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Russian expats in London falling foul of racial abuse
| Published: | 12 Apr at 6 PM |
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As the immature, spoilt children now running the world’s most powerful nations continue their undignified posturing, Russian expats in Britain are facing increasing incidents of racial abuse.
For centuries, London has been a melting pot of nationalities brought together by diverse reasons including business, political upheavals, persecution and the city’s need for workers. Whist racism in some form has always existed, nowadays it seems it’s a way of life for far too many Brits who have no respect for their fellow humans and are being influenced by prejudices imported from across the pond.
In the USA, the Trump presidency has brought Russia into the firing line in a way not seen since the Cold War ended decades ago, with the racialist rot seemingly spreading to the UK’s capital city and its long-term Russian communities. One Russian expatriate living and working in London says admitting her origins feels similar to saying she’s got a contagious, life-threatening disease expected to end her life during the next few weeks. Unpleasant reactions from those to whom she’d given her surname ended promising connections, to the extent she decided to use a British surname in casual conversations.
One comment by her physiologist during a visit dealing with pain in her neck and shoulders was almost the last straw. After admitting to the physio she was Russian, the woman’s reply was that Brits don’t like Russians due to the Cold War and oligarchs’ purchases of expensive London properties. At this point, the expat lost her belief in the treatment and the physio lost her customer once the session had ended. Perhaps the worst thing was that the physio didn’t realise very few overseas-based Russian nationals are in favour of what’s happening in their beloved home country.
According to the Russian expat, those heading to a life in the UK often believe Western culture is all about tolerance and understanding, thus getting an unpleasant shock when the truth dawns. Basically, those who realise tolerance is a result of education, the challenging of personal hypocrisies and life experience itself simply can’t understand those who believe they’re better than others simply because they’re born in the UK. There’s no excuse for the insulting labels she’s encountered, including ‘whore’, ‘criminals’, ‘hookers’ and suchlike, especially when directed at incomers who’re giving of their best to their adopted country.
For centuries, London has been a melting pot of nationalities brought together by diverse reasons including business, political upheavals, persecution and the city’s need for workers. Whist racism in some form has always existed, nowadays it seems it’s a way of life for far too many Brits who have no respect for their fellow humans and are being influenced by prejudices imported from across the pond.
In the USA, the Trump presidency has brought Russia into the firing line in a way not seen since the Cold War ended decades ago, with the racialist rot seemingly spreading to the UK’s capital city and its long-term Russian communities. One Russian expatriate living and working in London says admitting her origins feels similar to saying she’s got a contagious, life-threatening disease expected to end her life during the next few weeks. Unpleasant reactions from those to whom she’d given her surname ended promising connections, to the extent she decided to use a British surname in casual conversations.
One comment by her physiologist during a visit dealing with pain in her neck and shoulders was almost the last straw. After admitting to the physio she was Russian, the woman’s reply was that Brits don’t like Russians due to the Cold War and oligarchs’ purchases of expensive London properties. At this point, the expat lost her belief in the treatment and the physio lost her customer once the session had ended. Perhaps the worst thing was that the physio didn’t realise very few overseas-based Russian nationals are in favour of what’s happening in their beloved home country.
According to the Russian expat, those heading to a life in the UK often believe Western culture is all about tolerance and understanding, thus getting an unpleasant shock when the truth dawns. Basically, those who realise tolerance is a result of education, the challenging of personal hypocrisies and life experience itself simply can’t understand those who believe they’re better than others simply because they’re born in the UK. There’s no excuse for the insulting labels she’s encountered, including ‘whore’, ‘criminals’, ‘hookers’ and suchlike, especially when directed at incomers who’re giving of their best to their adopted country.
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