Last week I wrote my post on the EU Remain/Leave Referendum and my angle was that not all vote Leavers were racists but all racists would Vote Leave. In this image is a compilation of tweets from people reporting racist incidents against EU citizens in the UK following the Leave vote in the Referendum.
It bears out, I think, my point about hostility to people from different countries being fundamental to the way many people voted. Racism has bubbled to the surface and become almost respectable. Don’t tell me that the vote was nothing to do with racism. There were other important factors, of course there were, but “take my country back,” or “take back control,” are dogwhistle terms. Many Leave voters seem to think that, having got their way, all EU citizens and British citizens of colour would be deported somewhere and they’d be left with an all white UK. And suddenly Germans, French, Italians have felt unwelcome in this country. Funny, that. But really not funny.
What surprises me, however, is the horrified reaction to these tweets combined with the disbelief on people’s faces, in people’s voices when I talk about some of the racism I have encountered in my life. None of this stuff is new. None of these attitudes is new. They have been there all the time except that people suddenly choose to be shocked when it’s directed against Europeans. What about the suffering of people of colour, British Citizens, whose families were invited as economic migrants to help rebuild the UK and its new infrastructure after World War II? Why are most people so willing to look away when we talk about that?
I am incensed at people’s sudden outrage. When my life was ruined by what was called ‘teasing’ at school, people told me not to take it seriously. When a colleague would pointedly use phrases such as tat everyday expression “Nigger in the woodpile,” in my presence, my boss suggested I take him out to lunch to talk about it in a civilised way. I’m not trivialising the incidents above against EU citizens in any way. They are shocking, of course, but why is racism suddenly horrific because it’s directed at white people?
I voted Leave because I believe the EU project has failed but don’t take my word for it, ask anyone in Greece.
Do I know you? You post anonymously so I don’t know who you are. My reply is delayed because I am overseas but I took the liberty of referring your comment to Alex Andreou. He is quite well known as an ex-lawyer, journalist, cookery writer, devoted son, and @SturdyAlex on Twitter. His response was: “It’s bollocks.”
I abhorred racism of any kind. However racism against white people is nothing new to me …I suffered it for 15 years in Scotland and my children were dreadfully bullied.
I also had bricks thrown through the Windows of my car when I was in Ireland ….I had an English number plate…..
A mere drop in the ocean compared with your experience, I know.
Ah yes. Actually I remember being horrified when a friend of mine also in Aberdeen because in same industry as your OH said same thing.
Abhor …. Stupid predictive text…
I’ve no personal experience of racism (though plenty of homophobia) but I also abhor it I think more than any other prejudice. Have to say I probably look like someone who’s horrified at this latest explosion of hate against immigrants but that doesn’t diminish my long held equal horror at racism against people of colour.
I think what upsets me most about what’s happening now is that this long rumbling racist subculture against (in particular I think) Muslims and Eastern European immigrants suddenly seems to have been given approval by Brexit and these people now feel they can come out into the open. Frightening sad times.
So many hate filled people. I was also shocked to see the banner that said something along the lines of inviting old, white people to die. I have not experienced racism, but I have experienced both sexism and, in recent times, ageism. I despair at the intolerance of our world.
That is shocking too. And I agree about our hate-filled world. And, of course, while the turnout among older people was high and they tended to vote Leave, many envisaged a future for their children that would include the EU. It would also seem that the overwhelming majority of younger people DID NOT USE THEIR VOTE, though those who did overwhelmingly voted Remain, so perhaps some of their ire should be directed at the people who could vote and did not bother. Rain is NO excuse.