Rowan Atkinson's wife's Indian, as is Michael Caines'.

About Obama/Hamilton. The black community will discount their white mums. Trust me. I'm a black male and you wouldn't believe the amount of vitriol spouted about white women 'stealing our black men'....

John, London,

i grew up in the countryside. there were no non-white people in my whole town. until i moved to london aged 18 i had never met a black person, but had seen them on occasional visits outside of my county. ignorance does not equal racism, it's just a gap in someone's experience.

j, london,

I don't think it is that surprising that people mistake India for someone of South American or Southern European extraction - going only on her photograph of course. Indeed, a could many Indians can pass as Europeans, nor is her name a giveaway, but she does seem to have a good lump of class feeling

FOARP, London, UK

As a middle-class Asian, I often get startled looks from people who upon meeting me for the first time, are amazed that I'm so "posh" and have a stronger vocabulary than them.It's been this way since I was 5. I am often asked if I'm "all Asian". The attitude was better in London pre-terror attacks.

PB, London, UK

In my generation (I'm 29) racism is a non-issue. Maybe we were the first group to be taught that people were all the same underneath, or maybe we were the first to believe it. For whatever reason it's not just unacceptable, it's incomprehensible.

That could just be me, of course but let's hope not.

Richard, London (orig from the sticks), UK

Yeah, yrah, all those kids watch hose horrible video games where peope get blown up and run over etc. They do NOT become thugs as a result. It's the same old story as ever. Some know the difference between fantasy and reality and others don't. Was playing cowboys and Indians racist? Colonialist???

elizabeth schumann, Paris, France

I grew up in the North and hardly ever heard any racist attitudes. Usually the opposite because everyone worshipped Bob Marley. In London where I live now is where the biggest snobs and bigots live, and they come in every shade under the rainbow, but they all hate non middle class whites.

holly, london,

I object to Ms Knight's sweeping opinion that we in the provinces are less evolved than those who live in London and Britain's larger cities.
Here, in the wildest wastes of West Wales, our "coloured" residents do not drive buses or clean lavatories but are our respected GPs and hospital consultants

Mrs Hefina McPherson, Carmarthen, UK

It's time to change views because the flood gate doors for all people of color has opened and many many are about to run through. So accepting 'black/white under/middle/upper class' prepare and step up. All those on either color line not willing to accept the change excuse us while we pass you by.

Carmen, New Jersey, USA

As a Spanish person who has lived 5 years in an upper market historic town in North Yorkshire, with my son going to the local private grammar school, I can say we qualified always as the "manegeable and acceptable" Europeans. I don't think the problem in England is racism, is mostly classism.

Raul, Villanueva , Spain

You know, white folks sell drugs too...

Finrod, Galloway, USA

"Outside London and the more evolved large cities"? I apologise as I am obviously some kind of inferior subhuman; however I suggest Ms Knight to actually talk to people who are 'less evolved' and compare their views to those of most Londoners. Racism may well be abhorrant, but so is snobbishness...

Thomas, Dewsbury, UK

Adam from Thiele, you make a good point. Whenever I meet or read about accomplished, middle class black people, I feel a sense of relief and hope. I would love nothing more than to see the black culture as a whole break free from the negative stereotypes.

Kirsten, London, UK

I ran out of words: I must apologise to Mrs Knight. I have read her articles forever and, without ever researching the point,
I was sure she was a distant sprig from the Mountbatten tree. What a joy to learn that she isn't!

John Carty, Medellin, Colombia

Right on the money Terry- NOT BLACK, calling him black is an insult to his white mother and his white grandparents who brought him up."
from an African with mixed race children.

Don, Manchester, England

Tim Rowledge, no I don't. Discriminating between people because of something that is a problem and that they could do something about if they chose to, is completely acceptable. Discriminating against someone on the basis of something which does not matter and which they cannot help isn't.

Ed, Melbourne, Australia

Racism swings both ways and is far more prevalent among Britain's ethnic minorities. I've experienced casual racism as well as threats of violence for being white in London. Not so long ago I came out of my flat to see "whites go home" sprayed on the wall. I don't see this attitude among white Brits

John, London, England

I am fair haired and Muslim - the entire Western media portraits Muslims as one "race" of people who all happen to look like people from south Asia. Stereotypes and racism prevail

Timur, london, uk

"Asian" is not "Paki". A little over-sensitive are we? "Asians" aren't mulottos either.

