A wave of “hate crimes and racial abuse” has swept through the UK since the recent ‘Brexit’ vote to leave the European Union, reports the Independent.
Polish families have been among the targets of the more than 100 incidents reported, a number of it mirroring the “Go back to your country!” rhetoric we have seen here in the United States throughout Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign:
In Huntington, Cambridgeshire, there have been reports of signs saying “Leave the EU, no more Polish vermin” posted through the letter boxes of Polish families on the day of the referendum result.
Local media reported the cards were also distributed outside primary schools. One Polish student said he “felt really sad” when he discovered the sign carrying the xenophobic message.
The cards were distributed in both English and Polish.
I will be putting in a parliamentary question to find out all incidents of racial hatred in the UK this weekend compared with last week
— Jess Phillips MP (@jessphillips) June 25, 2016
these cards have actually been put through letter boxes of Polish families in Huntingdon today. I could weep pic.twitter.com/P3maK1Vasf
— fencelt (@howgilb) June 25, 2016
“F*cking foreigner, go back to your country”: just watched this outrageous racist incident in #Hackney https://t.co/87rqFKIhOv
— Shulem Stern (@ShulemStern) June 24, 2016
In another incident caught on video, a US citizen teaching abroad was subjected to racial taunts and expletives by three British teens.
The victim, Juan Jasso, is a US Army veteran born in Texas to Mexican parents. According to multiple reports, Jasso has lived in the UK for 18 years.
From The Telegraph:
Witnesses have described the abuse as ‘horrendous’ as at least three youths are seen shouting abuse at a man in a tram in Central Manchester on Tuesday morning.
The man, identified as American Juan Jasso, a former soldier who has lived in the UK for 18 years, is seen asking the teenagers to stop swearing in front of children.
But the youth shouted back: “F— get off the tram now. Don’t chat s— or get deported”.
The teenagers continued shouting at him. One of the youngster is heard saying: “Get back to Africa.”
Mr Jasso responds: “You are extremely ignorant and not very intelligent, you know that?”
One of the youths, who all appear to be holding bottles of beer, then approaches and flicks alcohol from the bottle at his victim.
As the youths get off, the victim says to himself: “Seven years in the military,” as other commuters tell the three, “You are an absolute disgrace. A disgrace to England”
The youths walk away shouting: “Salford! F****** immigrant!”
Greater Manchester Police said two men aged 20 and 18 and a 16-year-old boy had been arrested on suspicion of affray. They remain in police custody for questioning.
Video of the attack on Juan Jasso is below.
