Concerns About Racism In Kent

Some people may be aware of this new 'political party' called Britain First. This party scares me to no end, they claim not to be fascist yet they go around to mosques and Muslim people's houses harassing them and belittling their religion. I am not Muslim, I'm not religious in any way, but quite frankly I'm scared to move to an area where this party seems to have a lot of support. On their Facebook page they have frequently made posts about their new 'Medway Defence League' or something similarly as stupid and just now I've seen a video of people in Medway trying to stop a new mosque being built. I understand people have their views and it's ok to want a new mosque and it's ok to be against it but to address people in this harassing and threatening manner is horrible. In the video they're hiding behind women's rights (which they're really trying to push is the real reason they don't want the mosque to be built) but it is clear they are very intolerant people. I've firmed Kent and luckily my course is based on the Canterbury campus, but I'm a little uneasy about moving to Kent now with all this Britain First nonsense. I know that unfortunately there is racism everywhere, but I'm just wondering if Kent is a predominately intolerant area and whether anything like this happens at the university...?

Some people may be aware of this new 'political party' called Britain First. This party scares me to no end, they claim not to be fascist yet they go around to mosques and Muslim people's houses harassing them and belittling their religion. I am not Muslim, I'm not religious in any way, but quite frankly I'm scared to move to an area where this party seems to have a lot of support. On their Facebook page they have frequently made posts about their new 'Medway Defence League' or something similarly as stupid and just now I've seen a video of people in Medway trying to stop a new mosque being built. I understand people have their views and it's ok to want a new mosque and it's ok to be against it but to address people in this harassing and threatening manner is horrible. In the video they're hiding behind women's rights (which they're really trying to push is the real reason they don't want the mosque to be built) but it is clear they are very intolerant people. I've firmed Kent and luckily my course is based on the Canterbury campus, but I'm a little uneasy about moving to Kent now with all this Britain First nonsense. I know that unfortunately there is racism everywhere, but I'm just wondering if Kent is a predominately intolerant area and whether anything like this happens at the university...?

Some people may be aware of this new 'political party' called Britain First. This party scares me to no end, they claim not to be fascist yet they go around to mosques and Muslim people's houses harassing them and belittling their religion. I am not Muslim, I'm not religious in any way, but quite frankly I'm scared to move to an area where this party seems to have a lot of support. On their Facebook page they have frequently made posts about their new 'Medway Defence League' or something similarly as stupid and just now I've seen a video of people in Medway trying to stop a new mosque being built. I understand people have their views and it's ok to want a new mosque and it's ok to be against it but to address people in this harassing and threatening manner is horrible. In the video they're hiding behind women's rights (which they're really trying to push is the real reason they don't want the mosque to be built) but it is clear they are very intolerant people. I've firmed Kent and luckily my course is based on the Canterbury campus, but I'm a little uneasy about moving to Kent now with all this Britain First nonsense. I know that unfortunately there is racism everywhere, but I'm just wondering if Kent is a predominately intolerant area and whether anything like this happens at the university...?

I assume these groups are all just working class football hooligan types, doubt many of them are educated therefore you should be fairly safe around the uni campus

Never been to Kent but these groups ship members from all over the country to their rallies to make themselves seem more popular so I wouldn't be concerned

Kent's a lovely area - don't let biased things you read put you off

I assume these groups are all just working class football hooligan types, doubt many of them are educated therefore you should be fairly safe around the uni campus

Having been at the Canterbury campus for 4 years and been friends with a lot people all across the ethnic spectrum as it were, I've not come across extremely rare instances of racial abuse. Certainly not on the university campus - it would take a special form of idiot to do so there, considering how you're walking past people of different race and background all the time. The only instances I've known were in town - it was 'only' verbal abuse on a night out, from local people. People were visibly surprised this and I wouldn't say it's at all common and as you say, it could happen anywhere. I can't speak for other areas of Kent and I haven't been to Medway. Kent (especially Canterbury) is known for being one of the safest universities in the country if that also puts your mind at ease.

I live in Medway and it is not a racist place in the majority. There are certain areas where there are racists but they are in such a minority and in places such as Chatham which are nowhere near Canterbury. They have probably hyped up the amount of support they have in stopping the mosque from being built. Medway is actually quite a multicultural area such as there is both a mosque and a gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) within a couple of miles of my house. I should not worry about this at all as it is unlikely to affect you. I hope you enjoy life at Kent.

Thankyou all for replying, glad I made this thread as all the messages have been very reassuring. It honestly baffles me that people still think and act the way those people do. So thanks, I'm excited again now about (hopefully) studying at Kent come September!

Hey, it seems like you got your answer but i thought ill just confirm it. Iv been at Kent university since 2011 and its very multicultural and i have never come across any racism during my time there. While i do think Kent as a county is less tolerant than London or other cities, Canterbury is a student town with modern values and ideas. Plus everyone is accepting of one another(in my experience), e.g the Mosque and the Church are next to one another on campus.

You have nothing to worry about. Enjoy Canterbury, it a lovely town and Kent's a great university(especially socially)

All the best

It's good that you raised this issue!
I'm an atheist and have never cared about religion.Even so I was told to brace myself at the prospect of being called ''paki''.
Some people my parents know live in Kent and said there can be some racism around the area at night.
Pff,my father even told me to shave everyday! -_- (It's not that I like to grow a beard,but I like to shave once every 4-5 days.)

I plan to stay on campus as much as possible,but I think I'll have to go to the Canterbury centre nearly everyday given that I wish to take the 'self-catered' option! So..yeah,I hope I don't stumble upon racist individuals on my way there.
To be honest,racism is the only thing that is bugging me.
I've never been a victim and have always considered everybody as my equals.