Xenophobia in Britain surges after Brexit

Nearly a week after the Brexit referendum, while political and economic issues are still being debated, xenophobia is on the rise in this foggy country.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MBC) said that since June 24, immediately after the Brexit referendum result was announced, hundreds of incidents of insulting and blasphemy against Muslims have occurred. Police also confirmed that in the city of Huntingdon, where a large number of Polish immigrants live, many derogatory leaflets have appeared.

An anti-immigration poster appears on the street in Newcastle, UK. (photo: Twitter).

The Polish Embassy in London has expressed concern about the discrimination against Polish citizens and other foreign communities since the referendum. On June 26, the Polish Cultural Centre in London was also targeted with racist graffiti.

The head of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, on June 28 urged Britain to act quickly to stop the wave of xenophobia and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“I am particularly concerned about the rise in xenophobia, extremist threats and attacks against the expatriate and migrant communities in the UK,” said Al Hussein. “The UK’s decision to leave the European Union should not give some people the wrong idea that they have the right to discriminate against foreigners. We hope that this behaviour will soon end.”

Speaking to the British Parliament earlier this week, Prime Minister David Cameron expressed concern about the wave of xenophobia in the UK, especially incidents targeting the Polish community.

Xenophobic incidents mainly targeted the Polish community in Britain. (photo: AP).

Mr Cameron also pledged to fight xenophobia and protect foreign communities in the UK: “I spoke to Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and expressed my concern about the attacks that have occurred and assured her that the UK will do everything possible to protect Polish citizens in our country. Poland is a country that will be sad to see the UK leave the EU, as we have similar views on many issues. The UK is committed to maintaining the strongest possible trade relationship between our two countries in the years to come.”

There have been large numbers of Poles living in the UK since the Second World War and their numbers have increased since Poland joined the European Union in 2004. According to official statistics, there are currently around 790,000 Poles living in the UK and this is the second largest foreign community in the UK after the Indian community.

Brexit supporters argue that the EU has allowed unrestricted migration to Britain from Eastern Europe, which has made the Polish community the target of xenophobia in Britain.

According to analysts, xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiments have not only recently emerged in the UK. In fact, xenophobia has been simmering in the UK in particular and Europe in general since last year, with many attacks targeting immigrant and refugee housing such as in Sweden or typically in Germany.

The issue of immigration has also been exploited extensively by Brexit supporters throughout the campaign. And that is the reason why it has exploded more strongly right after the results of the UK referendum./.

According to VOV