Majority of migrants feel Brexit vote has increased levels of racism

FOUR in five migrants living in Oldham feel that the EU referendum result has had an impact on their life, from increasing the cost of living to increasing the frequency of hate incidents, xenophobia and discrimination.

The findings come from research carried out by the Migrants' Rights Network (MRN), examining migrants' experiences of Brexit and immigration policies in the UK.

The research also found that four in ten migrants living in Oldham have experienced hate incidents in the local area.

MRN interviewed more than 270 respondents living in four locations - Oldham, Wolverhampton, Boston, and Barking and Dagenham - which had a majority leave vote in the EU referendum and have a high non-UK born population.

Respondents ranged from under 18 years of age to over 46 years, with more than half having lived in the UK for five years or more.

The research also found that a majority of migrants in the local area think that the leave vote was driven by a belief that there are too many migrants in the UK or a desire for some of them to leave.

Respondents from Oldham felt that the leave vote was influenced by a desire to 'to get rid of the European Court' and to enable the UK to 'be more independent'.

Asked what policy changes could be made to benefit the local area, respondents in Oldham recommended better provision of ESOL classes, providing free access to legal advice and representation for people seeking asylum in Oldham and working with housing companies to provide support for refugees applying for housing.

A respondent with British Citizenship from Oldham reported that an incident they experienced had changed where they will go within the town. They said: "I was once followed by a group of young, white males. They just walked behind me and kept making racist remarks and fun of me.

"It has put me off from walking in that area at evening time."

Fizza Qureshi, director of MRN, said: "Brexit means that the immigration policy will be re-shaped over the coming years.

"Our research shows how important it is we don't exclude the people at the centre of the discussion - migrants themselves. If we do, we risk making the debate even more negative and polarised, while failing to address the issues facing our communities.

"In Oldham, it's clear the referendum vote has impacted on migrants' lives.

"If we want to build strong local communities and reassure migrants locally, the issues of xenophobia, racism and discrimination need to be tackled.

"Treating everyone, wherever they come from, with respect is the best way to build bridges in communities and create a more positive debate about immigration."