A viral clip from Heathrow from an American traveler claims that “every worker is Indian” and asks where the “British” workers are. Since the traveler appears serious, we are going to have to break the news to him that British and white are not synonymous and that his video sparked outrage for very good reason.
London is one of the most diverse regions in the UK. British nationality is civic, not ethnic. Many staff who appear “Indian” are British citizens, often second or third generation, and English is their first language (India was the “crown jewel” of the British Empire until 1947). About 17% of Heathrow workers are foreign-born. Heathrow’s visible roles, like security, retail, cleaning, and ground handling, are the jobs travelers interact with most, which can create the impression that every worker is from one background even when the overall workforce is more ethnically mixed, but that says nothing about their Britishness.
The video is all the more curious considering the author is an immigrant himself (to the USA).
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
