Manchester, United Kingdom — Racism and anti-immigrant sentiment are increasingly becoming a concern across the United Kingdom, with minority communities reporting verbal abuse, physical attacks and growing hostility linked to political rhetoric.
Agnes Peters, a care worker from Manchester, said she was racially abused while returning home from work last year. According to Peters, people in a passing car told her to “go back to my country,” used racial slurs and threw objects at her.
She said only one bystander confronted the attackers, while others watched and recorded the incident.
Peters said she believed some racists had become increasingly confident about expressing their views publicly.
The concerns extend beyond attacks on individuals. Earlier this month, Oxfam, Amnesty International and 152 other organisations issued a joint statement urging the UK government to take immediate action against what they described as the growing normalisation of racist violence.
The organisations said incidents of racist violence and intimidation that were previously considered extreme were increasingly occurring on a regular basis. They linked the trend to inequality, underinvestment in communities and public services, as well as political and media narratives surrounding immigration, racism and Islamophobia.
Migration and Anti-Immigrant Protests
Immigration has remained a major issue in British political debate, particularly following Brexit.
Far-right activist Daniel Thomas, leader of the Patriot Platform group, recently drew attention after filming himself cutting an inflatable rescue boat in the English Channel while a rescue worker was reportedly still aboard.
His group has also been involved in anti-immigration demonstrations at ports including Dover and Portsmouth.
Nahella Ashraf, a Manchester organiser with Stand Up to Racism, said protests targeting migrants or asylum seekers could also result in attacks against Black people and other minorities.
She argued that racist incidents were not limited to people directly involved in anti-immigration activism but could affect wider minority communities.
Political Rhetoric
Concerns have also been raised about the role of political language in shaping public attitudes towards migrants and minorities.
Sarah Pochin, an MP from Reform UK, was criticised after making comments about migrants and refugees in relation to “indigenous white women.”
Professor Paul Jackson of the University of Northampton said political figures could contribute to the normalisation of extreme-right ideas when they adopted similar rhetoric.
Other politicians have also faced criticism over comments relating to race, immigration and Islam.
Aurelien Mondon of the University of Bath said there was a connection between the growing confidence of far-right groups and the increased presence of far-right themes in mainstream political debate.
Political Support
A recent YouGov poll cited by Al Jazeera found that Reform UK would receive 21 percent of the vote if a general election were held at the time of the survey, while Labour was on 23 percent. The poll also put support for Restore, a party further to the right of Reform UK, at 4 percent.
Meanwhile, anti-immigrant and far-right movements have also been gaining attention in countries including Germany and France.
Despite the concerns, activists in Manchester say there remains significant support for refugees and minority communities.
Ashraf said people continue to attend events supporting refugees and described encounters with children who had offered books to refugees as examples of solidarity and hope.
Source: Al Jazeera, September 23, 2026
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