Racism on the rise in Britain
The proportion of Britons who admit to being racially prejudiced has risen since the start of the millennium according New data from British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey, prompting concerns that growing hostility to immigrants and increasing Islam phobic attitude be the media and public are setting community relations back 20 years.
The findings come as political leaders struggle to deal with the rise influence of UKIP, which campaigned on an anti-immigrant, anti-EU platform and has sent shockwaves through the political establishment and put pressure on mainstream parties to toughen their stances and hostility on immigration.
The shadow justice minister, Sadiq Khan, said the findings should come as a wake-up call. “This is clear evidence that we cannot be complacent about racial prejudice. Where it manifests itself, it blights our society. Those in positions of authority must take their responsibilities seriously. It also falls to us to address the underlying causes.” especially from Eastern Europe.
Omar Khan, acting director of the Runnymede Trust – Britain’s leading independent race equality thinktank – said all the main parties should note the data.
“This nails the lie that the problem of racism has been overcome in Britain or that somehow when Jeremy Clarkson said the things he did it is some sort of anomaly that does not tap into a wider problem.
“Politicians became too relaxed and thought that all they had to do was let things continue unhindered and that generational change would take over. But this should act as a warning shot to politicians and the public about how we see ourselves.”
Phillips said: “We have moved on from the days of racial hostility but we are still in a state of acute discomfort about racial difference.”
All age groups experienced a spike in their racial prejudice after 2002, but those born since 1980 – generation Y – and the baby boomers born between 1940 and 1959 have seen prejudice levels fall since then. By contrast, people born between 1960 and 79 – generation X – and those born before 1939 increasingly identify as prejudiced.
So what has driven the apparent growth in prejudice? Prof Tariq Modood, from Bristol University, said the findings suggested many people were conflating anti-Muslim sentiment and racial animus. “I don’t think there is any doubt that hostility to Muslims and suspicion of Muslims has increased since 9/11, and that is having a knock-on effect on race and levels of racial prejudice.”
