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Ethnic Minorities Could Swing EU Ref Outcome

Ethnic minority voters could significantly influence the outcome of the EU referendum, according to new data, which comes amid growing concern about the impact of the campaign on non-whites.

Sky News has obtained figures that reveal the extent to which voters from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds (BME) favour remaining in the European Union.

A summary of polls conducted in May 2015 and February 2016 shows that 55% of BME voters were in favour of remaining in the EU, compared to 23% preferring to leave.

That figure is broadly consistent across voters who identified as Black, Asian and mixed ethnic groups.

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Polls of white voters have shown a much closer result, with the leave and remain campaigns neck and neck.

But campaigners from BME communities said they are concerned that the tone of the referendum debate - which has focused heavily on immigration from within and outside the EU - is alienating voters.

Last week Operation Black Vote, a campaign organisation which encourages BME people to register to vote, attracted attention for its provocative image of a woman wearing a sari facing a hostile white voter on a see-saw, accompanied by the message "a vote is a vote".

OBV director Simon Wooley said: "Both camps, 'In and Out', have at times descended into gutter politics demonising people from the immigrant population and those who hold a different religion.

"Our ad reflects the toxic nature of this anti-ethnic sentiment back onto the politicians that are creating it.

"The BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) community is completely alienated and disenfranchised," Mr Wooley added.

African diaspora TV commentator Priscilla Nwikpo works to encourage engagement from British Africans.

She said: "We are making people think negatively towards immigrants and we are making the immigrants feel uncomfortable.

"And I think that we don't all know what will happen, but it will certainly have a negative impact on how we used to live our lives in the United Kingdom."

Sky data shows BME voters were less concerned about immigration and health than white voters, and more concerned about the economy, poverty, and unemployment.

But one voter on the Isle of Wight said she was just as concerned about immigration as many of her white neighbours.

"The rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer… I don't think immigration is really helping with that," said Jay Richards, who works as a carer with the elderly.

"We have a Turkish population here, we have Polish, Croatian, Albanian, and they do all sort of gather together because they are worried.

“People aren't very tolerant.

“I think it's becoming evident there's more attacks on people of different cultures - even on the island.

“We have a low crime rate, but that is one of the things - people attacking different minorities."

"I think if we stay, we lose our identity as being England, on our own," Ms Richards said. "I don't want to be part of Europe."

::: EU In or Out: David Cameron Live, Sky News 8pm Thursday; Michael Gove Live 8pm Friday