Recently read about racist thugs who go around insulting and/or beating up non-white
tourists in E. Europe. Is this prevalent? What's the real story? Jai.

I respectfully suggest that you subscibe to a daily newspaper in whatever language
you read best.

During the past several years there have been immigration problems, even more
difficult since the lowering of boundaries with the EU.

This is such a well-known unfortunate situation that has been discussed almost daily
that it amazes me you are not cognizant of it and it has too many ramifications,
implications, and complications to answer in a simple manner.

Start reading the newspapers.







The palest ink is better than the best memory. --Chinese proverb There is no end
to collecting books. --Book of Ecclesiastes To three possessions shalt thou look:
Acquire a field, a friend, a book. --Samuel haNagid, Vizier to the King of Granada

"C&J" <[email protected]> schreef in bericht news:[email protected]...
    > Recently read about racist thugs who go around insulting and/or beating up
    > non-white tourists in E. Europe. Is this prevalent? What's the real story? Jai.

I NEVER heard of !!! no real story.

Where did you read this? give source.

"C&J" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    > Recently read about racist thugs who go around insulting and/or beating up
    > non-white tourists in E. Europe. Is this prevalent? What's the real story? Jai.

The insults part is sadly true, the beating up part is not, except rarely and maybe when it happens gets reported more widely than 'white-on-white' aggression. If you are Asian, African, Chinese or generally brown-skinned, you are likely to be subject to various levels of abuse, from the 'harmless' (people staring at you in curiosity), to the insulting (eg people saying rude things about you and possibly to you, offering you worse service and courtesy etc), to the downright disgusting (spitting at you etc). Gypsies in C&EE have suffered this for centuries but the other ethnic groups mentioned above are comparatively recent arrivals/ visitors. Even 'balanced' friends (ie balanced in other ways, university education, exposure to the world through foreign travel etc), in this part of the world, which I know quite well, are usually racist - though usually at the comparatively 'harmless' end of the racist attitudes I mentioned above. By 'harmless' I do not mean I condone it but just that curiosity and a slight hostility to the unknown probably are 'tribal' or innate and need to be educated out of people. Time will do this but for the moment that is the situation and a brown-skinned person travelling in C&EE will find a more hostile atmosphere than more or less anywhere else in Western Europe. I do my best to challenge friends from the region on their attitude towards non-white tourists/ residents but they tend to be blind or resisting to arguments about racial equality. Doesn't stop me trying though.

Eastern European news doesn't seem to filter down to Western Europe, have only heard
an anti racist comment once in Eastern Europe and it was from a tourists from
Western Europe.

What do you mean by 'anti racist comment' Dan? Literally, what you said means 'a comment against/attacking racists/racism', is this what you intended? I don't see how it links with your comment about EE news.

Dan McLean wrote:
    > Eastern European news doesn't seem to filter down to Western Europe, have only
    > heard an anti racist comment once in Eastern Europe and it was from a tourists from
    > Western Europe.


Come on. It's hard to argue that racism is not more socially acceptable in Eastern
Europe. It's even noticeable with recent immigrants from Eastern Europe around here.

Better to be white in Poland. Don't say prejudice against Gypsies isn't prevalent
most everywhere. Antisemitism still rampant in many countries such as for instance
Romania. And the list could go on.

I was going to add that Russia is a bit of an exception. But the racist tirade by
some naive Ukrainian in a separate thread appears to show that at least some parts
of the former soviet empire are no exceptions either. :-(.

devil wrote:

    > I was going to add that Russia is a bit of an exception. But the racist tirade by
    > some naive Ukrainian in a separate thread appears to show that at least some parts
    > of the former soviet empire are no exceptions either. :-(.

I've heard spotty reports of racist skinhead attacks in Eastern Europe (incl: the
eastern portion of Germany) and Russia....I don't know if, say, a black American
tourist would be as much a target as would a local immigrant, but who can predict. Of
course, you can find the same kind of stuff in Western Europe too, as well as North
America and perhaps other places too. But people still travel....

In article <[email protected]>, "Dan McLean"
<[email protected]> wrote:

    > Eastern European news doesn't seem to filter down to Western Europe, have only
    > heard an anti racist comment once in Eastern Europe and it was from a tourists from
    > Western Europe.

Similarly, the only racits comment directed at me was drunk danes or swedes in
Denmark. Nothing in the former east germany where I spetn more time.

In article <[email protected]>, devil <[email protected]> wrote:


    > Better to be white in Poland. Don't say prejudice against Gypsies isn't prevalent
    > most everywhere. Antisemitism still rampant in many countries such as for instance
    > Romania. And the list could go on.
    > I was going to add that Russia is a bit of an exception. But the racist tirade by
    > some naive Ukrainian in a separate thread appears to show that at least some parts
    > of the former soviet empire are no exceptions either. :-(.

Have a good friend whose fiancee (or possibly wife now) is Russian. Tells me the
Russians inthe RFE are prejudiced against Asians or eye them suspiciously. Fiancee's
father writes for a virulently anti-jewish paper in Moscow.

newstartnz wrote:
    > racist attitudes I mentioned above. By 'harmless' I do not mean I condone it but
    > just that curiosity and a slight hostility to the unknown probably are 'tribal' or
    > innate and need to be educated out of people. Time will do this but for the moment
    > that is the situation and a brown-skinned person travelling in C&EE will find a
    > more hostile atmosphere than more or less anywhere else in Western Europe.

I hope you're right, but the U.S. has had several generations to have it "educated
out of people", and black Americans still do not receive equal treatment everywhere,
here. (To my perceptions, as a white American, the situation appears to have
improved enormously during my lifetime, but you might get different perceptions from
a non-white - and we'd both be agreed that there's still a long way to go!)