Racism against south Asians in the UK

[ArtfulKoala]

This is a very hard thread for me to begin. I’ve been intending to do it for months but felt unable to do so. I was born in the UK but I am of south Asian origin. My parents and grandparents emigrated here. We are five generations British and counting.

I feel that racism and racial suspicion towards brown skinned people has absolutely gone off the scale since Reform gained a foothold in mainstream politics.

At first it was the little things - being subjected to an extended bag check when entering a museum when white visitors walked straight in or were casually asked to just open the large section which wasn’t really checked. This is especially the case at places like Kensington Palace and the Imperial War Museum. For reference, I am talking about a small handbag 15cm by 25cm probably smaller than their own guidelines state. At Kensington Palace, it actually got to the ridiculous stage where the checker was asking me to open more and more zipped sections down to a 5cm one until there was literally nothing left to open and she was effectively asking me to open non existent ones!
There is an incident every time we are out ( me and my teenagers). People loudly talking about us standing right next to us talking about how we are entitled just because we have been directed to the front of the queue by staff as one of us is disabled.
Yesterday, we got on a damned train with cold, vegan salads from m&s and it started immediately. A white couple complaining loudly about “the smell” when there was none because they judged us by how we look and decided our food was smelly upon that basis. Then, when the ticket inspector came round and we showed the disabled railcard, a running commentary on how we must have gamed the system to obtain that.
It is really wearing. I don’t feel like we can belong here anymore despite being educated and fully integrated here. I fully pay for private housing, healthcare and education and yet I may as well have just stepped off a small boat yesterday as far as they are concerned. I cannot fight random bigots daily when we are just trying to live our lives having low key, relaxing private family time.
It is simply fogging to get worse isn’t it? I honestly believe that Farage will be the next PM ( I am politically literate enough to gauge this for myself rather than buying into tabloid scaremongering. Zayn Malik referred to similar experiences in the song he released last week. We have similar colourings to him and never experienced racism ever before this. Perhaps they think we are Middle Eastern and are directing a particular type of hatred towards us. Perhaps it is a new racism because there were not many Middle Eastern people in the UK until recently.

I know that it is not everyone everywhere but it is now frequent enough for us to come to expect it every time we leave the house. Is this the equivalent of the Weimar Republic for the UK? Since there is no such thing as “stopping the boats” then the headlines will continue and the hatred towards brown-skinned fully fledged Brits too.

If I don’t come back to this thread immediately, it is because it is a massive thing for me to write this down and I will be reading and considering the responses.

House prices are driven by supply and demand. We have had a population explosion so have with higher demand and less supply.

Around 41% of Londoners were born outside of the UK.

The majority of Brown and Black populations trace their origins to regions that were historically subjected to European colonialism. The British Empire, in particular, played a central role in the political and territorial restructuring of vast areas across Asia and Africa. Colonial policies often involved the drawing of arbitrary borders as seen with the partition of India in 1947 or the Sykes-Picot Agreement's influence in the Middle East which disregarded existing ethnic, cultural, and linguistic boundaries. In Africa, the 1884–85 Berlin Conference enabled European powers, including Britain, to carve up the continent into colonies, creating artificial nation-states that had not previously existed in that form. These colonial legacies continue to shape the socio-political realities of many postcolonial states today.

'Insidious little creatures. Im white btw so I won’t ever experience racism'

Rather racist.

'I’d happily put reform in a blender, turn the switch on and happily go about my business'

Rather insidious.

Self awareness not a strong point I take it?

If this the case why other major cities prices significantly cheaper?

That doesn't address current immigration in any way shape or form.

@GreenGully racist are you?

of course I won’t experience racism. Same way men won’t experience sexism or able bodied experience ableism. Grow up.

GreenGully, I understand you dislike ethnic minorities and immigrants...

I’m sorry you are experiencing this op

since social media has taken a hold people seem to feel it’s acceptable to air their hatred and anger without thinking it through first to question themselves instead they join echo chambers that incite and fuel anger and hatred more. And Brexit allowed hatred to be aired and Farage has exploited this to his gain no one else he is an agitator not someone who is interested in politics

there will always be hatred in all societies it’s the horrible side of humans but what can be controlled is those who exploit this particularly in the media and in politics
that fuels anger

racists are so thick they can’t always decide who they should direct it towards and it seems to go in some sort of weird cycles (20 years ago it was white Europeans 🙄)

we need to talk about this without the discussion moving on to immigration we need to hear peoples experiences and just listen

and it just no longer happens which helps no one apart from those that want the chaos

Because the demand is greater in London. An estimated population of over 9.4 million. The second largest city in the UK - Birmingham - has a population of 1.1 million.

Oh here we go, I knew it wouldn't be long, considering you can't counter my points with anything based in fact. My best friend is a first gen immigrant for starters.

I’m so sorry. Reading your account made me feel physically sick.

London is the UK’s economic hub, home to major industries like finance, tech, law, media, and trade. It also house people from other UK cities as there more opportunities.

@GreenGully oh give over with the best friend story, means nowt. I know women with mixed race kids who are racist. Means nothing to have family or associate with people of colour. It’s how you treat people, think about people and protect people.

Crikey! Hook, line and sinker.

Kindly explain this: RAF diversity targets discriminated against white men - BBC News

Looks like sexism and racism to me.

Grow up you say? Educate yourself I'd say.

Give me an example of my being a racist then... I won't hold my breath.

without opening the link because I simply can’t be arsed I don’t imagine it’s white men having verbal abuse, physical abuse or experiencing fear of leaving the house.
You are a deeply unpleasant individual and I likely won’t agree with anything you say because I’m not racist and you are.

Well yes, you've supported my point regarding supply and demand...😂

You haven't actually made any points...why is that bigoted people often add they have a friend who a ethnic minority as if it makes them less prejudiced.

ODFOD. Statistics do not take account of personal experience

You evidently missed the point..never mind. I won't be responding to you.

So you want to take part in a debate but 'can't be arsed' to engage in the facts. You'd rather 'imagine' what suits you.

You are a deeply unpleasant individual. Your first post on this thread is revolting actually. Then you revert back to name calling and labels, when the only person who has visibly demonstrated they are in fact racist is you, with your 'white people can't experience racism' comment.

You can't be real. 😂

Well I actually have made some quite considered points. You just don't seem to be able to understand them, though it's basic stuff.

Because you can't.

Of course white people can experience racism. Racism isn't "white people hating on others". It's discriminating against someone purely on their race.

I'm Indian myself and hate the "you evil white person" mantra

I have trouble with the arguments about maintaining a British racial identity or complaining about immigration in London because this is a product of being such an internationally focused country.

My partner's family is South Asian and yet there are white people in his family tree because of the empire. For the last 200+ years Britain has sought to spread its language and culture throughout the world (as well as capitalise on the resources of other countries). We've also encouraged immigration, especially into the capital, to fuel its growth and make it one of the most prosperous cities in the world. We're a tiny island and yet we massively punch above our weight internationally because of this.

What's wrong is that this wealth has been siphoned off into the hands of the few while the rest of us fight for the scraps.

I agree that we need sensible immigration policies and to be able to debate this properly. But for those who wish they could be like Japan and have one homogenous British racial and cultural identity - that's simply not our history. That ship sailed (quite literally) with the explorers.