Many second- and third-generation immigrants still recall that day in 1979 when Southall, home to thousands of South Asian migrants who had built their lives and businesses against the odds, stood face to face with the National Front as it marched its hatred into the heart of their community.
The Southall riots laid bare a harsh truth: Britain’s far-right was emboldened, its institutions often complicit and recent events across the country serve as a stark reminder of that past and compels us to ask: where is this nation truly headed?
Asking this question and reflecting on it has become vital for citizens, politicians and opposition leaders both here and abroad. In the UK, anti-immigration protests have intensified. Just recently, clashes erupted between anti-fascist activists, anti-migrant demonstrators and police officers. Fights broke out as counter-protesters and police confronted each other; officers drew their batons and ordered crowds to “get back” while trying to separate the opposing groups.
The unrest in the southwest city centre was one of about 30 demonstrations held nationwide, including in Exeter, Nuneaton, Liverpool, Wakefield, Newcastle, Tamworth, Cannock in Staffordshire, Horley in Surrey, and Canary Wharf in central London.
Additionally, Keir Starmer and the Labour Party’s position on immigration remains deeply inconsistent. On one hand, the Prime Minister celebrates Britain’s diversity at No 10; on the other, he warns about the nation becoming “an island of strangers.” While the ruling party tries to match Reform UK’s “Britain First” rhetoric, it continues to struggle with controlling illegal migration.
British Asians expelled from Uganda in 1972 left behind generations of wealth, history, thriving businesses, and vibrant communities to rebuild their lives in the UK. Arriving to a cold climate, stark cultural differences, and often open racism and hostility, they could never have imagined that decades later they would once again witness a similar rhetoric around race and immigration.
What future are we looking towards?
It never gets easier when a six-year-old is bullied for her Indian roots in Ireland , or an 80-year-old man loses his life to the racial hatred of teenagers in the UK.
Six-year -old girl Nia Naveen, the young girl of Indian heritage comes from Kottayam, Kerala and was attacked while playing outside her home in Waterford City, southeast Ireland. A group of children, reportedly aged between 12 and 14, allegedly assaulted her while hurling racist slurs, calling her “dirty” and telling her to “go back to India.”
According to her mother, Anupa Achuthan, who spoke to the Irish Mirror, the attackers punched Nia in the face, struck her private parts with a bicycle, hit her on the neck, and twisted her hair.
Ms Achuthan, a nurse who has lived in Ireland for eight years with her husband and recently obtained Irish citizenship, said her children were born in Ireland.
On July 19, 2025, an Indian man was attacked in Tallaght, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. Since then, multiple assaults on Indians have taken place across the Emerald Isle, sparking fear within the immigrant community. Rising anti-immigrant rhetoric among some politicians has further aggravated the situation. If this is the current situation tolerance and camaraderie, what future are we looking towards?
80-year-old Bhim Kohli lost his life after a brutal and unprovoked attack in Braunstone Town, Leicestershire, last September. The perpetrators? A 15-year-old boy, now sentenced to seven years in custody, and a 13-year-old girl, just 12 at the time, who received a three-year youth rehabilitation order with a six-month curfew and mandatory community service.
The boy racially abused Mr Kohli, slapped him in the face with a slider shoe, and launched a violent assault while the girl laughed and filmed the incident on her phone. The attack left Mr Kohli with three broken ribs and other fractures, but the fatal blow was a spinal cord injury caused by a fractured spine.
Dev Sharma, Member of the UK Youth Parliament, commenting on Mr Kohli’s death, previously said, “As a British Asian and someone who works closely with the community, I know how many of them already feel unseen. They feel like their lives and their loved ones’ lives aren’t protected equally… And that’s dangerous. It creates resentment. It erodes trust. It tells people they don’t matter.”
These two heart-wrenching cases are among many emerging amid a disturbing rise in violence against the Indian diaspora worldwide. The similarities between the incidents point to a troubling trend: the shifting mindset of the youth. The question? What is driving this hatred, and more importantly, how do we prevent children from being drawn down a path of extremism and intolerance?
These tragedies force us to confront uncomfortable truths. When children, barely in their teens, internalise hatred so deeply that they weaponise it against their peers and the elderly, it signals a deeper societal failure. It is not just about individual acts of cruelty; it reflects the narratives they are exposed to at home, in schools, online, and through politics.
At the same time, we must ask: are these attacks on the Indian diaspora isolated incidents, or part of a wider pattern linked to shifting global power dynamics? As India emerges as a major economic and geopolitical force, its growing stature may be unsettling some in the West. Could this be fuelling resentment and insecurity that trickles down into overt hostility towards Indians abroad?
