Racism: can you really trust someone you ‘tolerate’?

Many white communities up and down the country feel terrified at the changes they see in their local areas due to the influx of foreigners of all shades in recent years. The latest government projections show that the population of England is set to grow by 9.5 million over the next 25 years, and 70% of this increase will be the result of immigration. Figures like these make people worry. The familiar Britain that people grew up in is disappearing and leading to growing mistrust of the people around us, whose cultures and behaviour we no longer recognise.

There is often a disconnection between a person's public and private life. It would nowadays be unacceptable to call someone a ‘coon’ or post a sign saying ‘No Irish, no blacks, no dogs’ in a public arena. But in many households up and down the country, racism is alive and kicking. This is indicated by the re-emergence of the British National Party (BNP). It is also evident in the way some respondents to the JRF consultation spoke about a greater fear of the ‘other’ – in other words, fear leading to dislike or even hatred of people of a different race. Although there have been big improvements in 30 years in the way people express their racism, we are starting to lose some of the ground gained in this area. Growing mistrust means we mix less now than ever before. It has led to ‘white flight’ from some urban areas as the indigenous population move out to more exclusive areas in an attempt to recapture a piece of ‘the old Britain’ as they see it.