Interestingly, Laurie, I’m experiencing exactly the same thing in reverse being an American living in London. Just like it is for the British in America, it seems being white and American is about the only kind of foreigner it’s ok to be here. Barely. And definitely not on Twitter (which is, sadly, unsurprising). I’ve been very uncomfortable living here as a foreigner since June. I haven’t been the victim of any serious hate crime or discrimination, but the anti-foreigner sentiment, regardless of the whole “you yanks are alright, though!” makes me feel unwelcome in a place I’ve called my home for 6 years. And even the “you yanks are alright” attitude makes me uncomfortable, because to the Home Office I’m as much an immigrant as anyone else, and if you want to make sweeping generalisations about immigrants, then you don’t get to cherry pick who gets painted with that brush and who doesn’t. If immigrants are the enemy, then I’m the enemy too.
The saddest thing of all is that I moved here because Britain seemed a more open and welcoming place than the US, because of its membership in the EU, and because I identified more with the British outlook on life and social policy than I did in the US. And while I in no way want to go back to the United States, especially now, I don’t know how much Britain really feels like home anymore.