Bob Hall, New York, United States

"Nevertheless: the brown middle class has a visible champion at last"; What people such as Condi Rice and Colin Powell? The US already had Secretary of State, Chief of Defence Staff who ere black and middle class. Obama is icing on the cake in that sense.

Neil Murphy, Cromer,

She wears victimisation like a badge of honour even though she is middle class and educated. I welcome blacks who are educated, well behaved, well dressed and make loads of money, I wish there were more of them instead of the usual tribe who bring nothing but crime, drugs and misery to every society

paul, orleans,

Sorry you (like Mr.Obama) are so "colour conscious", notably, since of mixed race, neither of you would be noticed as exceptional just about anywhere in US or UK these days. One votes on the basis of political principle and/or APTITUDE, for the post . Not race or any other qualifying attribute

bates, ipswich, UK

Yes clearly the game was the problem for the beatings, not the teenager himself or the parents. There were, after all, no such things as violent crimes before GTA came into our world. Scapegoating simple as. Maybe the fatness could be dealt by better parenting as could most of society's problems.

Timothy Tanner, Sandy,

It would be interesting to see an article on the racism that exists within non-white communities.

Being mixed race myself and having spent a number of years in Pakistan I am all too aware of the racism that exists there. Why no piece on that - too close to home perhaps? Or does nt it count?

ST, London, UK

sure Ms Knight should be apalled by the common snobbery of the least enlightened but really lets look beyond this. Afterall where is this 60's moral mindset taking us. Here in the States, the bigots have grown proud of their ignorance regardless of how you put them down.

CMyers, Maryland,

Ben, London - Boris Johnson's wife is half Indian. Her father was Charles Wheeler, now deceased.

Cate, London,

It's only a threat when you know that positive discrimination means that neither parent nor child can get employment no matter how well-qualified or experienced. Governments flood Britain with immigratns for who there is no jobs. Solution? Take the jobs and job opportunites form the indigenous folks

John Bull, Wolverhampton,

I am one of the 47% who didn't vote for Obama. Nothing to do with his race- I would certainly vote for a conservative of any race.
It is just as racist to vote for somebody due to race as to oppose for the same reason - many, many US blacks voted on that basis alone according to polls.

Brian, West Sacramento, USA

I'm sure that America voted for Obama because of what he's got between his ears rather than the colour of them.
Pity we haven't got a politician of his calibre over here.

Tony, Rugby,

I'm white. I once travelled in Britain with an Indian girl. When we went to an Indian restaurant or B&B or something like that, she was always taken aside by the owner. She was told that a girl like her shouldn't be associating with whites. What India tells us are just her prejudices.

John, Bristol, Somerset

"I know what India means. I'm blonde, green-eyed, very pale - and a Jew."
I thiought i was the only one with this problem! It's even funnier when people say 'Well, you don't look Jewish!'- as if I have tricked them in some way...

Jessica, Birmingham, UK

People have asked India if she's Portuguese actually because they're interested in her. Our backgrounds and race do make up part of who we are, what's wrong in wanting to find that out about people? And her claiming middle class whites are guilty of biased racist generalisation...is exactly that.

Syra, London, England

I commend Knight and Trevor Philips for trying to push a much needed debate about UK racism - which I as an Indian find far more virulent than in the US. Furthermore, in the US minorities feel vested enough as true Americans to speak up and whites open enough to listen. Here sadly neither are true

H Juneja, London, UK

One reason that India is often mistakenly thought to be Southern European is that we do not often meet people who are half South Asian, there is an inter-marriage rate of only 3% between South Asians and the British White population in contrast with a black-white inter-marriage rate of close to 50%.

Patrick, Brighton,

I agree with Tim from Canada on the bigotry behind the comment of Mrs. Knight. I also want to say that I, as well as millions of other people, have frequently watched/played violent movies/video games (like GTA) for ages but never commited any acts of violence (and don't plan to do so in future).

