Many minority ethnic people feel the British countryside is an “unwelcoming and unsafe” place to visit, according to a new study.
People face “racial slurs, intimidation and even threats”, a research team from the University of Leicester found, adding that efforts to address rural racism “often provoke anger or defensive reactions”.
The project, which has been running for two years, involved 20 community groups and the researchers spoke to 115 people about their experiences. It examined issues of racism in places like remote hamlets, market towns and seasonal tourist spots.
The report concluded that there is “widespread denial that racism exists or that it is significant in rural contexts”.
This is also accompanied by a resistance to reinterpreting rural heritage and an “us versus them mentality”, the report said, adding “rural identity is habitually equated with whiteness, as minoritised groups are depicted as outsiders, reinforcing exclusionary narratives”.
It also highlighted major challenges in how the problem can be addressed: “Rural racism is dismissed as irrelevant or limited to overt acts, with more subtle or systemic forms overlooked or trivialised.”
Dr Viji Kuppan, one of the researchers, added: “While our research uncovered the seriousness of racism in rural areas, many participants from minoritised ethnic backgrounds also spoke of a deep appreciation and connection to the English countryside. In addition, our findings document the strength of rural communities in offering support, generosity and friendship to minoritised residents and visitors.
“At the heart of our research is an invitation to redouble our efforts to reimagine rural England as a place of belonging, one that embraces multiple histories, identities, and futures.”
The report said that barriers such as cost, fear of discrimination and limited cultural visibility restrict access to the countryside and erode a sense of belonging for many minority ethnic visitors and residents.
The research also highlighted overt and subtle hostility, including instances of persistent staring and hostile body language, as well as more explicit incidents such as name-calling, racial slurs, intimidation and threats.
These experiences were not isolated, the authors said, but part of a broader pattern of exclusion which “inflicted deep emotional, psychological and sometimes physical wounds, and which eroded people’s sense of safety, identity and belonging”.
However, Tim Bonner, the chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, which took part in the study, said that while “racism must be confronted wherever it arises”, hate crime data suggested rural areas were often “among the least affected parts of the country”.
“The suggestion that racism is so pronounced in rural areas as to justify continual special attention is not supported by the evidence, which may explain why this study has shied away from examining data in favour of collating anecdotes,” Mr Bonner told the BBC.
A UK government spokesperson said racism had “no place in our society”.
