The sharp rise in racist incidents since the EU referendum has put fear into the hearts of Britain’s migrant communities. With years of negotiations ahead, their uncertainty is likely to get worse

Among the thousands of anti-racism and other protesters who filled the streets of London last weekend, the banner carried by one young black woman stood out. It read: “I can’t believe I’m protesting this in 2016.”
The demonstration came days after  Northern Ireland’s Assistant Chief Constable, Mark Hamilton, in his role as National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for hate crime, said the increase in incidents of reported hate crime in the aftermath of the Brexit vote represented “the worst spike” the body had seen.

More than 3,000 hate crimes and incidents took place in the second half of June, 42 per cent more than in the same period in 2015. On 25 June, the day after the EU referendum result was announced, 289 racist attacks were reported across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. “I believe the referendum debate has led to an increase in reporting of hate crime. It is very clear in the last couple of weeks that more people have been aware of experiencing such incidents than we have had before,” ACC Hamilton added.

Last week, Prime Minister Theresa May told Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, that she would delay triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to begin the Brexit process until she was satisfied that a “UK-wide” approach had been reached. Potentially, that could signal years of uncertainty for migrants in Britain.

The Polish Social and Cultural Centre in Hammersmith, in west London, was an early target for a post-referendum hate crime. Days after the Brexit vote, racist graffiti was scrawled across the front of the centre. Joanna Mludzinska, its chairwoman, describes staff’s shock when they arrived that Sunday morning.