Although the UK tries to project an image of diversity and strong human rights protections, it still struggles with an increase in hate crimes and the spread of far-right ideologies. Tensions escalated in 2024 after the murder of three young British girls. False claims that the attacker was a Muslim immigrant circulated, sparking violent riots. Police later confirmed that the murderer was a British-born man, but anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant backlash had already taken hold. As UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer states: “People in this country have a right to be safe and yet, we’ve seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques, other minority communities singled out, Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on the police, wanton violence alongside racist rhetoric.”
A Tendency to Lash Out Against the “Other”
In the UK, racism is often a coping mechanism for alienation, unemployment, and loss of community, which are all experiences that breed deep insecurities. Far-right nationalist ideologies can appear appealing as a way to channel frustration toward minorities and avoid self-reflection. Illustrating this perspective, one British man blames his unemployment on migrants, despite having a criminal record for assault.
Unfortunately, those insecurities frequently turn into hatred. Various subcultures, such as the second-wave skinhead subculture of the 1970s, and political groups, like the far-right and fascist National Front political party, have emerged, influenced by exclusionary values. Government policies, including the 2012 ‘Hostile Environment’ policy, have restricted access to work, housing, and healthcare for undocumented migrants, and anti-immigrant public ad campaigns reinforce negative stereotypes and shape public attitudes by criminalising those perceived as “not British.”
Credit: andrew, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
An Unwillingness to Address National Wrongdoings Head-on
Educational institutions have contributed by whitewashing Britain’s imperial history. The school curriculum largely ignores negative histories regarding Britain’s role in colonisation and the slave trade, while also overlooking the many ways in which immigrant communities have positively contributed to building modern Britain. Studying history in London, we covered topics such as the Royal lineage, Native Americans, and the Holocaust, which tended to highlight the crimes of other nations rather than Britain’s own. I never learned how the countries colonised by England contributed to its development, since this was not part of the curriculum.
For example, the Windrush generation from the Caribbean were invited to assist in rebuilding Britain and its economy following World War II, after which they were granted citizenship and the right to live and work in Britain. However, during the ‘Hostile Environment’ era, it was revealed that the Home Office had failed to keep records or issue proof of legal status for many Windrush migrants, destroying landing cards in 2010. This led to decades-long residents who, unable to prove their right to stay, faced threats to their livelihoods and, in some cases, wrongful deportations.
Number of hate crimes recorded by the police with racial or religious motivations
Credit: UK Home Office via CNN World
Root Out Discriminatory Mindsets: Build an Inclusive Future
Genuinely addressing these issues will require stronger enforcement and better identification of hate crimes, which remain seriously under-reported, allowing discrimination to go unchecked. To tackle the emotional roots of racism, education must cultivate an inclusive mind by going beyond facts and statistics to build genuine understanding of minority histories, cultures, structural inequalities, and their contributions to society. At the same time, fostering strong communities that reduce social isolation and encourage shared support helps replace fear and allows people to empathise with those of different backgrounds, creating not just a diverse society but an inclusive one as well.
This article was written by a guest contributor, K. Kanli.
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