Alexander Thomas, Vienna, Austria

''If they are going to let them in, the least they can do is to teach them European behaviour'. Said, pointedly, to my (black) company enjoying dinner and wine in a swanky restaurant in Cape Town, by a (white) lady, part of a dour, sad foursome. Just two weeks ago. We have a long way to go..

Ken Mwige, Nairobi, Kenya

I can identify with this article. I am a black professional & visit families at home. The look on some of their faces [only for a split second] when they see me is always disappointing. Black face doesn`t=middle class job!

meme, Leeds, UK

Drug dealers may be pleasant company, but their chosen criminal careers drag young people below the middle class and below any class. I would be grateful if they got McJobs. In fact a McJob is a lot better than the parasitical no job, as well as infinitely better than dealing drugs.

Michael, Bristol, UK

I've had similar experiences, not because of my skin colour, but because I'm 'working class'. I can express myself fairly eloquently and tend to know 'stuff'. Consequently, when I lived in London and mentioned in conservation what I do, I was often asked again and again "So what do you really do"

P.J., West Vlaanderen, Belgium

I know what India means. I'm blonde, green-eyed, very pale - and a Jew. It's pathetic what people say about minorities when they think there are none present, who otherwise censor themselves. At least you can say for eg the BNP that they are willing to wear their bigotry openly and defend it.

Lizzie, London,

I am at least as cosmopolitan as Miss Knight and I don't find it remotely surprising, nor somehow sinister, that some people meeting her for the first time mistakenly think she is from southern Europe. As for Obama, he can choose how to think of himself in terms of 'race' -- just like the rest of us

Hamish, London,

That's funny. It's rubbish that people don't like middle class black or brown people, they become... just people. Its the weird lower class ones we're so scared of! People are scared of other's differences. Color is not the problem, the sterotype is. If the sterotype becomes middle class, no problem

Adam Thiele, Adelaide, Australia

I always have to laugh at the urbane sophisticates from the more "evolved" cities visiting the dirty proles, who religiously vote for Labour, and finding such attitudes *shock*. God forbid you should visit asian or black dominated areas. Outside the ivory towers our country is a quite divided place.

James, Newcastle,

Just a note of cultural difference; growing up in Australia the Pakistani cricket team were the Paki's, there was also the 'Windi's' and we were the 'Aussie's'. No malice intended and - I hope - no offence taken. It was not till I arrived in Britain at 21 that I learnt the word was offensive here.

Naomi, London, UK

Does anyone else see the irony of a (justifiable) complaint about casual skin-colour prejudice being followed by -
"Aside from the question of fatness – all these lard buckets ever do is sit on their behinds " ?

tim Rowledge, Qualicum Beach, Canada

India; Thank you for putting into words the worry many Americans feel for the President-elect's safety. This nation's history has surely shown us why. It also taught me this: I never before worried for a man's safety because he was black, but all black Americans have felt that for 500 years.

M. P. Harmon, Chicago, USA

At a Christmas Eve drinks party in Brighton the kids seemed quiet and well behaved. As the parents rounded them up for church - ironic rock chic - the service stars a real live donkey - we saw the 6 year olds were playing a computer game; a slasher movie, slicing limbs off with knives. Six! Normal??

Caro , Brighton, England

Lets have a black James Bond, to start with, the PM can follow.

Shaffiq Mahmood, Halifax, UK

It's a shame the sweeping generalisations that people make: whether the boorish middle-edged lady from the estate, the 4th retort India Knight incorrectly asserts; or the assumption that those outside London lack the urbanity or judgement realise that black or Asian people are not all poor.

Joseph, Edinburgh, Lothian

Why dont you call yourself what you are: a eurasian and for that matter why dosen't the world media call Obama for what he is: a eurafrican - NOT BLACK, calling him black is an insult to his white mother and his white grandparents who brought him up.

Terry McKenna, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

"outside London and the more evolved large cities"

Yeah those bloody ignorant and behind the times Northerners! Get a grip and look around the 'multi-cult cosmo' cesspit you call home. The racists there aren't all white.

David Smith, Stourbridge, UK

Boris Johnson's wife is Indian, Seb Coe's mother is Indian.

Ben, London,