'It's not the country I know': British government responds to spike in hate crimes after Brexit

Barney Burnham broke down in tears as he handed a red rose to the receptionist at the Polish Social and Cultural Centre in North London, along with a note he wrote to the community.

"Day-to-day petty attacks, insulting people in the streets that don't 'look British' it's not the country I know," said Burnham, a freelance journalist and long-term London resident. "It's not a country I want to be a part of."

Last Sunday morning, a vandalsprayed the words "F--k you" in bright yellow paint across the centre's doors. The incident came in the wake of Britain's stunning decision only days earlier to leave the European Union. Reports of hate crimes increased57 per cent in the days following the votecompared to the same period lastmonth, according to theNational Police Chiefs' Council.

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"We all just felt terrible," said Annabel Chaplin, who works for a local restaurant and left a platter of sushi for the centre's staff. "It's just upsetting. In this day and age, you just think we should all get along now. Why are things like this still happening?"

On Wednesday, politicians and members of the public gathered to fight back.

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Describing the centreas a "beacon for the community,"Tariq Ahmad, theminister for countering extremism, issued a stern warning to those who might seek to commitsimilar crimes: "We will stand in solidarity, in unity against you, and we will defeat you."

Polish ambassadorWitold Sobkowwelcomed this "important gesture of solidarity"by the British government.

'That is not what we do in Britain'

Prime Minister David Cameron echoed those sentiments, condemningthe incidents in the House of Common on Wednesday."That is not what we do in Britain," he said.

He also announced a plan to tackle hate crimes, whichwill include:

• Measures to boost reporting of hate incidents;
• New guidelines for the prosecution of racially aggravated crimes;
• Increased levels of victimsupport;
• A new fund for enhancing security atinstitutions that may be vulnerable to hate crimes.

"Whatever we can do,we will doto drive these appalling hate crimes out of our country," Cameron said.

Thefeeling is far from universal. Earlier this week, some local residents snacked onpierogies andborschtin the Lowiczankarestaurant next to the centre.Among them was Noel Simpson, who has lived in the area since immigrating from Ireland 60 years ago.

"Now that the Out vote has come, people are starting to wake up and get the message," he said. "We've got no government now. We've got no opposition... we've got nothing. Only a load of foreigners."

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Simpson voted Leave in the referendum, largely because of his concerns about immigration. "If you want something to grow fit and strong, it won't grow unless you keep it trim," he said. "You have to cut it back somewhat."

A few tables away,JanuszGuttner, a Polish-born Briton, describedhis reaction when he first learned of the graffiti.

"To me, it was a result of the way the campaign was fought and conductedbecause it was solely based on immigration, really."

"It makes me a bit nervous and a bit scared of what's going to happen," said Irina Robu, a 20-year-old Romanian working in London as a cleaner. "I heard that in two years, some people will have to go back to their own countries and I feel nervous about it, because I really like London and I don't want to go. I don't want to leave."

Long-simmering tensions

It isn't just a matter of post-Brexit reactions.A report released on Wednesday by Tell MAMA, a national project that tracks anti-Muslim attacks, found street-basedincidents rose by 326 per cent in 2015.

"As a society we are still failing far too many of our citizens," said the group's director,Fiyaz Mughal.

"With the backdrop of the Brexit vote and the spike in racist incidents that seems to be emerging, the government should be under no illusions, things could quickly become extremely unpleasant for Britain's minorities."

Elsewhere in Britain, Cambridgeshire police continue to investigateafter laminated cards bearing the message "Leave the EU No more Polish vermin"were found outside a school on June 24, the day the referendum results were announced. Police also confirmed some of the community's Polish residents received the same cards by mail.

Meanwhile, the Muslim Council of Britain has compiled a list of more than 100 racially motivatedincidentsthat have taken place in the last week. These incidents, which have taken place bothonline and inperson, have targeted a broad range of migrant communities. In response, many victims andwitnesseshaveshared their experiences on Twitter, using the hashtag #PostRefRacism.

Back at the Polish community centre, demonstrations of support continue to pour in. Ithas been inundated by messages fromacross the country, with local residents leaving gifts to express their shock, sorrow and solidarity.

"The worry is that this has opened a Pandora's box of bigotry and Islamophobia,"saysMiqdaad Versi, assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council.

Still, he remains optimistic these trends can be checked. "We are hopeful that, actually, when communities come together, when society works together, when there is strong leadership, change can happen."