It started off as an issue of national resources
In England, it was extremely unacceptable to make remarks that were racist and no one actually did, apart from a small percentage of people. We have a massive mixed culture, especially in London. But I have noticed when I go home now, that there is talk that is divisive. I see it with religion more than race.
Germany is a good example of this division - nearly half of the people are very welcoming of the refugees from Syria and it was always going to be a temporary change. People believed that they would return when things settled. But because Germany has an open policy, a lot of other nationalities have gone there, leaving Germans divided.
Just this week, I was watching a clip of a woman from Berlin who was very anti-immigration, claiming that they would make the immigrants pack up and send them back to wherever they came from. So, while you do have such comments being made in public, I don’t think it started off as racism. What is happening now is that people find that their country is no longer what it used to be. I think it has a lot to do with job security, about schools and livelihood - that is one of the main reasons people voted ‘Leave’ in the Brexit referendum, because they can’t get national health fast enough, because their children aren’t able to get into schools anymore and they feel their country simply doesn’t have the resources.
As for social media, it is very rare for me to find racist comments on my newsfeed, but whenever I do, I simply ignore it. I don’t need to comment on it and make it an issue. In the worst case, I would just unfriend people who are sharing such content.
From Ms Karen Brady
Global recruiter living in Dubai