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.

Sweden is a better developed country than the UK in human rights

A few months ago at a party my friend was told that she was the 'good' type of Asian (East). She said they were making out that she was in fashion, heavily implying that she wasn't like those ugly, smelly, terrorist (southern) ones. It was a poc man trying to chat her up.

I don't know what the answer is, but I think if the borders aren't tightened up rapidly, and asylum laws changed, that it will continue to get worse for everyone.

So many people are cliquey and want to stick to themselves, which can spill over into racism.

My indian friend wanted to have a white girlfriend but his family and community forbade it with pressure and he had to marty an indian woman.

I know black people that will only hang around with other black people. They will only have black friends, they wont date white people

Similiarly i know white people who will only have white friends.

We have been taught to see differences as "bad"

Some people will attack you for saying how it is in council estates but that's my experience too. DH grew up in one and people seem to believe being a foreigner I'm stealing their benefit. I'm actually a high rate tax payer and my family are pretty well off. I just laugh at the patheticness of it all and yes it is mostly council estate dwellers who have bene racist to me. I'm not saying all, I married one! But it must be how they think there's limited resources and we are stealing from it.

I didn’t say it was ok.

Racism even exists between Africans in different African countries.

Sorry that you had to experience this, OP. I haven’t come across any racism recently (I too am brown Asian), but I have heard anecdotally from friends that they are experiencing more overt racism. I think I have been lucky so far. However, I have come across more cunty behaviour from people though, just plain obnoxious and rude.

I am old enough to remember the racism in the late 70s and 80s. I got a lot of “go back to where you came from” and “Paki” shouted at me. I was a child and in my teens.

It became unacceptable in the late 80s, 90s and 2000s, until very recently, to be more openly, overtly racist. The racism has always been there, but it’s been more subtle.

I always say that I’ve experienced more sexism in my life than racism, but that’s my experience, not necessarily yours or anyone else’s.

I am a different ethnicity so cannot comment on South Asian specifically. I have not noticed any differences - maybe because I live in London. However, I am seeing a lot more abuse online. I don't think the racism has increased pers say, I think people are becoming more vocal and racist. Both East and South Asian are perceived as more docile, so I am not surprised about the open hostility.

It’s always been there, in the 70s 80s 90s, I have witnessed open racism.The p word being banded out openly, anyone of color expected to do the most menial jobs, at school in the 70s a Sikh boy’s turban being ripped off. The NF graffiti sprayed. It was more open. It’s nothing new.

Yadnbu. This may be outing.
I had an argument earlier today.
I was in the queue, when a drunk man was buying alcohol, he said "oh another fucking Indian" to the young girl serving.
I asked him not to be rude, he said why are they all coming here, we don't need anymore.
I said you're a foreigner, what are you dojng here? he's welcome to fuck off back to EE as Ireland has enough men who are morning drunks.

Was around when I was very young - National Front etc but never expected overt racism then or growing up

Last Summer’s racist marched were truly petrifying and I haven’t felt as safe or comfortable since

My son had a three year relationship with an Indian girl at university. We welcomed her to our home. Their relationship was completely hidden from her parents. They went on holidays together but her parents never knew. They would never have accepted our son. So it does work both ways.

What works both ways? The op is talking about being subjected to a racist incident every time her family leave the house and you think your story of a girl not telling her parents that she is dating is the same thing?

I know of many successful mixed race marriages. Many south Asians are successful hard working and family oriented, appealing features to many.

5 hrs later - is the OP still considering the replies, there are quite a few.

That is racism by her parents against white people isn’t it, stereotyping them as ‘less than’, so that their daughter has to hide her relationship. My son also had an Asian (Muslim) girlfriend. She was lovely, I welcomed her into my home with open arms. He had to be hidden away by her. Like a PP, many Asian little girls are never allowed to go to their white friend’s houses, also girls. The little girls (friend’s daughters) couldn’t understand why they could never play with their best friends outside of school. This is racism isn’t it?

It’s horrible to experience any form of racism, yes, but it does go both ways. Look at the growing antisemitism in this country and the main perpetrators of it.

Are you considering this might be a government policy bot exploring?

Yes of course it's racism, I totally agree. Unfortunately there is too much virtue signalling going on here for that to be acknowledged.

Thing is, you've lived your life with brown privilege. Same as me. I work, my husband work in careers where brown faces are the norm. Brown faces are the norm in grammar school and nice uni's

Try being a south Asian brickie or police officer, or another trade where we aren't well represented

It's not in the same league as being subjected to racism every time you leave the house is it? I don't know why people are pretending that someone not wanting to have a playdate with your child is the same as being subjected to racist comments whilst trying to take the train with your family. It's hardly 'virtue signalling' to acknowledge that.

I can't believe the amount of posters just shrugging and not caring that a family is being abused everytime they leave the house because their kids girlfriend didn't want to introduce them to their families.

Its not that we dont care. We have gone through it all too. So to an exteny i know, you just have to get on with it.

Ive been told to fuck off back to my own country several times. Racism is everywhere

No, it isn’t in same league,
but you see where people encounter different races behave as if they are contaminated in some way - such as kids not allowed to play, relationships being hidden from wider family due to the shame etc
this does not help to break down the barriers and foster better relationships between races -
So I can see why PP’s are saying it goes both ways ..

Now, would I?

Well sure if you are using collective responsibility. So if the OP for instance is paying the price for people's kids not having playdates then surely you can see why parents wouldn't want their kids having playdates? If you are racially abused by white people when ever you leave the house you aren't exactly going to be in a hurry to invite them over for tea.

Sweden hasn’t had several grooming gang scandals or terrorist incidents targeting children.