Racism in the United Kingdom

George Cruikshank's caricature of a dinner party in 1819 held by abolitionists depicting black people as drunken, aggressive and sexually promiscuous.

Racism in the United Kingdom has a long history and includes structural discrimination and hostile attitudes against various ethnic minorities. The extent and the targets have varied over time. It has resulted in cases of discrimination, riots and racially motivated murders.

Among the populations targeted historically and today have been Jews who have experienced antisemitism for centuries; Irish people and other subsequent subjects of British colonialism; black people; Romani people; migrants and refugees. Sectarianism between British Protestants and Irish Catholics in Northern Ireland has been called a form of racism by some international bodies;[1] it has resulted in widespread discrimination, segregation and serious violence, especially during partition and the Troubles. Some studies suggest Brexit led to a rise in racist incidents and hostility to foreigners or immigrants; Poles, Romanians and other European groups have been adversely affected.[2][3][4][5]

Use of the word "racism" became more widespread after 1936, although the term "race hatred" was used in the late 1920s by sociologist Frederick Hertz.[citation needed] Laws were passed in the 1960s that specifically prohibited racial segregation.[6]

Levels of racist attitudes have declined in recent decades, although structural disadvantages persist and hate incidents continue. Studies published in 2014 and 2015 suggested racist attitudes were on the rise in the UK, with more than one third of those polled perceiving they were racially prejudiced.[7][needs update] However, according to a 2019 EU survey, the prevalence of perceived racist harassment toward people of African descent in the UK was the second lowest among the 12 Western European countries surveyed.[8]

  1. ^ Hate Crime Legislation in Northern Ireland, Independent Review Archived 26 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, April 2020. p.53
  2. ^ Rzepnikowska, Alina (2019). "Racism and xenophobia experienced by Polish migrants in the UK before and after Brexit vote". Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 45: 61–77. doi:10.1080/1369183X.2018.1451308.
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  6. ^ J. Brown, An early history of British race relations legislation Archived 2 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine (09/07/18). House of Commons Library, Briefing Paper, Number 8360.
  7. ^ "One third 'admit racial prejudice'". BBC News. 28 May 2014.
  8. ^ "Being Black in the EU Second European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey" (PDF). FRA.