Brexit was a racist anti refugee, anti immigrant and Islamophobic campaign. Is this true?

 There is evidence to suggest that the Brexit campaign was associated with an increase in racist, anti-immigrant, and Islamophobic sentiment in the UK

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. According to CBS News, there was a 300% increase in anti-Muslim incidents in 2015 as the Brexit campaign pushed an anti-immigration message

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. The Independent reports that there were over 500 racist incidents in the weeks following the EU referendum, including assaults, arson attacks, and dog excrement being thrown at doors or shoved through letterboxes

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. The Vox article argues that the Brexit campaign was fueled by irrational xenophobia rather than real economic grievances

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. The article notes that Brits believed there were "too many immigrants" even when there were too few to have appreciable effects on the British economy. The Guardian reports that the Daily Express, a newspaper known for its anti-immigrant stance, has pledged to fight Islamophobia under its new editor

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. Finally, The New York Times suggests that the Leave campaign's focus on regaining "control" over immigration contributed to the movement towards Brexit

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. While some politicians associated with the Brexit campaign have condemned racist attacks, others have been accused of engendering an atmosphere where racism and xenophobia are more acceptable

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cbsnews

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vox

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independent

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theguardian

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nytimes