Will Anti-Indianism spread across the Anglosphere?

Introduction

Since the 2024 U.S. elections, amid global economic headwinds—rising inflation, housing shortages, and labour-market disruption—there has been an increasing wave of anti-Indian sentiment, sometimes called anti-Indianism, Hinduphobia, or Indophobia. This describes prejudice, hostility, or discrimination directed at people of Indian origin, including both immigrants and long-established diaspora communities.

What makes this trend significant is that it combines traditional racial bias with newer forms of economic and cultural anxiety: concerns about job competition in high-skilled sectors, housing pressures in major cities, perceived cultural non-assimilation, and the amplification of grievance through social media echo chambers.

Although much of the early debate arose in the United States—centring on H-1B visas, tech outsourcing, and skilled migration—it is increasingly clear that similar themes are emerging across the Anglosphere, especially in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The question now is whether anti-Indian sentiment will continue to spread in 2025 and beyond, and what social and political forces are driving it.

The United States: The Epicentre of a Modern Backlash

The United States remains the primary centre for modern anti-Indianism. Within segments of the conservative right—particularly those aligned with “America First” or MAGA politics—Indian immigrants have become symbols of broader anxieties about globalisation, automation, and labour displacement.

At the heart of this resentment is the H-1B visa programme, where Indian nationals make up about 70% of all approvals. Critics claim that these skilled workers undercut wages and displace native talent in the tech industry. The argument oversimplifies the complexities of the modern labour market, where global talent often complements rather than replaces domestic resources — but it strikes a chord in populist stories about “stolen jobs.”

Social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) have seen a significant increase in anti-Indian content. Derogatory slurs, memes, and calls for deportation have become alarmingly frequent. In mid-2025, independent monitoring groups recorded peaks in such posts, often sparked by high-profile appointments of Indian-origin technologists.

Not all conservative voices exhibit hostility. Figures like Elon Musk and venture capital leaders openly support increased high-skill immigration, arguing that innovation depends on attracting global expertise. This divide—between nativist protectionism and pro-innovation conservatism—highlights the ideological fault line within the American right.

Yet, as U.S. political and cultural influence spreads worldwide, the tone of American discourse often establishes a template for allied nations, exporting both its grievances and its vocabulary of exclusion.

The Groypers and the Weaponisation of Online Hate

A key driver of anti-Indian sentiment in the United States has been the Groyper movement—a loosely organised network of far-right online activists linked to white-nationalist figure Nick Fuentes. The Groypers combine anti-immigration, anti-globalisation, and Christian-traditionalist themes into a meme-driven subculture intended for online virality. It's a digital cancer.

Indians have increasingly become targets within their own ecosystem. Racist tropes such as “Pajeet” and coordinated hashtag campaigns like “Deport Every Indian” proliferate in online forums, especially around debates on tech hiring and H-1B visas. The harassment of prominent Indian-origin executives—such as Sriram Krishnan—illustrates how these digital mobs blend xenophobia with envy toward visible minority success.

The Groyper model is inherently transnational. Their tactics—meme warfare, harassment, infiltration of conservative spaces—require no physical presence, enabling anti-Indian narratives to cross borders through algorithmic feeds. Other Anglosphere movements increasingly replicate this digital language of grievance, suggesting that what began as an American phenomenon could easily spread elsewhere.

Rising Tides in Canada

Canada, home to more than 1.7 million people of Indian heritage, offers one of the most striking examples of anti-Indian sentiment outside the United States.

Official statistics show police-reported hate crimes targeting South Asians rose by over 220 % between 2019 and 2023, with Indians disproportionately affected. Online, slurs against South Asians spiked more than 1,300 % from 2023 to 2024, according to social-media research organisations.

Three dynamics stand out:

1. Housing and labour pressures – Canada’s rapid immigration growth has coincided with severe housing shortages and rising costs, fuelling populist resentment toward visible migrant groups.

2. Diplomatic friction – The fallout from the Hardeep Singh Nijjar affair and disputes over Sikh separatism in 2023-24 caused domestic polarisation, with some activists weaponising the issue against Indian communities broadly.

3. Populist mobilisation – Far-right groups like Diagolon have incorporated anti-South-Asian rhetoric into their wider anti-immigration messaging.

By mid-2025, Canada’s deportations of Indian nationals surpassed 1,800, heightening feelings of insecurity among Indian students and workers. This mix of online hate, policy pressures, and diplomatic strain places Canada at the forefront of the Anglosphere’s changing anti-Indian attitude.

Australia’s Frontline Protests

In Australia, the issue has already shifted from online hostility to street protests. The “March for Australia” rallies of 2025—ostensibly framed as demonstrations against mass migration and rising rents—turned into open hostility towards Indian migrants, who now make up Australia’s largest foreign-born community.

Protesters carried signs blaming “foreign tech workers” for housing shortages, while Indian students reported verbal harassment and, in isolated cases, physical assault. The stabbing of an Indian student in Melbourne in early 2025 shocked the community and drew condemnation from Canberra.

Beneath these tensions lie broader economic concerns: net overseas migration in 2023-24 surpassed 500,000, sparking political debates over “overcrowding” and “cultural change.” Conservative commentators have connected this to increasing anti-immigration feelings, often framed in economic protectionism but tinged with cultural resentment.

Australia thus demonstrates how anti-Indianism can become visibly politicised, transforming from online rhetoric into a concrete social movement advocating “national preference” in employment and housing.

