UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said racism and intolerance have escalated in the country over the past decade, disrupting social cohesion and preventing people from participating in public life.
Starmer made the remarks in the House of Commons after a lawmaker expressed concerns that racism and incitement to violence associated with it have become normalised, including among some politicians. The Prime Minister said, "We must tackle this problem because it is tearing our communities apart. Everyone in politics at all levels in this country must condemn it."
Reuters report: Political discourse fuels racism
According to a report published by Reuters on Tuesday, hate speech and racist incidents linked to immigration are on the rise in Britain. Experts and union leaders warned that rhetoric from the government and other politicians has created an environment more tolerant of overt racism.
The report said that after rare but high-impact violent incidents, right-wing activists and politicians have tried to blame immigration, escalating tensions in a country long seen as a stable haven for immigrants and ethnic minorities.
According to Reuters, British people from ethnic minorities fear the return of racist behavior associated with anti-immigrant rhetoric and political emphasis on crime.
Tensions spill into streets in Southampton and Belfast
In early June, violent protests erupted in the southern English city of Southampton the day after a British-born Sikh man was sentenced to life in prison for murdering student Henry Nowak. The same day as the conviction, a video showing police handcuffing the dying victim was released, fueling anger and prompting calls from various parties for the removal of guidelines that require police to consider ethnicity in some incidents.
A week later, in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, masked groups raided immigrants' homes following an attack in which a white man lost an eye in a stabbing by a Sudanese immigrant.
Hate crimes on the rise
Recorded hate crimes in England and Wales increased for the first time in three years in the year to March 2025. Race-based crimes rose by 6 percent, reaching 82,490 incidents.
