UK Hate Crimes Spike After Brexit ‘Leave’ Vote


According to recent reports, the controversial Brexit vote has caused hate crimes in the UK to spike dramatically. The Brexit vote was a nail-biter, and polls the day before citizens hit the ballot boxes indicated that the UK was going to vote to stay in the EU. However, when all of the Brexit votes were counted, the UK had voted to leave the EU by a margin of 51.9 percent to 48.1 percent. The final vote took place last Thursday, and it was on Thursday that the spike in UK hate crimes began to be noticed.

According to an ABC News report, the recent UK hate crimes spike was recorded from last Thursday to Sunday, and compared to the same timeframe last month, hate crimes in the UK had jumped an incredible 57 percent following the Brexit vote. That statistic was reported by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, which represents British police chiefs.

Many people reported that they voted to leave in the Brexit referendum because they were concerned about immigrants in the UK, and many of the hate crimes recorded in the spike appear to be racially and/or religiously motivated.

Prime Minister David Cameron spoke out against the spike in UK hate crimes on Monday. He insisted that the UK “won’t stand for hate crimes,” adding that such criminal activity has to be “stamped out.”

Unfortunately for the reputation of those supporting UK “nationalism” by way of voting to exit the EU, the aftermath of the Brexit vote has been anything but civilized. Social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, blew up following the Brexit vote and over the weekend as people reported hate crimes perpetuated throughout the UK. Many of the victims of the spike in UK hate crimes involved immigrants as well as natural-born residents of the UK of South Asian descent.

The Muslim community in the UK has also been bearing the brunt of the rage seemingly inspired by the Brexit vote last week. The Muslim Council of Britain reported that “over 100 hate incidents” had happened to members of the Muslim community in the UK following or as a result of the Brexit vote.

Another minority group in the UK, Polish immigrants, has been targeted by hate crimes in the spike following last week’s historic vote. In the UK, Polish immigrants often do low-paying jobs to make ends meet.

According to reports from many local UK news outlets several UK towns were targeted with anti-Polish hate crimes during the spike in such activity over the last few days. In Huntingdon, signs reading “No more Polish vermin” were distributed and taped up around town. In Hammersmith, a Polish gathering center was tagged with graffiti.

It’s unclear if local authorities in the UK will be able to stem the tide of hate crimes represented in the recent spike. The UK and the world are still reeling from the social and economic backlash related to the Brexit vote. Prime Minister Cameron has announced that he will be stepping down and that negotiating the Brexit with the EU will be a responsibility that falls to his successor.

The British Pound is at historically low levels, and it continues to fall. As do stock markets around the world, which have been shaken by the economic instability triggered by the Brexit vote.

Even U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump has gotten in on the Brexit madness, promising that similar legislation will be in the works for the United States if he is elected. Such words from a man a step away from the White House have done nothing to calm fears or help stabilize a skittish and uncertain global economy.

As petitions swirl for a new Brexit vote, (as CNN reports, millions in the UK want a do-over), it’s likely that the spike in UK hate crimes will continue. The divide between those who want to stay and the majority that opted to leave is a deep one, and many UK citizens are reportedly regretting their “Go” Brexit votes. Only time will tell if the spike in UK hate crimes will (at least in part) compel the nation to rethink its Brexit plans.

[Photo by Mary Turner/Getty Images]

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