An observer might be forgiven for thinking that Britain is a racist country. The policies of recent Conservative governments, views expressed by former ministers and the headlines of the mainstream media would surely encourage such a view. Brexit was clearly anti-European. “Small boats” is clearly anti-immigrant. The “Windrush” scandal was and is simply racist.
I believe that we have a tolerant, diverse and inclusive society. Any impression to the contrary is largely confected to appease a quite small caucus of nationalists and influencers.
The ‘hostile environment’
In my view, these do not represent the true attitudes of the people of Britain. My lived experience, the welcome given by so many across the nation to incomers in need and the absorption in communities and employment of people from all over the world belie this impression. We know how important have been the contributions of incomers and their descendants to our armed services, healthcare, transport, and cultural life. And yet, we have ‘the hostile environment‘.
Consider refugees. Hundreds of thousands from Hong Kong and Ukraine have been warmly welcomed into communities and homes in recent years but many more who could have been similarly embraced have been refused even humanitarian sanctuary. Even at a time of workforce shortage, which might encourage employment of willing immigrants, barriers have been imposed to limit or bar entry to Syrians, Afghans or Yemenis, sometimes, ironically, desperately fleeing from effects of British arms. On what basis this preference has been based is not clear.
Treating anyone less well than others because of their religion or ethnicity is against UK and international law, but the UK government has been highly selective in their approaches to people of different origins or religion. Could it be that the greater the differences in culture and appearance, the greater is the discrimination?
Britain’s colonial legacy still being processed
In the days when Britain had its empire, society was accustomed to feeling superior to foreigners of different faiths, colour, cultures. Disappointingly, this surely survives still. Among the populace there are hard core groups of nationalist and religious racists ready to respond to demagogues and media gratuitously whipping up divisions in society. These are small, if vociferous, but unrepresentative of society as a whole.
Black British people (4% of the population) can tell of decades of discrimination which continues today. There is antisemitism in this country, but with Jews only being 0.5% of the population, this attracts disproportionate media attention, suggesting some political stimulus or partisan allegiance. There is Islamophobia too. Recently overtly articulated by more than one member of the government, despite there being far more Muslims (6.5%) than Jews in Britain to receive the offense and consequent electoral calculus, this attracts a much lower media profile. Ethnic association with terrorism and conflicts in other countries may be contributory factors. Look no further for proof of this than the impact of the events in Israel of 7 October 2023 on hate crimes in UK affecting both Muslims and Jews, surrogates in racist minds for Hamas and Israel’s Zionist government, both still processing Britain’s colonial legacy.
Discrimination against the poor
There is, though, another ‘race’ against which the ruling clique and media discriminate: the poor. On the evidence of behaviour, the Conservatives, their further-Right influencers and media regard as undeserving of rights, not only foreigners of various hues or beliefs but also those who lack agency: people without wealth; those with disabilities; the low waged. What else can be concluded from the suggestion that these be deprived of human rights, receive inadequate welfare, carry the can for the economic failures the elite themselves have caused, doing without the public services on which they above all depend and for which they thought their taxes paid? Those without the voice of money are treated as if they were lesser persons, as dependent as asylum seekers, scrounging recipients of bounty from the bursting coffers of the entitled. This is not the perception of their communities.
In Tory Britain there is just one escape route from these sorts of discrimination. Only wealth can open the Conservative door to acceptance for disregarded individuals or states. Does anyone think Rishi Sunak would be where he is today if he were not wealthy; or that UK would be value-blindly courting Saudi princes if oil had not been found beneath their desert? Why did so many foreign billionaires find a welcome in London, when other people are desperate enough to risk their lives to come here? Why would this government give instant, unqualified support to well-heeled Israel whilst withholding funding for the destitute people of Gaza (though there are complex historical reasons for both)? If this is not about wealth, should we instead call it Islamophobia?
Demonising minorities
It suits the ruling wealthy clique to reward those most like themselves but to demonise identifiable minorities who lack the wherewithal to fight back. As if this were itself not bad enough, there appears to have grown over time a hierarchy of discrimination, depending on wealth, colour, religion.
For as long as the rules of society are determined by the privileged wealthy and media barons nostalgic for a version of history confected around white privilege, this country will continue to look and act racist, but we the people will not allow it actually to BE so.