Politics at play too
During last year’s anti-immigration protest, Balwinder Rana, a veteran anti-racism activist and one of the founders of Sikhs Against the EDL, in conversation with Asian Voice, pointed out that politicians have a significant responsibility in playing the rhetorics.
“These MPs, many of whom are wealthy and never participated in these battles, are now exploiting our struggles for their gain and use their positions to blame asylum seekers, which in reality means targeting Black people, Asian people, and Muslims. They use asylum seekers as a scapegoat to further their own agendas, ignoring the racial undertones of their rhetoric.”
Turns out his observations aged far better than we have. Kemi Badenoch spares no theatrics when warning of the ‘perils’ of immigration and asylum seekers, yet never misses a beat to remind us of the racism she’s endured as the first Black woman to lead the Conservatives.
And then there’s Sadiq Khan; hailed as a symbol of diversity, but conveniently boxed out by his own party when he dares to aim higher.
Britain’s political class seems to have mastered a peculiar art: wielding identity when it wins votes, weaponising it when it threatens power. Diversity is celebrated as long as it stays in its place."
Inclusion or isolation?
For a world that claims to value diversity, equality and progress, the treatment of diaspora communities is a litmus test of moral maturity.
Immigration remains one of the most contentious issues for the UK electorate. But facts matter: Indians overwhelmingly migrate to the UK legally. They were the largest group to gain citizenship last year, followed by Pakistanis and Nigerians. Yet policies introduced in the name of control risk sending the wrong message. Targeting illegal migration is one thing; deliberately curbing dependants and tightening skilled worker routes, measures the government knows disproportionately affect Indians, suggests something else entirely.
The numbers tell the story. In the year ending June 2025, work-related visa grants fell 36% to 183,000, driven by fewer main applicants and dependants receiving Health and Care and Skilled Worker visas. Family visas dropped 23%, with partner visas down a third. Most strikingly, student dependant visas have collapsed by 81% to just 18,000. Many Indian postgraduates have traditionally brought dependants and these changes will inevitably hit future numbers further.
Britain is grappling with what Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey describes as an “acute challenge”: sluggish growth and a shrinking workforce. While tighter immigration rules may score political points, they risk worsening labour shortages and undermining competitiveness, a long-term own goal.
The growing exodus of the wealthy highlights this concern, with around 60% of Britain’s millionaires believing they’d enjoy a better life abroad. Families like the Tatas, Mittals, Hindujas and Aroras, who contribute significantly to the British economy, underscore what’s at stake if this trend continues.
Sending the message that “British jobs are for Britons” is one thing but it should come with the understanding that British Asians are not outsiders; they are the backbone of Britain’s multicultural identity. Calling us an “island of strangers” demeans decades of contribution. If Indians, who overwhelmingly follow the rules, feel unwelcome, what does that say about the UK’s vision for its future?
Rethinking Britain’s future
If Britain’s diaspora communities, who have for decades contributed to its economy, culture, and global influence, must still constantly prove their loyalty, justify their presence, and live under the shadow of vilification and violence, can we truly claim that the nation is advancing? Progress is not just about GDP figures or infrastructure; it is about the lived experiences of its people. If entire communities feel under siege, can we honestly call that a forward-moving society?
This question becomes even more urgent against the backdrop of Britain’s volatile political landscape. How does Labour’s vision for integration and equality truly differ from Reform UK’s rhetoric, which often flirts with populism and fear-driven narratives where Nigel Farage vows that Human Rights Act would be ripped up should he become prime minister? Are we, knowingly or unknowingly, inching towards a Britain shaped by Farage’s Trump-inspired vision; a future defined by walls instead of bridges, exclusion instead of inclusion?
Steve Valdez-Symonds of Amnesty International UK criticised both Reform and the Prime Minister’s asylum policies as lacking principle and reality. He condemned proposals for mass detentions, unfair claim processes, and scrapping the Human Rights Act, warning they harm refugees, waste taxpayer money, and fuel smuggling. He urged the government to end its “race to the bottom” and create a fair, efficient asylum system.
The events unfolding across the Atlantic offer a sobering warning and if we fail to learn, Britain could be heading down a similar path.
The question, therefore, is not abstract or distant; it is immediate and deeply personal. Is this truly the Britain we want- one where difference is weaponised? Or can we chart a different course, where diversity is seen as strength, and belonging is not up for debate?
