The Vote to leave the EU made me feel unwelcome

The Vote to leave the EU made me feel unwelcome

I woke up on the morning of the 24th of June 2016 feeling distraught. Knowing that the British public voted to leave the EU made me feel unwelcome in this country, because immigration figured so prominently in the victorious out campaign.

Being of both German and Mozambican heritage I have the privilege of being able to move around EU countries freely. This led me to establish myself in the UK. London particularly attracted me because of its diversity, size and high standard of living, which provide space for anonymity, freedom of expression and comfortable living. Now I feel unsure about what the future holds for me as a European in the UK.

Without the guarantee of free movement of people I feel as though all that I have worked to establish here is in jeopardy of being undone because the British public have been misled. Skilled migrants are not stealing jobs. The British government is failing to equip its people with the skills necessary to compete with these international workers.

As a student just about to start my undergraduate degree I feel my position in a British university is under threat.  

Britain has always been unsure about whether it considers itself to be a part of Europe and while an array of reason were presented to leave the EU, immigration played a crucial role in securing the victory for the out campaign. This is what I find most alarming and where I feel people have been most misled.

I find it alarming because it is arguably a sign that people are starting to get tired of each other – as indicated by the constantly negative portrayal of Eastern Europeans as jobs thieves and benefit scroungers.

I also feel that the Brexiteers failed to take account of the two-way nature of migration – and of the estimated 1.3 million Britons who currently live and work in mainland Europe.

Tristan Scholz