How can we better support post Brexit victims of racism?

I don't know the answer Cassandra . It has never been possible to control peoples thoughts, if a person is racist there is little or nothing can be done . What is happening to your friends has happened to different races of people. The Jews, The Irish, people who are black, recently Muslims and now the people from Europe . The referendum gave permission to be openly racist and so some doing this. Race attacks have soared since the referendum .

Your friends need to be supported by a group of decent British people, let their children see not everyone is the same. Let them know they are needed and very much liked , tsking away their fear and hurt will be difficult . I don't see what else can be done . Not helpful sorry. I hope your friends will realise there are many who care they are enduring this persecution and want it to stop. It may calm down when these ignorant racists calm down , I do hope so.

It isn't just low income areas either. One of DD's colleagues has been working over here for several years. She is a very highly qualified frenchwoman. Because she is flying home for a wedding and is pregnant she went to her GP (In more than affluent Surrey) for a certificate to say she was fit to fly. After a torrent of abuse about how much we hate the French (She thought he was joking at first) he then told her he wasn't a fortune teller and had no idea if she could fly! Fortunately she has the backing of her husband and colleagues and complaints have been fired off in all directions.

That's horrible Deedda, just horrible

Deedaa That's truly shocking!

Deedaa. I sincerely hope the complaints have some effect - that GP should be up before a disciplinary panel.

The referendum did not give people permission to be racist. A small minority of idiots have decided to take the Brexit vote as a reason to be openly hostile to others. The more people are told that Brexit supporters are racist, the more people will believe it. There are many Brexit supporters who are horrified about the abuse and would not dream of causing offence or insult to others. Like the English football hooligans, a small minority cause trouble and disrespect for the rest of the genuine football fans.

It needs all of us to stand up to these bigots and not just tar all the Leave voters with the same brush. FYI by the way I voted remain but I know many who voted leave and are not rasist in any way.

Well said, Crafting.

There is so much generalisation. All Brexiters are racist, all old people voted to leave, all remainers are ultra right wing!

I think most people are just hoping to muddle along without too many changes. And they just want to carry on getting on with the people around them.

Not personally heard or seen any racism since the vote. What I have seen is that some EU' immigrants are feeling unwelcome and worried about their future.

www.hulldailymail.co.uk/siemens-boss-juergen-maier-backs-hull-but-wants-end-to-xenophobic-abuse-after-brexit/story-29465381-detail/story.html

Even the boss of Siemens has experienced xenophobia, despite living in the UK for forty years.

Like anya I have not witnessed any racism since the referendum outcome.

What I have observed as I am out and about in SW London, are many examples of people being extra polite, friendly, and ... nice to any "foreigners" they come across (for instance bus drivers) and ... me! (I have a South African accent).

durhamjen that article presents what he said in a skewed fashion, including the headline. And now you're perpetuating that!

Yes but London voted 75% to remain, people here traditionally more diverse communities. It was places with little , or more recent, immigration which seem to be more fixated on it.

Mr Maier said: "We're just going to have to accept there is going to be uncertainty. In that period of uncertainty look for opportunities to offset those barriers.

"We can give a lot of reassurance, particularly with what we have here (in the UK) today. We have 13 factories, we are totally committed to them, we see a good market here. But any future investments we might be thinking about, certainly in terms of new activities to export business, we don't know what the trading arrangements are.

"One example is our Hull blade manufacturing facility that we are building right now, creating 1,000 jobs. The good news is those 1,000 jobs that we are going to create, we are totally committed to.

"But actually the really big prize was always exporting that technology and not just our blades but to build a whole new industry around Hull and the Humber to be exporting technology for offshore wind turbines and that is going to be much more difficult to achieve in the short term. I'm hoping well find ways to do that in the long term but right now , its just a little bit uncertain."

"This xenophobic language, and I've personally experienced some of that as well, that really has not been great for Great Britain and we just have to root it out and get back to what Britain is which is a tolerant and an open economy."
Read more at www.hulldailymail.co.uk/siemens-boss-juergen-maier-backs-hull-but-wants-end-to-xenophobic-abuse-after-brexit/story-29465381-detail/story.html#7GHwjQK2dzokiUUl.99

Try wearing a safety pin on your lapel. It shows that you are 'safe' to talk to.

I think the press are having a field day with this having run out of things to speculate on to interest those who are fed up of post-brexit and bored by all the leadership shenanigans.

This can become a self-fulfilling prophecy as it could easily whip up those elements of society who are looking for someone to hate.

Sure suzie re London. But I should have added, I travelled up to Ware last week via Tottenham Hale ...

It is sickening that people should behave in this way and I am beyond shocked that a GP should do so - definitely a complaint to the GMC called for. That is so unacceptable.

These racist bigots are thankfully in the minority and most immigrants know that - but that will not stop them feeling vulnerable sadly.

I was with a lady from Poland a few days after the result and she came up and hugged me as usual and we got on with what we had to do - she did not express any concern abut the vote and I did not bring the subject up.

Hopefully some of this will die down - but there will always be bigots. Some of them are simply afraid - for their jobs, their children's school places etc an their fear is expressed in anger.

There should be zero tollerence to race hatred not only with regard to EU citizens but also antisemitism, islamophobia, the use of banned Muslim Organisations flags flying and any hate preaching by religious or indeed any person in the UK.

I am not excusing any bad behaviour, I am not denying it is happening but I am saying Brexit has a role to play but Brexit is not , has not been the sole reason for hate crime.

Remember how at times, even on GN, some are quick to blame the far right for hate crimes! Take the imam murdered in Rochdale, it turned out to be a fellow Muslim. The fire at the Baitul Mosque was reported as being an islamophobic attack, it turned out to be a 14 year old boy. There was the case of two Eastern Europeans who were arrested for bomb attacks on mosques in the midlands.

There always has been and, unfortunately, always will be those who blame all their problems on "foreigners". All we can do is challenge it whenever we can.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/04/david-lammy-receives-death-threat-after-eu-referendum-result

MP's from all parties are getting death threats for so many reasons but always by the virtual insane. Look at the language used by some about our MP's on GN.

r-mp-neil-coyle-reports-death-threat-over-support-for-syria-air-strikes-to-police-a6759686.html

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jul/05/worker-portland-communications-pr-firm-allegedly-behind-labour-coup-receives-death-threat

www.mfr.co.uk/localnews/mp-david-mundell-received-death-threats-after-syria-airstrikes-vote/

www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/jewish-mp-i-was-given-death-threats-and-called-a-dirty-little-pig-9917127.html

Who are the virtual insane? Are they different from the real insane?
I haven't read any bad language on GN, perhaps you can point it out.
We all know MPs receive hate mail, so does that make it ok? An MP was murdered recently, she got hate mail too.

I've just shared this on Facebook.

Perhaps this is what can unite the Remainers and the Brexiters? I voted leave, but immigration certainly wasn't the sole reason and ethnic cleansing wasn't on my agenda at all.