General Chat

" Panorama investigates the truth about racism and anti-social behaviour as two undercover reporters are attacked and racially-abused more than 50 times in eight weeks spent on a Bristol housing estate."

I was actually shocked...and it takes a bit to do that :(

did anyone watch?

I saw just the last part, it was dreadful. I don't know what the zero tolerance policy is that they keep banging on about, but no one seems to enforce it

I would like to bet that those disgusting kids are going about being incredibly proud of their TV appearance

Hi Linda, it was just so relentless. What a place to live .

xx

what makes someone "british"? That excuses the behaviour...NO ONE has the right to abuse anyone else, and offering excuses for their behaviour does not make it acceptable.

I did see it. It didn't surprise me - i've seen horrible little brats like that - albeit without the physical violence - in action before. It still really upset me.

I didn't watch it. I'm already too aware of how rife racism is. There's a really nasty subculture in this country - you see it on here often enough.

I didn't see it at all, but in the St Pauls area of Bristol there is a huge mixed race area and they are British. born here, not immigrants. Not that I condone any racist behaviour, immigrant or British, there is never any excuse for violence.

My (British) daughter had to prove that she had been living in the local area for 2 years, before she got her council flat.

Her Estonian work-mate had to prove that she had been living - and working - in the country for 5 years before she got hers.

I'm sure it does go on in other parts of the country Somerset Girl, thats what makes it so appalling. That without reason, without provocation, without thought ( those kids needed a brain for that...and seemingly didn't have one between them ) two people were subjected to thuggery, abuse and physical violence daily.

The reporters weren't 'foreigners' ( at least the girl spoke perfect English and I take it was British ...didn't see the beginning so assuming )
and even if they had spoken no english or been noticeably foreign no-one deserves that malice directed at them...

I'm a UK resident too and I would rather stand at the back of the longest queue in the world, stay homeless and starve than be party to behaviour that makes another human being the target like that.

sorry had to edit below...I was too angry to have control of fingers lol

They were pretending to have limited English Rose.......I watched it all the way through........

it WAS disgusting behaviour........I was appalled. People filmed tonight ought to be locked up for a long time xx

Thanks Muffy , I was up my tree for the first half of it:)

xx

not that i am for racism
but its the most normal thing in the world

to favor people of your own type

oh I don't know Joy lol.... the people on there that were 'my own type' ( poor , working class, white) I didn't favour at all .

but favouring ones own and threatening to kill someone 'different' are poles apart .

xx

i dont agree with threatening or harming anybody
but i would favor my family or friends or neighbours
who are all my type or similar

but is that colour based or class or just culture based Joy?

I mean I live in an area where there is a real mix....but I would rather live next door to someone of any colour that looked after the place and was polite and (for want of a better phrase) well bred...than a scuzzy oik who trashed his home and garden, shouted abuse and I was afraid to talk to in case I got a brick in the face...albeit he 'looked like me'....,

xx

I worked with people who would not speak to some of their own kind outside work if they were for example of a different caste. There is prejudice within races as well as across them, but I often wonder if the same kind of thugs who threaten and harm other races also threaten and harm elderly people. Too many people are living in fear in this country and there should be zero tolerance of any of this kind of behaviour to anyone.

People will demonstrate for more pay, about animal cruelty, fox hunting or to save a tree or building, but not these kinds of things. Says a lot about our society today and the way some young people are being raised.

Ann, I strongly suspect that a lot of those who start with animal cruelty 'work their way up' to harming people. They have to have a target to hate it seems, those who are 'different', those who are old or vulnerable...even just those who dress differently or support a rival football team .

I think you are right Rambling Rose. Self esteem is poor in some of these thugs and it is a way they can feel 'big'. No excuse for their behaviour, but the problem will grow unless unless there are improvements in bad upbringing from parents with the same attitude and improvements in the disgraceful behaviour in our schools.

Still, I have to say society is looking up - I've seen that the Press Complaints Commission has received 21, 000 complaints about an article written about the death of Stephen Gateley by the Daily Mail's Jan Moir:)))