

I'm not saying I'm wonderful, I'm just saying there was no need to make the post. She's just looking for sympathy and approval because she feels guilty as if she were the one experiencing racism. I doubt the OP has experienced racism, but I have, and if someone was a bystander and then was looking for sympathy, I would expect people to call out that barbaric behaviour too.

How many threads are there on racism, which actually are quite goady? Racism is abhorrent and should always be called out. However, most times, the offence taker, at whom the racism (or perceived racism) isn't directed, acts as the patronising white saviour. Disclaimer: in some cases, this applies. Only some. If I witnessed blatant racism, I would act accordingly, depending on the circumstances. I wouldn't expect recognition for it.

It’s absolutely right that bystanders be able to identify and object to racism.

What you’re saying is that we should
mostly let victims of racism fend for themselves.

As a victim of racism, I would absolutely welcome a white person (or of any colour) giving me solidarity during an incident.

I’ve been there when people have stood by rubbernecking and not doing anything, it’s a horrible feeling. Even a kind word to me would have been welcome at those times.

For "racism on this thread" read a range of different views ,when being asked if one is being unreasonable.

Not odd at all, very clear why I posted.
I explained it fully several times

Why can’t people just object to racism for its own sake? Why must it be on “behalf on other people”

Same. I have experienced racism several times and having somebody, not the target, stand up and say something restored a little of my faith in humanity.

Well if the woman wasn't speaking English you have no idea what she was saying. She could have said something racist herself, you will never know.

She wasnt talking

You said earlier in the thread that the woman didn't speak English so how do you know that unless you actually heard her speak?

Because she was looking baffled by English instructions

You mean she didn’t understand when the stall holder was telling her to stop stealing?

Well I look baffled sometimes depending on what's being said to me. That doesn't prove anything really.

There's an awful lot of assumptions in your post, first of all the man and his wife are a clearance company trying to avoid paying dumping fees. Not sure how you would know this and then you assume the lady must be foreign because she's wearing a head covering.

Wtf? There is no suggestion the woman was stealing.

1. The man had a van with clearance company written on it.
2. He said it was doing him a favour
3. I witnessed a man saying a racist thing. I will not be told on this thread by people who weren't there that this did not happen. It did.

My thread was asking for what to do to tackle in the moment if I am in this situation again, not whether I judged the situation correctly. I did.

Er, yes there is! She persistently went behind the counter of the stall, despite being told over and over again not to.

How does going behind the stall mean she’s stealing?

She wasn't stealing. It looked like she was trying to sit down somewhere. She was incredibly annoying and had to be told several times. She couldn't really have stolen anything as he was giving stuff away for free

This is becoming more bizarre. So you're saying that this man and woman paid however much it costs for a bootfair stall just to give stuff away for free! Yeah sure.

Yes I'm assuming it's cheaper at £10 pitch than a tip visit.

It's not bizarre or a lie. It happened. It was horrible.

"They're like rats, it might help if we stop giving them everything" doesn't describe the behaviour of someone going round the back of a car boot stall. It sounds like an attack on a stereotype of someone from overseas living in the UK and claiming benefits. Racist and deeply unpleasant.