Instances of Racism and Xenophobia Documented Across Britain Following Brexit Vote
A surge in racist, xenophobic speech and graffiti has swept across the UK in the weekend following the country’s vote to leave the European Union, known as Brexit.
On Sunday morning, racist graffiti was discovered on the entrance of the Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) in west London, The Guardian reports. The message has since been washed off and neither the police nor the POSK have confirmed precisely its wording.
Police are also investigating an incident in Huntingdon, where people allegedly passed out cards in the hours after the referendum vote on Friday, which read “Leave the EU/No more Polish vermin” in English and Polish, according to Cambridge News.
Baroness Warsi, the former chairwoman of the Conservative party and fair-weather supporter of the Leave campaign, told Sky News that since the referendum immigrants have been stopped in the streets frequently and told to leave:
I’ve spent most of the weekend talking to organisations, individuals and activists who work in the area of race hate crime, who monitor hate crime, and they have shown some really disturbing early results from people being stopped in the street and saying look, we voted Leave, it’s time for you to leave.
Many have been documenting the hate speech on social media, using the hashtag #PostRefRacism.
So far, the vitriolic words have primarily been directed toward Polish immigrants:
Hammersmith Polish Club opened 1967. Existed peacefully & unhindered for half century. Until last night, when daubed with message 'go home'.
— Dan Levene (@danlevene) June 26, 2016
This is believed to be the note targeting the Polish residents of Cambridgeshire, now under police investigation. pic.twitter.com/R4a9hEv1T7
— Jakub Krupa (@JakubKrupa) June 25, 2016
Disgusting RT @fionaand: Older woman on the 134 bus gleefully telling a young Polish woman and her baby to get off and get packing.Horrific.
— ChanChan-Amos (@ChanChanAmos) June 25, 2016
As well as Muslims (or those whom the perpetrators mistake for Muslim) residing in the UK:
This evening my daughter left work in Birmingham and saw group of lads corner a Muslim girl shouting "Get out, we voted leave". Awful times
— Heaven Crawley (@heavencrawley) June 24, 2016
Last night a Sikh radiographer colleague of mine was told by a patient "shouldn't you be on a plane back to Pakistan? we voted you out" 😞
— Dr. M. Ali Abbasi (@drmaliabbasi) June 26, 2016
While some have been voicing their opposition to all immigrants:
My girlfriend just sent me this photo from #Newcastle. Absolutely unbelievable #BrexitBritain #Brexit #EUref pic.twitter.com/EhA96ZUHSq
— daniel watson (@DWxLW) June 25, 2016