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People in the UK are sharing racist hate speech they've witnessed in the wake of Brexit
By Jenny Noyes
The first casualty of the climate of fear, hate and xenophobia whipped up in the UK throughout the Brexit campaign by those campaigning to leave the EU was Jo Cox, the Labour MP assassinated by a far-right extremist shouting 'Britain First' as he shot and stabbed her to death.
But a week later, as the UK slowly comes to grips with the shock result of the poll and what it means for the future of the British union of nations and all those who reside within, the ugly racism that coloured the lead-up to the vote only seems to have gathered succour.
Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Independence Party.Credit: AP
As those who awoke in dismay to the news on Friday feared, it appears the Leave win is seen by many as a mandate for hate speech against immigrants and non-white Britons.
For those who voted out of the EU in the hope of seeing the UK imminently shutting its borders to foreigners, the glee is spilling out onto the streets, onto public transport, into schools and restaurants. It's suddenly become OK to tell a stranger to pack their bags and get out.
Witnesses and victims of this hate speech have taken to social media to document what they're hearing and seeing on the streets of the UK, and it's not pretty.
A Facebook group has now started after one woman, Sarah Childs, began a photo album containing screen shots of all the stories she came across about these incidents. She called it, simply and aptly, 'worrying signs'.
The group of the same name, started by Childs and her two friends Yasmin Weaver and Natasha Blank, has gathered more than 5,000 members in just 12 hours.
Blank told Daily Life they decided to create the group after Childs' album started being shared by strangers around the world, and the three friends were receiving private messages from people who wanted to share their stories. Although Childs has been targeted by "angry Brexiters", she said, they are hoping the group will be able to raise awareness and bring people together in this anxious time.
"This is not about berating the people who voted Leave," Blank said. "It's about looking at how we can recover from what has been a very divisive campaign about our future as a country. Hopefully, this group can be a safe space where we can see and talk about the reality of what is happening here.
"This insidious racist mentality is real, quantifiable and needs to be addressed at the highest level."