After Brexit Vote, U.K. Sees A Wave Of Hate Crimes And Racist Abuse

[GennGreymane]

http://www.npr.org/sections/parallel...ntent=20160629

Dog excrement thrown at a German woman's door. "Go back to Africa" screamed at a military veteran. A Polish cultural center vandalized. Born-and-bred Britons told to "go home." Why? Because "we voted you out."

Police in the U.K. have registered a noticeable rise in hate speech and complaints of racial abuse since last week's historic vote to pull Britain out of the European Union. The National Police Chiefs Council reported Monday that there had been a 57 percent jump in hate crime reports to its online reporting site since Friday, compared with the same time frame a month ago.

The country's successful "Leave" campaigners are quick to point out that the abusive incidents do not represent the majority of pro-Brexit voters. Rather, they say, a small minority with extreme views has been emboldened and seems to take the referendum victory as a sign that much of the country agrees with them.

'I'm So, So Scared'

Amateur video taken Tuesday on a Manchester tram shows white youths verbally assaulting and threatening another passenger who had asked them to quit using foul language. (Warning: the video contains profanity.) One of the teenagers yells, "Get back to Africa!" while another sprays beer in the man's direction. Manchester police have made three arrests.

In Cambridgeshire, cards reading "Leave the EU/No more Polish vermin" appeared outside some homes and schools after the vote. Poles make up the largest number of EU citizens living in Britain.

And an audibly distressed German woman called LBC, a U.K. talk radio outlet, on Tuesday to say she was too scared to leave her house in London, which she said was in a quiet, middle class neighborhood. Dog excrement was thrown at her door and she was told to "Go back home."

Describing herself as a widow who'd been married to a British doctor, she gave her first name as Karen and said she'd lived in London for 43 years and never experienced anything like this.

"I'm so, so scared," she said, crying. "I haven't been out of the house for three days, because I don't know what to do."

Calls To Fight Back

Amnesty U.K. has launched a new campaign to combat racism and xenophobia and political leaders are speaking out as well. London's new mayor, Sadiq Khan, who is Muslim, says he's told the metropolitan police that the city must have "zero tolerance" for xenophobic attacks.

In Parliament on Wednesday, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn referred to "vile, racist attacks" being reported "from Stoke to Stockton, from Dorset to the Clyde," and asked Prime Minister David Cameron what the government is doing about it.

"I want the message to go out of communities coming together, but I also want the message to go out that it is illegal, it is a criminal offense," said Corbyn. "We as a society will prosecute those people who commit those hate crimes."

Cameron responded by saying such attacks are "not what we do in Britain," adding "Whatever we can do, we will do to drive these appalling hate crimes out of our country."

Cameron also announced a series of new measures aimed at increasing reporting of hate crimes, boosting funding for police to improve enforcement and resources for groups dedicated to preventing hate crimes.

Ex-Labour Party leader Ed Miliband called on the U.K. Independence Party leader Nigel Farage and the official Leave campaign leaders to condemn the racist attacks. Farage denies the poster is racist, and says fear of immigration was and continues to be a legitimate and powerful concern of people in the U.K.

Late in the EU referendum campaign, Farage unveiled a giant poster widely criticized as xenophobic. It featured a stream of refugees crossing a land border in the Balkans, with the headline "Breaking Point." Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer and Remain campaigner George Osborne compared the poster to "Nazi propaganda." And even the official Leave campaign – which Farage was not associated with – condemned it.

[nacixems]

I would think all that hate was already present, some how the vote gave ppl the feeling its already to verberalize their feelings , not sure why the vote triggered this. maybe they think others feel the same way and the vote just gave me a reason?

will be interesting to see how this develops.

[Stacyrect]

What do people expect is going to happen? Imagine when it starts happening here in America, when it does the period of time in which it happens is gonna hit the history books. People are tired of being told to take a back seat, have government reach in their pockets, to support immigrants and deadbeats for which many don't give 2 shits about the country that their in or the people in it.

I for one am applauding this event

[Spectral]

London's new mayor, Sadiq Khan, who is Muslim, says he's told the metropolitan police that the city must have "zero tolerance" for xenophobic attacks.

If the same level of urgency had been present in Rotherham, Brexit might not have even happened.

[Dextroden]

Except blaming other people for your own failings accomplishes nothing.

Adapting to a changing world, economy, etc, does more to give people resources than hating on immigration. Getting an education, and using those skills to compete in the job marketplace is more apt to change your life for the better; instead people choose conspiracy theories, self deception and bitterness.

*COUGH slavery, police and all whites being blamed for all black problems COUGH*

Damn, that was a nasty one.

