Shocking Video Shows British Men Telling U.S. Military Vet to “Get Back to Africa”

Video captured three British men calling a U.S. military veteran a “dirty immigrant” and telling him to “get back to Africa.”

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The United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union, stoked in part by backlash to a surge of immigrants entering into the country, is reportedly fueling a rise in racist and xenophobic activity. That now includes the incident you see in the video above, which took place on Tuesday morning in Manchester, England.

The shocking footage, which was filmed at approximately 8 a.m. local time, shows three young men screaming at a fellow passenger on a train, calling him a "dirty immigrant," and telling him to “get back to Africa." It also shows the passenger who is being subjected to all of this yelling, "I've been here longer than you! You're extremely ignorant and unintelligent." And towards the end of the clip, one of the young men throws what appears to be beer at the victim as other passengers jump to his defense. "You're a disgrace," one visibly upset woman yells as the men exit the car.​ "You're disgusting."

To the people keep denying that overt, post-Brexit racism exists, say it with a straight face after watching this: https://t.co/liRoHYJJyK

The passenger who was verbally attacked, later identified as U.S. Army Veteran Juan Jasso, told BBC he has lived in the UK for 18 years and has only experienced one other racist incident in that time. He said the altercation began after he asked the alleged assailants to stop cursing loudly on the train. The three young men, ages 20, 18, and 16, have since been arrested.

"As a whole, this country is very tolerant," Jasso said. "There are pockets in any society where people may not agree with the government or may not like individuals who are not from their area originally, but I like it here and I think this country has a history of tolerance."

Gareth Parkin, Chief Inspector of the Greater Manchester Police, called the attack "a disgusting display of abuse which quite frankly has no place in society." It comes as such actions are on the rise across the UK. Wales charity Victim Support said it received "over 60" reports of race-based hate crimes in Wales alone following the Brexit referendum last week, and police-funded website True Vision said there was a 57 percent increase in reported hate crimes in the UK the weekend following the vote. 

Greater Manchester's Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd said the Greater Manchester Police initially reported they had not seen an increase in hate crimes immediately following the Brexit vote, but they have started to receive numerous reports of people being targeted for their race or nationality. 

"There is no room in Greater Manchester for hatred and division," Lloyd said. "We have worked hard, together, to build strong, cohesive, and welcoming communities. I encourage anyone who has been a victim of hate crime to come forward and report it. Hate crime has no place in our society. The overwhelming majority of British people stand together against hatred and prejudice. These acts of racism are not in our name and will not be tolerated."

Amnesty International announced an "emergency" anti-racism campaign in light of these crimes, dedicated to investigating allegations of abuse and sharing resources with local police to combat xenophobia. It has encouraged people to speak out against attacks using the hashtag #AgainstHate. 

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