Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

Is anyone else experiencing hostility across Europe since Brexit? If you are a British expat living abroad who is facing hostility or abuse since Brexit. <<<SNIP>>>

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

Why?

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

Take a look at the Site Rules #10. If it's for your personal satisfaction, then I'll also ask, Why?

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

Frankly I dont care why the question was asked - it´s valid, and having listened avidly to the discussions in the UK parliament (PMs question time, hate crime statement and all that followed on Wednesday) British Expats in the EU seem to have no voice. The only hostility I have experienced has been (online) from British nationalists who see my vote to "remain" and choice to live in Germany as a resignation of my rights as a British Citizen and I quote " we have voted you out you are not a proper British person you have no rights any more, out is out" unquote

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

I live in both Spain and Germany, and in the few instances where anyone expresses any opinion, the tone is much more rational and without much emotion.

The few that have expressed an opinion just seem to be rather dismayed at the vitriol and hysteria from the British. While most have gripes about the EU for one reason or another, they all seem to feel that overall, it's been a benefit, and life outside of it wouldn't be something they'd wish for.

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

On the Hungary forum one of the members is a beekeeper and he says the honey buyers are refusing to buy his honey since the result.

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

Interesting, one of my Facebook friends was a UKIP candidate in the last election and he made a similar comment about me when I shared one or two joke or cartoon type photos making fun of the result.

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

No kind of hostility here at all. Most people are either indifferent, or slightly confused as to why the UK would choose to quit rather than remain and fight for a better EU.

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

I was deeply distressed that my children, who have now lived in France for the last 14 years were refused a letter of residency by the Mairie in our town. This document forms part of what is required to apply for citizenship. My daughter who has just turned 18 asked to register to vote and was told she couldn't because there would be no elections prior to the UK leaving the EU.
When my son turned 18 this was not a problem and they issued proof of residency papers as a matter of course on the basis of a recent utilities bill and id.
Frankly this is not the first example of discrimination we have experienced since Brexit we have experienced.
It feels like we are being punished by the British and now by the French

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

I would appeal to a higher authority about these matters as Britain is still an EU member, there has not yet been any official change in status.

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

Hi, and welcome to the forum!
Come onto the France forum to find out whether other members' children have had the same issues when they reached their majority after the Referendum. Not everyone looks in the general Europe section....
There are two issues here, which seem to concern only your daughter:
- Getting on the electoral roll. There are Presidential and Legislative Elections in 2017 but non-French residents can't vote in them, so no hurry as far as the Mairie is concerned. Off-hand, I can't remember when the next Regional and Municipal Elections are (where EU electors can vote), but imagine that Brexit will have moved forwards (or backwards) by then and the situation should be clearer. In any case, no one knows when (if?) the UK will be leaving the UE....
- Other members on the France forum might be able to advise on obtaining the letter of residency from the Mairie for an EU minor who has only just reached their majority. I wonder what utility bill they could produce in their name, unless they are renting away from home?
I wouldn't think your Mairie is discriminating against UK expats in France, esp. if your children have been educated here (?). There's probably an administrative problem somewhere and I would go back to discuss it all calmly en famille (presuming that you the parents are applying for French citizenship, too?).
Hope this is of some help, but come over to the France forum to see what others here think.:)

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

I'm afraid you are being too generous in finding excuses for the Mairie employers. Whilst I accept there are no upcoming elections there should be no issue that an EU resident can register to vote. Immediately my daughter was refused the entire team turned on my children and started telling them this is what happens when you vote to leave Europe.
With regards to bills in their names...they study in the UK as EU students fully supported by us. They don't have any bills but mobile phone which French administrators do not accept as proof of residence. They require an energy bill or landline phone bill. For children who live at home their parents supply their bill with a copy of id and a formula letter stating that the youngster is resident in their home. In the past this has never presented a problem. We have had to do this several times over the 14 years in France. It is the level of antagonism towards my children I resent. I have already written a letter AC to the mayor. It's not that I can't manage the situation. It is simply to register the discrimination against my children.

