- Racist Comments Against Rishi Sunak: Reform UK activists were filmed making racist and homophobic remarks about UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, including the racial slur “Paki.”
- Sunak’s Response: Sunak expressed hurt and anger, condemned the behaviour publicly, and emphasized the impact on his family and the importance of addressing such hate.
- Farage’s Defense: Nigel Farage accused Channel 4 News of setting up the incident to damage his image, but Channel 4 defended their impartial journalism.
- Racism on Social Media: The social media platform X has become a hub for racist and hate speech against Indians, with many users expressing concerns and considering leaving the platform due to lack of action from its owner, Elon Musk.
The Prime Minister of the UK, Rishi Sunak, expressed his hurt and anger at the Reform UK activists. As part of an undercover operation conducted by Channel 4 News, a Reform UK activist was filmed while delivering racist and homophobic comments about the sitting Prime Minister of the UK. He was caught using the extremely racist word “Paki” against Rishi Sunak and later, with his fellow activists, went on to make more such comments, which has led to outrage. ‘Paki’ is a racial slur used for people from the Indian subcontinent. This word was popularized in the late 90s when the number of Indian and Pakistani immigrants started to rise.
The fact that racism is expressed so openly against a sitting Prime Minister of their nation speaks volumes about the incapability and colonial turbidity on which the far-right parties of the UK feed. Sunak expressed his concerns in a live broadcast interview, where he said that he regrets the fact that his two young daughters had to hear and see such incidents. He used the words on live television and made it clear that he did so to let everyone know how big and serious this issue is and that it is too important not to call out. He urged the candidate and his supporters to be questioned.
The said incident took place in Clinton, the place where Nigel Farage is contesting. Sunak added that when Farage and his campaigners use racial slurs and misogynistic comments throughout their campaign, it talks about the culture within the party. He made his views clear that Andrew Tate is a vile misogynist and that the politics of the UK is much better than that. “Corrosive and divisive behaviour” was what Sunak called it and said that not just as a Prime Minister but more importantly as a father of two young daughters, it is important to condemn such hateful ideologies.
Farage’s Meaningless Backing Up
Nigel Farage, through an X post, expressed his thoughts on the incident. He backed up the shameful behaviour by accusing Channel 4 News of a planned setup that was deliberately made to harm his image. However, a response quickly flew in from a spokesperson for Channel 4 News, in which he said that they strongly stand by their rigorous and duly impartial form of journalism and that the filming was done as part of an undercover operation, which had nothing to do with any politician or political party. They say that their intentions are genuine, and their work speaks out for it.
Racism Against Indians on X
X, in the recent past, has become a hub for racism and hate speech against Indians. The issue is getting bigger every day as more and more false propaganda against Indian culture is produced, published, and shared on the platform ruthlessly. Multiple cases have been noticed where Indians are opting to move out of the social media app and have expressed their concerns to Elon Musk, who seems to not have any problem with the issue. The billionaire hasn’t bothered to speak about the issue, which is creating a negative narrative about him.
Balaji Subramanian 
Palak Dogra 
Sindhuri Sai