Sick racists... It had been boiling under the surface for so long. In the UK and other countries, mainly under the working/lower class.
How did it come this far? Economic crises? Immigration? I would say it is a reaction on the way governments tried to cope with the changing worlds since the beginning of this century. The 'elite' and the lower class live in two completely separate worlds now: the latte drinking hipsters never meet the beer drinking chavs.
I see it all the time here, in the Netherlands. The highly educated opinion makers, scientists, lawyers and politicians are less affected by the negative effects of policy making. They support immigration 'a gratuit', as their wellbeing is not affected by it and as a bonus they can show the public their 'good heart'. Many others, in less fortunate conditions, see this: the successful elite being PC, while it is they who pay the price. People are envious, jealous and frustrated. Racist feeling thrive in this environment, as they see all these 'others' as a product of the shameless PC behaviour of the elite.
Yes, they are racist. Racists are bad. But we should be looking at the cause and at ourselves too. We need the working class and they need us. Most of my friends have a university degree and I meet many highlyeducated people. I hear a lot of disdainful and degrading opinions regarding lowly educated people, referring to them as 'Tokkies' and suggesting certain limits to the right to vote (IQ or knowledge of the subject).
There is much more under the surface than just racism.