Black South West Network (BSWN) is deeply concerned about the growing climate of division and hostility in the UK, reflected in the increasing visibility of far-right mobilisation and the rise in racist incidents across our communities. What is being presented in some quarters as a call for “unity” too often masks exclusionary agendas that scapegoat and marginalise Black and Racially Minoritised communities and migrant communities.
At a time when many people across the UK are experiencing profound economic, social, and political pressures, it is racialised communities who disproportionately bear the brunt of exclusion and hostility. We are witnessing a disturbing rise in racist harassment, discrimination, and far-right mobilisation. The normalisation of xenophobic and racist language in political and media discourse provides fertile ground for these expressions of hate to grow unchecked.
Just this month, disturbing reports emerged of a 9-year-old girl in Brentry, Bristol, being targeted in a racially motivated attack involving an airsoft gun. This shocking incident demonstrates the direct consequences of racist and exclusionary rhetoric, leaving scars and trauma that will take years to heal. Like this young girl, many Black and Racially Minoritised people are now “frightened to leave the house,” fearful of prejudice and hostility from strangers, neighbours, and even members of their local communities—both offline and online.
We are clear: racism, whether on the streets, in our schools, in workplaces, or embedded in policy, harms us all. It undermines the possibility of building genuinely inclusive, resilient, and thriving communities. Calls to “unite” ring hollow when they are based on exclusion, scapegoating, and denial of justice.
BSWN continues to work alongside our partners and communities to advance racial justice through policy, research, cultural heritage, and community-led development. We know that unity cannot be achieved through division; it must be built through truth-telling, accountability, solidarity, and the redistribution of power and resources.
We call on political leaders, public institutions, and civil society to take a stand against racism in all its forms, overt and structural, and to act with courage in the face of hate. Silence and inaction only embolden those who wish to see our society divided.
This is not just a call to institutions and leaders, but an appeal to the shared responsibility held by all of us living across the United Kingdom to foster an inclusive, safe, and prosperous society. In trying moments like these, our humanity is tested to its limits, with change seemingly beyond the ken of individual action. Yet, it is through displays of compassion, solidarity, courage, and care that can make a change in the life of a racialised person who currently walks through British society feeling undeserving and unwanted.
At BSWN, we remain committed to building a future rooted in racial justice, community wealth, and collective thriving. True unity comes not from denying difference, but from recognising our shared humanity and working together to dismantle the barriers that continue to hold so many back.