TUC poll: 1 in 3 BAME people have witnessed or experienced racist abuse since Brexit vote

17 Mar 2017 12:16 PM

Over a third (34%) of Black, Asian or minority ethnic people (BAME) witnessed or experienced racial abuse in the seven months following the Brexit vote in June 2016, a TUC poll has found.

The ICM/TUC poll of over 1,000 BAME working adults also found that since the referendum:

The poll is part of a major TUC project to combat racism in the workplace, which will document the British BAME experience of racism and harassment, and set out ways to tackle it.

The TUC is calling on the government to:

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“Brexit has given racism a new lease of life. Discrimination has never gone away, but since the referendum racism has been on the rise.

“The scale of abuse is shocking. We have to come together and draw a line in the sand about what is acceptable in modern Britain in 2017 – and the government has to take a lead. It’s unacceptable that shop workers, bus drivers and street cleaners face abuse from members of the public – and their employers don’t have to do anything to protect them. 

“Anyone who has been harassed or mistreated at work should talk to their union rep or join a trade union. And we all have a responsibility to call out racist harassment wherever we see it.”

Notes to Editors: