UK: Sharp Rise in Xenophobic and Racist Incidents Since Brexit Vote

A new online database obtained by the Independent newspaper revealed Friday an explosion of racist and xenophobic incidents in the U.K. since the country voted in the June 23 referendum to leave the EU.

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More than 500 racist incidents were documented in an accumulation of records collected by social media sites including PostRefRacism, Worrying Signs, and iStreetWatch.

The new findings provide an overview of racist attitudes and reactions in the weeks following the EU referendum result, which revealed a sharp escalation in racist acts in almost every part of the country.

The watchdog groups told the Independent in an exclusive interview that, "virtually no corner of the U.K. has been left untouched by racism—even areas that voted strongly to stay in the EU."

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According to the database, 76 percent of the incidents that took place were classified as verbal abuse, while 14 percent of the cases involved verbal threats or physical assault.

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The monitoring groups cited several examples of hate crimes such as dog faeces being hurled at mail boxes, mobs harassing people on the streets, fascist graffiti symbols, and racist treatment of children.

Around 14 percent of the incidents reported affected children, which is perhaps one of the most alarming and least expected trends, the report added.

“Racism and xenophobia are by no means new issues in the U.K., but the explosion of blatant hate post-referendum has brought them out into a very public and visible sphere,” the authors of the report warned.

Almost 6,200 hate crimes have been reported in Britain over the month since the June 23 referendum, which saw immigration become a key issue during a bitter and deeply divisive campaign.