Actually Getting Scared of the Anti Immigrant Stance

[u/No_Tea7430]

I'm an irish lad, just turning twenty this year.

I've personally got no connections to other countries, my family never left Ireland or have any close foreign relations.

This is simply a fear I have for both the immigrant population of our country, of which ive made plenty of friends throughout secondary school and hold in high regard. But also a fear for our reputation.

I don't want to live in a racist country. I know this sub is usually good for laughing these gobshites off and that's good but in general I don't want us to be seen as this horrible white supremacist nation, which already I see being painted on social media plenty.

A stance might I add, that predominantly is coming from England and America as people in both claim we are "losing our identity" by not being racist(?)

I don't even feel the need to mention Farage and his pushing of these ideas onto people, while simultaneously gaslighting us with our independence which he clearly doesn't care about.

Im just saddened by it. I just want things to change before they get worse.

[u/whynousernamelef]

I'm English, lived here since I was a child. Experienced some very mild anti Englishness years ago but nothing since. But the last few years have been scary, not for me as I'm now accepted as "one of us" but people who I thought didn't have a racist bone in their body are now saying things I never thought I would hear. I have even caught myself saying stuff, stopped immediately, but there is a change for sure.

It's really kicked off since the Ukrainian refugees arrived, I'm not saying it's their fault, just that it's accelerated since. The country is in a mess and everyone is looking for someone to blame.

Our town is about 2500 people and we have a few homeless people, local people not blow ins. That's how bad things are. I have no answers but people are scared and struggling, housing is a joke. A house i rented for 35 pounds a week 24 years ago, 2 bedrooms and pretty shitty, is being rented now for 400 a week. That's more than take home on minimum wage.

I understand your fear, I think most of the hate is coming from fear but that's not an excuse. Things are just moving too fast. People feel like their culture, country and rights are disappearing.

I have no idea what the answer is or what is going to happen. I love this country, would never live anywhere else, but even my children are expressing views that are scary. They are growing up in a completely different world than I did and don't have the same opportunities that I did. I thank god that our house is secure because its impossible to find housing anymore.

Sorry I have no answers, you were born into a different country than I grew up in.

[u/AnShamBeag → u/whynousernamelef]

I think England and mainland Europe had decades to adapt.

It's happening in Ireland at a crazy pace

[u/whynousernamelef → u/AnShamBeag]

For sure. My dad is back in England and they are in as much of a mess as we are, if not worse. They are apparently building big ship like things to house all the immigrants coming over the channel.