[Deleted]

If the same level of urgency had been present in Rotherham, Brexit might not have even happened.

Rotherham was about Middle Eastern immigrants and muslims NOT European immigrants

[Deleted]

brexit just confirmed for me that more than half people on this planet have no hope of redemption.

[mvaliz]

What do people expect is going to happen? Imagine when it starts happening here in America, when it does the period of time in which it happens is gonna hit the history books. People are tired of being told to take a back seat, have government reach in their pockets, to support immigrants and deadbeats for which many don't give 2 shits about the country that their in or the people in it.

I for one am applauding this event

You do realize you're setting up a segregated society and inviting race-wars, right? Because that is the only outcome of NOT being politically correct leads to,

[Clone]

I mean, If this where muslim extremists, they would be called that, and the peaceful rest of muslims would be left alone by the media.

Why is the media framing this like the entire leave side are racist twats that do this simply because they want foreigners to be thrown out?
Free flow of people is something you should be able to oppose without being framed as racist bigot, when you see what it does to the smaller
communities etc.

But the media in every fricken country is EU friendly, and painting the opponents as racists is the easy way for these populist cunts.
Nevermind talking about the undemocratic faceless corporate nobility that sits in Brussel and governs laws in 27 wildly different countries.

Atleast one of these countries have come to their senses.

Maybe the smaller communities need to toughen up and work harder.

[Kalis]

Rotherham was about Middle Eastern immigrants and muslims NOT European immigrants

Pakistani, not Middle Eastern, but yes.

[Spectral]

You do realize you're setting up a segregated society and inviting race-wars, right? Because that is the only outcome of NOT being politically correct leads to,

This is so absurd that it's sig-worthy.

[Shibito]

You do realize you're setting up a segregated society and inviting race-wars, right? Because that is the only outcome of NOT being politically correct leads to,

I hope this was sarcasm please let it be sarcasm.

[mvaliz]

This is so absurd that it's sig-worthy.

Oh? Care to counter it? What do you think a society driven to hate their neighbors will ultimately lead to? Because history has shown us what that leads to...

[Dextroden]

I've never been a supporter of BLM; mostly because they have 0 legislative actions, and just disrupt and yell, and pigeonhole an entire race, even the ones that support them.

And then support from dumbasses politicians that emboldened them to rush stages and start riots. I don't remember the last time people in charge of keeping the country encouraged the ruining of a large city.

But, that's fine. No one wants to be racist and address it. Just talk about how generalizations are bad and then talk about how systemic racism is a thing to blame your shortcomings on.

[Spectral]

Oh? Care to counter it? What do you think a society driven to hate their neighbors will do?

I don't think the only possible states of being are pacifistic political correctness and a society driven by hate for neighbors.

Your argument seems to be, "meet our standards of politeness or we'll punch you in the face, and you're an awful asshole if you're not sufficiently polite".

[Stacyrect]

Except blaming other people for your own failings accomplishes nothing.

Adapting to a changing world, economy, etc, does more to give people resources than hating on immigration. Getting an education, and using those skills to compete in the job marketplace is more apt to change your life for the better; instead people choose conspiracy theories, self deception and bitterness.

I have a decent job, make decent money, just got loan commitment for a multi family, their is no failure here.

When you respond with nonsense like this, it screams I have never been adversely impacted by immigration.

[garr21]

http://www.npr.org/sections/parallel...ntent=20160629

If you want to use the example of a few CHAVS acting like scum to represent and smear Exit voters i expect to see ISIS represent all of muslims Can't have it both ways Else that would be very hypocritical move from you would it not?

WE won you lost deal with it, shouting racist at the top of your lungs is what caused this vote to swing to leave.

[Stacyrect]

You do realize you're setting up a segregated society and inviting race-wars, right? Because that is the only outcome of NOT being politically correct leads to,

Absolutely not. I think your being awfully narrow minded in your assumption of black/white night/day outcomes.

[Independent voter]

Racism against immigrants is a huge problem in the US when the economy is bad. When the economy is good, immigration stops being an issue.

[Mihalik]

If you want to use the example of a few CHAVS acting like scum to represent and smear Exit voters i expect to see ISIS represent all of muslims Can't have it both ways Else that would be very hypocritical move from you would it not?

WE won you lost deal with it, shouting racist at the top of your lungs is what caused this vote to swing to leave.

You are still racist, still wrong, and you still haven't won. You won the referendum, but that doesn't mean everyone has to go along with it, or that people shouldn't do everything in their power to change the outcome.

If article 50 will be invoked, the EU must do everything in its power to aid Scotland gain its independence from the UK and dismantle the UK as a political entity.