Fury as England's countryside accused of 'being racist and it's getting worse'

A new study which suggested people believe racism in rural England is "getting worse" has been slammed as "nonsense". Research by the University of Leicester claimed many minority ethnic individuals and families believe the English countryside is an unwelcoming and unsafe place to visit.

But the Countryside Alliance, which was among the groups to take part in the study, criticised the findings and said government figures depict an "inverse relationship between rurality and racist hate crimes". The research, which included 115 interviews from people from a range of ethnic backgrounds, found "most participants felt that racism in rural England is getting worse" and revealed people have faced hostility including name-calling, racial slurs, intimidation and even threats. The two-year Rural Racism Project also collected data from 20 community groups and eight studies of online abuse.

Chief executive of the Countryside Alliance campaign group, Tim Bonner, told the Mail Online: "We would never downplay any individual act of racism which must be confronted wherever it arises, but the narrative that rural communities are inherently more racist than urban ones is just nonsense.

"Recent government hate crime statistics show an inverse relationship between rurality and racist hate crimes."

He added: "The suggestion that racism is so pronounced in rural areas as to justify continual special attention is therefore not supported by the evidence which may explain why this study has shied away from examining data in favour of collating anecdotes.

"Ironically, those who peddle the narrative of a racist countryside are actually showing their own prejudice against rural people."

The research was carried out by Leicester University's Centre for Hate Studies.

The report said that for "many" participants in the study, overt racism was a "common feature of rural life".

It found verbal abuse was "often accompanied by physical threats" which included encounters involving dogs and "other means to convey intimidation".

These incidents "often occurred without sanction or repercussions", it added.

The report said this deepens the feeling that "such behaviour is tolerated, or even normalised".

Project researcher Dr Viji Kupppan said despite the findings, "many participants from minoritised ethnic backgrounds also spoke of a deep appreciation and connection to the English countryside".

He continued: "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."