No nation is universally popular. Someone (usually its neighbours) has something negative to say about its land, its history and of course its people. Britain is certainly no exception, and with a long history of colonisation, exploitation and imperialism, we have perhaps more reminders of our past exploits than most.
On our travels we have encountered a number of places where the history of the area is linked negatively with Britain. The five examples chosen are not intended to be the top 5, or exclusive in any way. They are chosen purely for the fact that we have been there. There are plenty of potential additions, and at the risk of starting an anti-British avalanche, comments are appreciated on other sites that you have seen and heard Brit-bashing, justified or otherwise.
1. Boston, USA.
The Boston Tea Party may have taken place over 200 years ago but its history is easily discovered when strolling through the city.
Museums, re-enactments and various walks through the city recall the time before indpendence when the colonists took direct action against the British imposition of tea taxes, and so began a chain of events that led to American independence (and now, it’s hard to get a decent cup of tea in Boston!)
2. Amritsar, India
There are 
many potential sites of anti-British sentiment in India, but perhaps the most poignant is the Jallianwala Bagh memorial in Amritsar, at the site of a bloody massacre of Indian civilians.
It was in 1919 that General Dyer led a brigade of around 90 troops into this enclosed park where a group of protesters had gathered. He ordered the men to open fire into the crowd, and they shot and killed around 1000 innocents, including many women and children.
The site is now marked with a dignified memorial, and being shown around here by a young Indian girl we were acutely aware of the sins of those that shared our nationalities, if not our ethnic origins.
3. Port Arthur, Australia
This was the prisoners’ prison. The place where the British sent those convicts (from the pool of convicts who had been resettled to Australia) who reoffended again. Conditions here were inhumane, with records of live dissections and a gruesome manner of torture and human experimentation.
Our guide in Tasmania kept referring to “the Europeans”, and eventually when I asked him why he didn’t say the British, he told us that British visitors have often complained about this and European is considered a more politically safe term. I don’t know the truth of this but certainly many of the happenings in this place cast a very dark shadow on the history of Britain.
4. Ushuaia, Argentina
We happened to arrive in Argentina at the time of the 25th anniversary of the Falklands conflict, which resulted in the death of around 1,000 Argentinian and British troops. There were a number of temporary exhibtions in Buenos Aires to mark the occasion, and car stickers in support of the Malvinas claims were evident around the country.
The highest concentration of sentiment and visible reminders was in Tierra del Fuego, the closest place on the mainland to the disputed islands. Yet despite the obvious loss that many families and communities had experienced and the still open resentment and belief that the islands belong to them, the Argentinian people were some of the warmest and friendliest that we, as British tourists, have experienced.
5. Mauritius, and the Chagos Islanders
The story of these people is perhaps little known, and as I too know very little about them I will only encourage you to look deeper into their tragic history. I wish I had read more about it before our visit to Mauritius. Situated in the remote Indian Ocean, the Chagos Islands fell under Mauritian territory until Mauritian indepence in 1965, when the British decided to keep control of the islands. They promptly started to expel the
residents so that they could lease the islands to the US for a military base of Diego Garcia.
The Chagossians were forced into poverty in the Mauritian capital Port Louis, and continue to live in a state of limbo, waiting for justice to be done so that they can return to their ancestors’ land. Recently they won a high court battle to be allowed to resettle, but there is still no immediate prospect of this coming about. (perhaps they need Joanna Lumley to help them??)
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Excellent post, and that's coming from a Brit
There must have been so many places to choose from!! Sadly, British colonisation has hardly been the high point of world history though much must be put into the context of the times. (disclaimer: I am an Australian)
Yes, I was inspired to write this by American friends who told us about so many placed they'd visited where British history was dark and brutal. It's only a small selection of the many, no doubt.
Many thanks for stopping by and posting Mark.
somewhat insignificant when compared to what many countries have done to their own populations…china, soviet union, vietnam, laos, iran, iraq…the list could go on and on and on.
Dear Andy,
Your American friends who told us about so many placed they'd visited where British history was dark and brutal? While I absolutely do not excuse the behaviour of British colonialists throughout history, I do feel the irony in that statement. I would be quite interested in seeing a list like this for the United States of America.
The timeframe is shorter, but the history just as brutal. The worst part is, this bloodshed, brutality or manipulation was on Americans, by Americans (white, black or native). This is just brutality in American History within its borders. Such incidents in American history OUTSIDE America would need its own dedicated list.
I am by no means ridiculing your post, it was interesting, enlightening and all very (and sadly) accurate.
Disclaimer: I am Australian (ethnic Greek), not a British Islander.
Thanks Elizabeth. There are of course atrocities committed by each nation throughout history, and American history does more than its fair share of past and recent shame.
It seems fair to say that each nation that has held a position of power on the global stage (USA, USSR, China, and in the past UK, France, Germany and others) have maintainted that power, at least partially, through the use of violence and terror; often on others but also on its own people. What is the saying that "power corrupts"?
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I’m often surprised to find that anti-British sentiment isn’t as strong as I expect it might be. Most people seem to be able to recognise that the sins of the fathers aren’t the sins of the person standing in front of them. I’d say anti-British feeling is strongest in places where they’re overexposed to the worst of the current batch – ie. stag parties in Riga, 18-30 louts in Cyprus/ Greek Islands.
I do always find it fascinating to see who the real antipathy is towards, however. A lot in Eastern Europe hate the Russians. In Estonia, they get sick of drunken Finns coming over on the ferries. In the Caribbean, there’s often concern about people from the Dominican Republic coming over and taking jobs. In South Africa, all crime and drug problems seem to be blamed on the Nigerians. And so on. I might be odd, but I love seeing where the tensions lie.
I agree that the strongest sentiment against other nations is based on current issues, rather than wars from previous generations. Job stealing, drunken behaviour and rudeness are top of the league for reasons to dislike another group.
That said, I remember travelling around Poland during the Euro finals 1992, and it was striking how, on the west of the country there was a passionate dislike for the German team and an indifference to the progress of Russia (or whatever they were called at that time) while visiting family in the east of the country the situation was reversed. Nothing quite brings out those animosities as a football tournament (or Eurovision).