UN blames UK politicians for hate crime spike

[T_i_B]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37193140

"Divisive" and "anti-immigrant" rhetoric by UK politicians during the EU referendum helped to fuel a spike in race hate crimes in the weeks before and after the vote, a UN body has said. It said prominent political figures had "failed to condemn" racist abuse and created prejudices during the campaign.

Some 3,198 hate crimes were reported from 16-30 June - a 42% rise on 2015.

The report - by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - said it was "seriously concerned" at the sharp increase, and expressed concerns at the negative portrayal of immigrants in the UK and a rise of racist online abuse. It said the EU referendum campaign had been marked by "divisive, anti-immigrant and xenophobic rhetoric".

The report added: "The committee remains concerned that despite the recent increase in the reporting of hate crimes, the problem of underreporting persists, and the gap between reported cases and successful prosecution remains significant.

[BooScout]

1. Perhaps...

But this period was also when Immigration numbers across Europe where spiking this summer as well. It's not just the UK with this dangerous rhetoric either. It's all across Europe.

I will agree that prominent political figures have failed and continue to fail to condemn racist abuse. Hell, Theresa May hadn't been in office but a scant number of days before she retreated to the alps for a nice long holiday and Corbyn is camping out in trains for photo opportunities while Smith blathers on about whatever inane thing he can come up with on any particular day.

[LeftishBrit]

3. It is definitely across Europe; and has always to some extent existed here; but there's no doubt

Last edited Sat Aug 27, 2016, 07:22 AM - Edit history (1)

that the Brexit campaign encouraged it. There were numerous reports of people explicitly using the result as an excuse for racist abuse, and even saying to immigrants and even British-born ethnic minority members, 'We voted for you to Leave, so why haven't you left yet?' And it is worse than in previous years, not just than in the time just before Brexit.

The politicians have all acted irresponsibly, and some have used dog-whistles, and the Farage lot have used worse than dog-whistles, especially in that infamous poster. But I think that the worst incitement has come not from the politicians but from the media. The Express - which nowadays is to UKIP what Pravda was to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union - is probably the worst; but the Sun and Mail are pretty bad, and have a much wider circulation. And then there are the social media hate-sites: these have existed ever since there was large-scale social media; but Brexit has expanded them and given them more respectability, as genuine anti-EU sites attract racists and lead to cross-pollination of views, as well as probably increasing traffic to the true racist sites. Sites with names like 'Get Britain Out' attract people who would not normally join racist sites, as well as those who would; and help the racist views to spread, and to give them respectability.

[BooScout]

4. If anyone ever has any doubt that the Brexiters are racist....

...come speak to me.

When I hear anti-immigrant rants and I point out that I too am an immigrant to the UK...the response is ...."Yes, but you are the 'good' type of immigrant." .....ie, I'm a native English speaker and I am white.

[LeftishBrit]

2. I am sure they are right - though the media have been much worse on this than the politicians