Is UK Safe for Immigrants in 2024 | RIOTS IN UK
RIOTS IN UK: Today’s topic is a little challenging, but the fact is that because of what’s happening in the UK right now, we really need to discuss it. Last week there was an incident in Southport because of which three young children lost their lives and that’s devastating. What happened as a result of that was one of the worst riots in the past 13 years in the UK. Over the past few days, the UK has seen looting, it’s seen riots and even violence towards immigrants and all because of a false rumour started about the suspect. Now, if you’re readinging this article, there’s a very high possibility that you are a foreign national looking to move to the UK. So naturally you are worried.
Is this the right time to move to the UK? Are you even right and considering to move to the UK? Is it a safe country for you to be in? Let’s try and break that down by trying and figuring out,
How the UK treats its foreigners
1. Highly tolerant country
First of all, let me reassure you that the UK is probably ,one of the most tolerant countries in the world. There are people of all faiths, people have no faiths and it’s largely very accepting. We’ve never had an issue since we moved here. Of course, I have a few minor things here and there, but really nothing notable. And to be honest, you can wear what you want. You can eat what you want, practice whatever religion you want. No one really minds. And if you’re being really honest, there are lots of countries in the world which don’t offer this luxury to this, their citizens or even people visiting the country.
2. Welcoming foreigners for Decades
Now, even if you look, historically, millions of people have moved to the UK over the past few decades and they have successfully integrated themselves into society. Here, there are so many multicultural families that have been here for decades, and you can look around. Just take the example of Rishi Sunak, Priti Patel, the Asda brothers, there are so many people like that.
3. Still Hiring Foreigners
And here’s the most important thing. Even today, the UK is consistently hiring for jobs in the UK and it’s looking for foreigners to fill in those roles because it wants talented individuals to either come and study in the UK or take up jobs in the UK, because they have skill sets that the local population here doesn’t have. So they’re always looking for people from outside the country to come either study or work here.
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Legal immigration and illegal immigration
Now, that being said, there are people that are unhappy with immigration and that includes legal immigration and illegal immigration in the UK. Now, when it comes to illegal immigration, every year thousands of people illegally make their way to the UK and settle here, which honestly is very frustrating for the local population.
Public funds
One of the reasons is because of the concept of public funds. The UK provides council tax benefits, housing support, child support, a lot of other benefits like this which are all a part of the public funds. And these funds come from the taxes that people pay. And while people who come legally to the UK have one, no access to public funds and do have to actually pay taxes on everything that they earn. There are some cases where refugees get access to public funds, and obviously because of that, there are a lot of local people here who are unhappy that they have to pay their hard earned money in the form of taxes to support people who have illegally come into the country. And if you’re wondering how that impacts you, because in all likelihood you are going to come to the UK through legal channels, there are people here who are not 100% sure of the difference between illegal immigrant And legal immigration.
They don’t realize that people who come through the legal channel actually end up paying taxes, paying hefty immigration fees, paying the IRS fees, and have no access to public funds. In their minds, everyone is the same, which is honestly where it gets a little messy because there will always be groups and political parties who will want to get people agitated by spreading wrong information, misinformation just so that they can get them writing and on the roads to basically push their own propaganda. Another reason why foreigners might not be liked too much is because of a lack of respect for cultures and traditions and norms in the UK. Let me give you an example. There’s this app called Nextdoor, which basically helps you connect to all the people who live close by. Last year, the number of posts and responses to those posts that came up asking people to stop bursting crackers during the rally at 11 p.m. in the night was ridiculous. Most local people were asleep at that point, so naturally you can understand why they’re getting annoyed when crackers are being burst at 11 in the night.
And the sad part is, it wasn’t just where we lived, it was pretty much in a lot of places in the UK. And this isn’t just the only example. There’s also instances of playing really loud music and having it blast through your speakers, through your cars, through your windows, having late night house parties and disturbing everybody else while they’re asleep. Not really cool. But the point is, even after all of this happens, you probably just get a polite knock on your door and someone will ask you to tone it down. Now, another reason people are unhappy is because of the strain this places on public resources. So with more number of people coming in, there’s a strain on transport, on healthcare, on education, on even just getting housing. So either the house price is all shoot up or there just aren’t enough houses.
And also the lower skilled jobs that are available in the UK start drying up because there are so many people applying for those same jobs, so your chances of getting those jobs instantly reduce. Now all of these reasons build up and just add to the strain on people over here. So understandably, there is some amount of tension which obviously does not justify riots in any way. So to cut to the chase, is the UK safe for you, or is it a racist country where you’d have to be worried all the time? Historically, that haven’t been to many instances in the recent past of wide scale tension or riots in the UK. And even now, it’s basically opportunists who are looking for opportunities to rile up other people just so that they can go out and smash stuff. And probably people who’ve never liked immigrants and blame them for all of their problems in life. And here’s the thing the riots are happening in pockets. There are some parts of the country that are not affected at all.
And of course, there are some parts where the riots are slightly concerning or more concerning at this point. So if you do plan on coming to the UK, don’t think that people are going to be horrible to you from the moment you get here. That’s really not true. Like any country, there will be people who have been fed so much of misinformation that they’re confused and they’re obviously going to behave the way they do, which is not really the best way of behaving. And then there will also be people who will be very happy to integrate, to mingle with other like minded people like you, and they’re going to be extremely respectful to you as long as you are as well.
What Important for you is to remember why you came to the UK in the first place.
You either came to work or to study, so don’t get distracted by anything else. If you hear of disturbances, do your best to avoid all of those places and stay off the streets.
Treat people with respect. It’s highly likely that you will be treated with respect if you are respectful in the first place. Respect the culture and the norms of the place that you are moving to. You aren’t in your home country anymore, and it’s important for you to remember that there might be people who are racist or rightwing. Do your best to avoid them. Don’t try and get into a debate with them. It’s not going to end well. You’re not going to change their mind about anything.
Adjust your expectations. It may take time for you to make friends here, because the thing is that India, for instance, is a lot more social and culturally inclusive and outgoing than the West. So you have to keep that in mind. And with like most disturbances, this too will pass. Life will go back to normal and the UK will continue to be a wonderful place to be. So stay focused on that. I hope this was helpful. Drop me a comment if you have any questions and thanks for Reading.
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