Editing Xenophobia (section)

====United Kingdom====
{{See also|Racism in the United Kingdom|Islamophobia in the United Kingdom}}

The extent and the targets of xenophobic attitudes in the United Kingdom have varied over time. It has resulted in cases of discrimination, riots and [[Hate crime#United Kingdom|racially motivated murder]]s. Racism and Xenophobia were mitigated by the attitudes and norms of the [[British class system]] during the 19th century, in which race and nationality mattered less than social distinction: a black African tribal chief was unquestionably superior to a white English [[costermonger]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Malik |first=Kenan |date=7 May 2001 |title=Why the Victorians were colour blind. In the 19th century, race mattered far less than social distinction: A West African tribal chief was unquestionably superior to an East End costermonger |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/node/153394 |url-status=dead |journal=New Statesman |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816053533/https://www.newstatesman.com/node/153394 |archive-date=16 August 2021 |access-date=2 October 2021}}</ref> 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]]. Laws, including the [[Race Relations Act 1965]], were passed in the 1960s that specifically prohibited racial discrimination.<ref>J. Brown, ''[http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8360/CBP-8360.pdf An early history of British race relations legislation]'' (09/07/18). [[House of Commons Library]], Briefing Paper, Number 8360.</ref>

At the 1517 [[Evil May Day]] riots in London, protestors attacked the prominence of foreigners in London wool and cloth businesses;<ref name=":1">Derek Wilson, "Evil May Day 1517: Foreign traders were attracted to the City of London by England's prosperous trade in wool and cloth. They were not always made welcome." ''History Today'' (June 2016) 67#6 pp 66–71</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Magazine |first1=Smithsonian |last2=Boissoneault |first2=Lorraine |title=On Evil May Day, Londoners Rioted Over Foreigners Stealing Their Jobs |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/evil-may-day-1517-london-riots-over-foreigners-180963090/ |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref> historians have called the event xenophobic.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Waddell |first=Brodie |date=2021-08-12 |title=The Evil May Day riot of 1517 and the popular politics of anti-immigrant hostility in early modern London |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/hisres/htab024 |journal=Historical Research |volume=94 |issue=266 |pages=716–735 |doi=10.1093/hisres/htab024 |issn=0950-3471}}</ref> Xenophobia in popular literature targeted Germans in the early 20th centuries, based on fears of militarism and espionage.<ref>Donald Gillin, "China and the Foreigner, 1911 to 1950." ''South Atlantic Quarterly'' 58 (1969): 208–219.</ref>

According to scholar [[Julia Lovell]], there has been a history of [[Anti-Chinese sentiment|sinophobia]] dating back to the early 20th century, propagated by writers like [[Charles Dickens]], which has endured to the present day with current media depictions of China.<ref>{{Cite web |last=[[Julia Lovell]] |date=30 October 2014 |title=The Yellow Peril: Dr Fu Manchu & the Rise of Chinaphobia by Christopher Frayling – review |url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/oct/30/yellow-peril-dr-fu-manchu-rise-of-chinaphobia-christopher-frayling-review |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en}}</ref>

Racism has been observed as having a correlation between factors such as levels of unemployment and immigration in an area. Some studies suggest [[Brexit]] led to a rise in racist incidents, where locals became hostile to foreigners.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi=10.1080/1369183X.2018.1451308| title=Racism and xenophobia experienced by Polish migrants in the UK before and after Brexit vote| journal=Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies| volume=45| pages=61–77| year=2019| last1=Rzepnikowska| first1=Alina| issue=1| doi-access=free}}</ref>

Studies published in 2014 and 2015 suggested that racism was on the rise in the UK, with more than one third of those polled admitting they were racially prejudiced.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-27599401|title=One third 'admit racial prejudice'|date=28 May 2014|work=BBC News}}</ref>{{needs update|date=July 2021}} However a 2019 EU survey, ''Being Black in the EU'', ranked the UK as the least racist in the 12 Western European countries surveyed.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/fra-2019-being-black-in-the-eu-summary_en.pdf | title=Being Black in the EU Second European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey|publisher=FRA}}</ref>

[[Sectarianism]] between [[Ulster Protestants]] and [[Irish Catholics]] in Northern Ireland has been called a form of racism by some international bodies.<ref>[https://www.equalityni.org/ECNI/media/ECNI/Consultation%20Responses/2020/DoJ-HateCrimeLawReview.pdf Hate Crime Legislation in Northern Ireland, Independent Review]. [[Equality Commission for Northern Ireland]], April 2020. p.53</ref> It has resulted in widespread discrimination, [[Segregation in Northern Ireland|segregation]] and serious violence, especially [[Irish War of Independence#North-east|during partition]] and [[the Troubles]].{{cn|date=December 2024}}

During the acrimonious [[Brexit]] debate, xenophobia increased in London, especially against French living in the city.<ref>Saskia Huc-Hepher, "'Sometimes there's racism towards the French here': xenophobic microaggressions in pre-2016 London as articulations of symbolic violence." ''National Identities'' 23.1 (2021): 15–39 [https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/download/758e8d0b5939f6330f53b1a88a36b6ecc3a7e15a2e2ff8bd4767a84bc9e85651/198390/Xenophobic%20Microaggressions%20in%20Pre-2016%20London_Article_Clean_May2019.pdf online].</ref>