"I have visited some places where the differences between black and white are not as profound as they used to be, but I think there is a new form of racism growing in Europe and that is focused on people who are Middle Eastern. I see it"
About this Quote
Then he pivots to the real point: racism mutates. The phrase “a new form of racism” is the key rhetorical move, suggesting Europe’s prejudice isn’t disappearing so much as changing targets and justifications. By naming Middle Eastern people specifically, he refuses the safer abstraction of “immigrants” or “outsiders.” It’s a moral choice and a cultural one: the post-9/11 world turned “Middle Eastern” into a catchall suspicion category, braided with debates over terrorism, borders, and national identity. Williams is pointing at that braid.
“I think” and “I see it” work together as both humility and insistence. He’s not claiming to be an academic authority; he’s claiming the authority of lived perception. As an entertainer, he’s also speaking in the language of broadcast clarity: quick, legible, hard to mishear. The subtext is a warning to audiences who want to celebrate racial progress without noticing who gets scapegoated next. Progress for one group can coexist with fresh hostility for another, and that coexistence is the uncomfortable truth he’s trying to keep in frame.
Quote Details
| Topic | Equality |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Williams, Montel. (2026, January 18). I have visited some places where the differences between black and white are not as profound as they used to be, but I think there is a new form of racism growing in Europe and that is focused on people who are Middle Eastern. I see it. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-have-visited-some-places-where-the-differences-19135/
Chicago Style
Williams, Montel. "I have visited some places where the differences between black and white are not as profound as they used to be, but I think there is a new form of racism growing in Europe and that is focused on people who are Middle Eastern. I see it." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-have-visited-some-places-where-the-differences-19135/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I have visited some places where the differences between black and white are not as profound as they used to be, but I think there is a new form of racism growing in Europe and that is focused on people who are Middle Eastern. I see it." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-have-visited-some-places-where-the-differences-19135/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.