The United Kingdom’s Nuanced Shift

In Britain, anti-Indian sentiment is less obvious but increasingly linked with anti-immigration populism. The UK’s Indian diaspora—one of the most successful and integrated communities globally—has long been regarded as a “model minority.” However, this perception can hide underlying structural vulnerabilities.

In 2025, student visa applications from Indian nationals declined by 11% amid government efforts to curb migration. Far-right rallies, including the September 2025 march in London, which drew over 100,000 participants, have heightened unease within diaspora communities.

Within British conservatism, attitudes toward Indians are mixed. Many on the right praise Indian cultural values, entrepreneurship, and the success stories of figures such as Rishi Sunak. Others, however, include Indians in the broader anti-immigration narrative—portraying them as part of an over-educated, globalised elite displacing native workers.

Adding to the complexity is the phenomenon of diaspora realignment: a minority of British Indians have started supporting anti-immigration parties like Reform UK, driven less by xenophobia and more by class frustration and distrust of establishment politics. The UK thus embodies a paradox: a diaspora celebrated for its success yet increasingly exposed to the collateral hostility generated by anti-immigrant populism.

Tommy Robinson and the Far-Right’s Selective Embrace

Few figures illustrate Britain’s contradictory stance towards Indian communities as clearly as Tommy Robinson, founder of the English Defence League. Renowned for his anti-Muslim rhetoric, Robinson has often praised Hindus and Sikhs as “peace-loving” allies in a supposed civilisational clash with Islam.

Yet his record reveals opportunism. During the 2010s, Robinson cultivated ties with Khalistani activists, allowing them to march under the EDL banner and amplify their grievances against India. This fleeting alliance disintegrated amid criticism from Sikh and Hindu community leaders, exposing the far-right’s strategy of exploiting intra-diaspora divisions for political gain.

In recent years, Robinson has tried to portray himself as a supporter of Indian patriotism, while still promoting ideas of cultural incompatibility and border control. His actions show how far-right groups manipulate diversity within South Asian communities, using selective praise as a cover for systemic exclusion.

New Zealand’s Emerging Concerns

New Zealand—often perceived as insulated from the populist currents of larger Anglosphere states—has begun to experience its own anti-Indian flashpoints.

In June 2025, anti-immigration rallies led by Brian Tamaki included haka performances, flag burnings, and the desecration of Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist symbols, prompting widespread condemnation. Around the same time, Prime Minister Modi accused certain New Zealand-based groups of “anti-India activities” linked to Sikh extremism, increasing diplomatic tensions.

Locally, online discussions on platforms like Reddit and Facebook show increasing frustration over wage stagnation, housing shortages, and cultural integration—mirroring patterns seen elsewhere. As India becomes New Zealand’s fastest-growing source of skilled migrants, these tensions risk repeating Australia’s experience if left unaddressed.

The Structural Drivers of Anti-Indianism

Across the Anglosphere, the rise of anti-Indian sentiment mirrors a convergence of deeper structural forces:

1. Economic competition and inequality – Indians frequently hold high-skilled roles in sectors that are both aspirational and insecure for native workers, making them easy targets for broader discontent.

2. Cultural perception of “permanent outsiders” – The “model minority” myth can be double-edged: while recognising success, it sustains the idea that Indian communities remain distinct and insular.

3. Algorithmic radicalisation – Social media algorithms boost outrage. Anti-Indian hashtags and memes become popular because they generate engagement, not because they reflect the majority opinion.

4. Geopolitical spill-over – diplomatic controversies—from Sikh separatism to India’s assertive foreign policy—filter into domestic politics, shaping public perceptions of Indian communities abroad.

5. Populist politics – From Trumpism to Reform UK, populist movements use migration as a shorthand for sovereignty loss, enabling anti-Indianism to ride alongside broader nationalist messages.

These drivers operate in self-reinforcing cycles: economic anxiety fuels online anger, which in turn justifies political hard lines that further marginalise minorities.

Prospects for Containment

There are reasons for cautious optimism.

• Diaspora advocacy: Indian community groups and allied organisations are increasingly recording hate incidents and campaigning for stricter enforcement against online harassment.

• Government awareness: Several governments, including Australia and Canada, have held round-tables on diaspora safety, recognising the economic and diplomatic risks of unchecked xenophobia.

• Economic interdependence: India’s role as a significant trading partner and the world’s largest recipient of remittances (over US$130 billion annually) provides Anglosphere nations with incentives to sustain goodwill.

• Narrative reframing: Moving beyond “model minority” clichés towards genuine multicultural inclusion can reduce resentment by emphasising shared national contribution rather than exceptionalism.

Nevertheless, success relies on sustained political commitment and on responsible media ecosystems capable of distinguishing genuine policy debate on immigration from bigotry masquerading as patriotism.

Conclusion

What started as an American backlash against globalisation has become a transnational trend—a contagion of resentment spreading through shared language, media, and populist grievance.

In Canada, online hate and deportations reveal deep-rooted issues. In Australia, street protests have scapegoated migrants. In New Zealand, emerging unrest signals potential future instability. Though the United Kingdom benefits from stronger historical ties and integration, it remains vulnerable to the influence of digital echo chambers coming from the USA.

Ultimately, the path of anti-Indianism will depend on whether Anglosphere societies can address the roots of their economic inequality and cultural insecurity, rather than blaming the most visible symbols of success. If they fail, the “model minority” myth could collapse under populist pressure—reshaping the relationship between India and the West in the coming years.