T told us a story about when she was out once, she went up to a lady to ask directions. The woman answered, sorry no change, imagining that T was begging for money, instead of hearing what she actually said. We all understood it as racism, based on T's skin colour or the fact that she wears a scarf...
when I told my partner the story I was told that the same thing happens to white people as well. That because people rarely speak to each other on the streets of London, people tend to assume that you want money or are mad if you try.
So it was interesting. Suddenly something goes from being a racist incident to being a general one based on Londoners' mistrust of each other. But I know for T, it will always be a moment of racism because that's how she experienced it. It directly taps into an on-going life experience of prejudice and fear.