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

I'm not defending the Fonctionnaires, they are a breed of their own... I'm just looking at it from the mindset of your average French person.
If your children aren't actually resident in France, then I don't see how they can take French citizenship.
It's true that the Administration only accepts EdF, landline, Taxe d'Habitation, etc... as proof of residence, not mobile phone bills. When our DDs needed proof of residence for other reasons (since they are French), I believe we wrote the formula letter and produced our Déclaration de Revenus when they were both still declared as being in our fiscal household. Maybe the Mairie would accept your Déclaration? (since your daughter was minor on 1st January 2016, she would be mentioned on it?).
I'm sorry you've got such unfriendly staff at your Mairie. Let us know what your Maire replies (do you mean you sent your letter LRAR?). He/she might not even be aware of the issue if he wasn't present. There again I'm not defending your 1er Magistrat, but acting as the Devil's Advocate.
Do post again on the France forum, I don't look in the Europe section every day!
P.S. On second thoughts, I'm not sure about EU students outside of France, but with their family settled in France. Some one on the France forum will surely know....

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

You must not underestimate the nosiness of people regarding foreigners living in euroland, no doubt they were aware of the situation of the children and reacted accordingly

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

Brits were not universally popular BEFORE the vote.

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

No problem here in Portugal either . Only as has been said above, mystified as to why we would want to leave (as net contributors) and not stay and fight our corner With the contribution Britain makes it's always puzzled me as to why they have consistently refused to sit at the top table.. even become the President (asked three times)I can only assume this is 'order's' from a higher force.. i.e. the USA

.The vitriol from the British towards the EU has also startled them as like us when we lived in the Netherlands they can actually physically see what being in the EU has done for them.. as opposed to before when nothing changed for yrs and yrs. It has simmered for a long time in the UK. (Boris Johnson being a major source of discontent with his lies from Brussels when he wrote for the Telegraph Newspaper.. sacked for it in the end) They say' why join a club ,only to constantly trash it'? Again.. orders from elsewhere perhaps?.. We have not been 'independent ' since WW2.. People refuse to believe it though

The only palpable signs are coming from the French who arrived here in droves during the summer looking for 'Those cheap properties ,now the British will be forced to sell' Telling them this isn't true at all just makes them angry.. Difficult to deal with at the best of times.. Estate Agents are reporting that they are fed up with them over this.

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

There's nothing more that the USA would like than to see Britain engaged, influencing, or even leading the EU.

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

On paper this would seem to be the case Ami.. So why hasn't it happened?

Maybe I have been watching too much House of Cards' but there certainly seems to be a lot of double talk going on.. The USA. has a huge say in what Britain does. since before WW2 (Theresa May's recent trip there to 'discuss' with the banks how to proceed with Brexit' speaks volumes to me) Why in that case didn't Britain take any one of those three invitations to preside over the running of the EU.?

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

Yes, you have been watching too much "house of cards" (me too, I love it, but I can distinguish the difference between fact and fiction).

The US does not control British policy. Britain does. It has influence, but not control.

Aside from Obama's famous plea for the UK to vote remain (which failed miserably), there are some very basic realities in the US desire to have influence in EU affairs, via Britain. The first, and most obvious is trade (The EU is of course, the world's largest economy, and one of, if not the US' largest trading partner, second only to China). Britain shares many of the same values as the Americans when it comes to trade, and Britain has traditionally influenced EU policy in ways that suit the Americans.

Second, of course, is security. NATO, intelligence and so on. There are some nasty things happening to the east, which nobody wants to see accelerated. The only thing stopping Putin and his cronies from growing their influence is NATO, led largely by the US and Britain.

As Britain becomes less of a player in Europe both economically and politically, it's only natural that it's significance to the US will proportionally diminish. I expect much more emphasis on relations with the EU, through France and Germany. There's just a lot more to be tangibly gained from that.

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

So basically, the US likes the UK best because it's an island and Putin can't just drive tanks there like he can the rest of Europe? That is pretty much the UK's only saving grace, that and the language. Or is it the malleability of the Brits to US direction?

But I agree, I see Germany as the US's next 'special relationship'. But with Hungary (death penalty) and Poland (death to women who could otherwise live if they were legally allowed abortion which since today they no longer are under any circumstance whatsoever), I'm not certain they couldn't find a more amenable ''Chrischun'' nation a bit closer to the coldwar borders - particularly if a certain group of politicians take hold in November.

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

We've been living in Spain for just over half a year now, the only hostility I experienced was on the bus, when a group of Brits were demanding the bus driver speak to them in English. Needless to say he refused to serve them and there was also a Spanish guy who retaliated and said to them "You are in Spain this is not England". This happened post Brexit but there is no evidence this was because of it, just a group of stuck ups who were rightly put in their place. However my Spanish friends and associates are very baffled about it and they don't appreciate the way EU citizens in general were portrayed as 2nd rate "migrants" in the UK when for we refer to ourselves as "expats".

