Anti-migrant Politics Spur Resurgence of Racism in Britain, Residents Say
Rising Tensions and Changing Attitudes in Modern Britain
By Sam Tabahriti and Catarina Demony
Personal Experiences of Racism
LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - After nearly four decades in Britain, Ali Haydor says there are now days when he wishes he could hide his brown skin.
Violent protests erupted in his home city of Southampton after a British-born Sikh, who falsely accused his white victim of a racist attack, was jailed for murder.
A video of police handcuffing his dying victim, released alongside the man's sentencing on June 1, sparked outrage and cross-party calls to scrap police guidance on differing treatment by ethnicity.
A week later, gangs of masked men went door to door seeking out migrants after a white man in Belfast was stabbed multiple times and lost an eye in an attack by a Sudanese immigrant.
While such cases are rare, they have become a rallying point for right-wing activists and politicians, whose focus on crime has tapped into simmering tensions over national identity and immigration. The net result is that, for some, the Britain that has been a stable home for many ethnic minority communities has turned more hostile.
"Anybody of colour is at risk at the moment," said Haydor, a 44-year-old who moved from Bangladesh aged five. "As much as we love our heritage and identity, sometimes (I wish) we could just hide it."
Shifting Public Opinion on Immigration
Recent Trends and Polling Data
ATTITUDES ON IMMIGRATION HAVE HARDENED IN RECENT YEARS
According to the Migration Observatory, by the early 2020s Britons were more open to immigration than most of Europe but multiple polls suggest attitudes have hardened since 2022. Polling typically showed younger and left-leaning voters more favourable towards immigration than older or more right-leaning groups.
British Social Attitudes surveys suggest that much of the concern may be linked to asylum seekers arriving in small boats, not those arriving to work or study.
Racism in the Workplace and Public Services
Reuters spoke to policy experts and 10 trade unions, whose members have reported an increase in racist incidents, including some patients refusing care because of a nurse's race, an increase in racist remarks in the workplace, and migrant workers reporting experiences of racism at work.
The Royal College of Nursing, as an example, reported a 55% rise in workers experiencing racial discrimination since 2022.
Paul Rees, the head of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, said in 2025 a third of the sector's staff were Black, Asian or minority ethnic, and that many say "they are today facing the kind of abuse they haven't received in decades".
Political Rhetoric and Social Cohesion
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has repeatedly condemned all forms of racism and the violence and disorder linked to it, warning that racist language is making a return.
But union leaders and experts say political rhetoric - from the government and other politicians - has helped create a more permissive environment for overt racism.
The focus on crime, even if it does not reflect the behaviour of the vast majority of immigrants, has added to the pressure on social cohesion.
Populist political leader Nigel Farage, speaking after the Southampton protesters clashed with police, said British institutions were prejudiced against white people. Starmer strongly rejected the allegation and said Farage was seeking to exploit a tragedy to fuel division.
Haydor, a Muslim private hire driver, said his experiences with racism had reduced from the mid-1990s before it returned during politically charged moments, such as when the 2016 vote to leave the European Union focused on immigration.
But in recent weeks he said he had felt more uncomfortable. Passengers have asked for his opinion on the murder. Two told him Muslims were "not compatible" with Britain and the West.
Hardeep Singh, deputy director of the Network of Sikh Organisations, said he had reported a hate email to police calling for Sikhism to be made "extinct". He said social media had become "a cesspit of venom," and he had not seen "anything like this vitriol ever before."
Belfast Riots and Regional Unrest
Violence and Its Aftermath
BELFAST RIOTS
In Belfast, the stabbing of a local man by a Sudanese refugee who had been granted leave to remain in Britain, sparked days of unrest.
Rioters targeted the homes and businesses of ethnic minorities across Northern Ireland, burning homes and vehicles, and forcing many to flee.
Twasul Mohammed, who fled Sudan's civil war as a refugee in 2016 and lives in the British province, told Reuters "women and kids are terrified… I haven't sent my kids to school since this has happened".
She said many minority ethnic residents felt Northern Ireland had become more hostile since riots in 2024, which were part of a wave of violence that erupted across the UK following the murder of three young girls at a Taylor Swift dance class in the English town of Southport.
That attacker was initially falsely reported online to be an asylum seeker who had arrived on a boat. A 17-year-old boy, born in Britain to Rwandan parents, pleaded guilty to the crimes.
Shortly after the violence in Southampton and Belfast, a 36-year-old man was charged in Edinburgh, Scotland, after a series of attacks that Prime Minister Starmer said appeared to have an anti-Muslim motive.
Police-recorded hate crime in England and Wales rose for the first time in three years in the year ending March 2025, with racially motivated offences up 6% to 82,490 incidents.
Historical Context and Demographic Shifts
Britain's Diverse Population
ATTITUDES REGRESSING TOWARDS RACIST PAST
Britain is home to large and diverse migrant communities that historically stemmed from its days of empire. According to the 2021 Census, 18% of the population of England and Wales identified as Black, Asian, mixed, or other ethnic groups.
Legacy of Racism in Britain
While racism has a long history in Britain, rooted in transatlantic slavery and colonialism and remaining endemic throughout most of the 20th century, it has been seen as comparatively successful in integrati
