On the subject of racism.

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I wonder whether the area you live in influences whether you hear racist comments. The fact that some posters haven't heard racism doesn't mean it isn't alive and well in the UK. I agree that this is a largely tolerant country but I see and hear racism more often than I like.
I enjoyed chatting with an African (successful asylum seeker) cab driver recently until he told me the root of the worlds problems like with the Jews. Before I could respond, he told me they own all the money in the world, Israel ought not to be allowed to exist.
I've heard local people complain the Romanians/Pakistani/all those muslims are moving closer to the largely white are of town where I live.

We have numerous African asylum seekers being housed on one of our large council estates. Several of the women were racially abused in their local supermarket last week.

I live in a very pleasant suburb just outside a former mill town. Like other similar towns, we're umbrella towns for asylum seekers because rents are cheaper than in other areas. These towns, like poor areas in the north and south east all voted Leave. Immigration was a key factor. There seems to have been a falsely encouraged belief that we'd close our borders, and even send people back (what to warn torn African countries?)

Can it not be the whole time leading up to the vote we heard of immigrants , politicians saying it is not racist to speak out against immigration, even Boris Johnson made his offensive comment of Obama having a Kenyan father. So Brexit didn't start racism but it certainly opened the flood gates for racists to openly express their racist views.

I have not heard one racist comment in my town but I know throughout the country there has been a rise in racist attacks since the referendum, because I haven't personally heard such comments But accept it is true, am aware of the police reports on the news

Kelvin Mackenzie's article was in the Sun, not on television.

Sorry but I don't agree. Did you see the front pages of the populist Press during the run up to the Referendum? Full of hate, ridiculous figures, and much worse. And the Farage in front of THAT poster- and the pamphlets and door knockers and street canvassers for UKIP - pure racism and xenophobia- and yes, it has rubbed on very much in some areas of Britain - denial of such is quite incredible, really.

Just because you have not experienced in your specific area- doesn't mean it does not happen and has not increased significantly.

So racist ideas were always there and Brexit has encouraged it out in the open. Therefore it is the fault of Brexit.
Just heard tha Mishcon de Reya have been racially abused online, so people who were going to go to court with them and challenge article 50 have pulled out.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/am-i-welcome_uk_5774db0be4b08b8610d77e48

Don't care how you try and justify it, it's wrong.

Perhaps the episode you mention was racism, dj. I didn't see it either. I read about someone somewhere pulling a woman's niqab off!

The point I was trying to make is that I don't think the Brexit vote can be blamed directly for the recent upsurge in racist attacks. Brexit has not caused racism. Some people who had racist tendencies already are using the Brexit vote as an excuse (not that it is an excuse, but you know what I mean) to express what before Brexit was presumably suppressed racism. I think and hope this up surge will be dealt with and will die down.

By the way, most immigrants in Durham are American, Stansgran.
Strangely, I do not think that people will tell Americans to go home. They will assume they are on holiday.

www.google.com/url?q=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/20/fatima-manji-kelvin-mackenzie-toxic-propaganda-sun-anti-muslim&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwiT-J_04ILOAhWWF8AKHY1SCXQQFggOMAM&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNE2oFiRBnZICwIqZQ8ibmPNpctkSQ
Not on TV.

I didn't. But then I don't have time to watch much tv.

Was Kelvin Mackenzie's rant about the channel four newsreader wearing a hijab in Nice racism?
Did none of you see or read about that?

I believe the reports too, river. I still think that racism generally is not common in Britain. I know racist incidents happen and I would not like to have been in tegan's position where she heard racist or xenophobic comments a lot.

For those expressing surprise/cynicism at the reports of racism/xenophobia because you've never witnessed it ..... how many of you have witnessed child abuse, rape or murder?

There's been a reported increase in anti-immigrant incidents - I'm inclined to believe it.

Sorry, wrong poster ( I claim old age) I meant the comment to thatbags

I have never heard racist comments or incidents either.

Anya I agree, it's getting a bit like when we lived in Camelford, Cornwall.There was an incident with the mains water ( unusable for a while) and for years after , every ill was put down to ' it's the water!'

I wonder if it's a geographical thing, stansgran? Cities are supposed to be more cosmopolitan than rural outbacks and the cities I've lived in were... at least the parts I had anything to with were. But then, so were the small town and rural places I've lived in as well.

Perhaps we just don't mix with the 'right' people?

Technically speaking "bloody foreigners" isn't racist anyway. Xenophobic perhaps but not racist.

I don't recall seeing or hearing a racist attack anywhere, ever.

I think Brexit is going to get blamed for everything it possibly can (and can't) be blamed for for quite a while. It's the non-racist way of blaming someone(s) else for all that's going wrong in thr UK. Same as comments like "bloody foreigners" when you think about it, just bloody brexiters instead.

Makes a change from global warming or Iraq, I suppose.

I have neither seen nor heard anything racist since the referendum. Where is it happening?

Thanks Anya

I just don't think we should be concerned about being on benefits or working, racism is vile no matter who suffers the racist attacks .

Envy and fear? And it's part of the NIMBY syndrome (not in my back yard.)

I have a lovely ex colleague who is from Romania. He is a highly qualified mental health nurse and works in the nursing home I retired from. Since the EU referendum he has had his house egged twice and his car vandalised. The low life responsible has been arrested by the police. He is a well known troublemaker who lives on benefits. These good people come to this country to do a very difficult and often distressing job. I fail to understand what motivates these idiots.

Significant Other.