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

The different labels (Migrant and expat) reflect the fact that many consider themselves to be different and BETTER !

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

I live in UK and to be honest I have started seeing the signs of hostility towards Europeans. Basically, not directly expressed, but there is some kind of covered discrimination towards europeans now.
However, I was sad that May actually pulled the trigger the other day. Is it really the Europeans that are the British problem or illegal immigrants? After all here are only 3m Europeans in UK. Not that much and are usually highly educated and hard working people.
I have British passport, however I am not sure whether in a few years UK will be the same place. I don't feel welcome anymore and not sure I going to stay. It is very sad and I m afraid that the economy will sink. And then Europeans will go because there is going to be even worse discrimination against them

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

Are you not the same Greek/UK person who is thinking of moving to Germany or perhaps Austria?
There is a rise in right wing groups in Germany and several other EU countries. Speaking with my German friends there is an increased resentment towards immigrants (cultural reasons) and also Greece because of the recent bail-outs.
You could be jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

Yes, I agree there is a rise of far right wing parties everywhere, including Greece. They also hate the Germans because of the impossible measures imposed. Don't take me wrong, Greece has made many mistakes, however the recipe imposed by Germany is wrong and doesn't allow the country to come out of recession. I would advice you and your German friends not be very arrogant because things change and one day you/they may find themselves in the same position one day. Be humble
Also, I am not sure i want to stay in Europe anymore. It looks like Armageddon is coming across all countries, including Germany.
Finally, re discrimination in UK after brexit, have you heard Amber Rudd's comments yesterday? No matter what Merkel has never made these kind of inflamatory comments.

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

I really don't think that anything I have said is arrogant.
"Meaning: haughty, conceited, hubristic, self-important, opinionated, egotistic, full of oneself, superior"
What I said was the well-reported fact in that there are perhaps greater problems for foreigners in Germany and Austria than in the UK.
I do not agree with Angela Rudd's comments.
Angela Merkel is considering restricting access to State Benefits for 5 years for other EU nationals.
Francois Hollande has made comments against the UK as have several other EU leaders.
There is a lot of anti-EU feeling in France and Germany.
There is simply a lot of political posturing going on just now much of which is for domestic media. (That includes the UK).
I hope that you find a suitable country soon.

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/albertonardelli/extreme-views-are-becoming-the-mainstream-in-britain-and-eur?utm_term=.ap5rVbdWp#.agPb9N3Aq

Interesting article

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

I'm sure you didn't mean it to sound personal to Cyrian but it didn't come across as very nice. :(

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

Before Brexit, have seen Brits in Spain acting like they own place and insisting on English so nothing new there. In UK have absurd position of young British men sleeping on street whilst Eastern Europeans work in nearby shops, and the poor get riled up when foreign families get priority for social housing. Brexit was not a quiet revolution but more a peasant's revolution, mired in ignorance and lies and could have been avoided if Cameron had applied a residence test to benefits, tax credits, access to social housing and personal tax allowance (something hard to tough out like seven years but not continuous so that Brits would largely be unaffected ) so that it would have taken out the demand at the lower wage end of the scale.

What will happen now is that the new deal will be ok for big business and a pile of crap for normal people.

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

Hi

No I didn't. However, I can't tolerate arrogance from anyone. Never look down on other people for what is happening to them. Today it's them, tomorrow it's going to be you. This applies to every nation in the world. German, Greeks, British, everyone!

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

....and that's fine , however I have seen no arrogance here. Just an ongoing discussion. I feel the same way about un-necessary uncomplimentary personal comments . It does any discussion no good at all & kinda loses the point the instigator was trying to make.

Re: Hostility towards british expats throughout Europe since Brexit?
 

Your children are french citizens - they got it by default when they fulfilled the requirements
https://www.service-public.fr/partic...vosdroits/F295
Tout enfant né en France de parents étrangers acquiert la nationalité française � ses 18 ans si, � cette date :

il réside en France,
et s'il a eu sa résidence effective et habituelle en France pendant une période continue ou discontinue d'au moins 5 ans, depuis l'âge de 11 ans .)

Being a student doesn't change your home residency.

What you are requesting is a certificate proving french nationality. A bank statement in your kid's name should suffice for proof of address. So, if they don't have a local bank, then I suggest going along to LaPoste and opening one.