UN Committee Raises Alarms Over Rising Racism and Xenophobia in the UK
17:17 23.08.2024 (Updated: 17:41 23.08.2024)
© AP Photo / Alberto Pezzali
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Racism in the UK stems from colonial history and affects African immigrants and descendants through discrimination in jobs, education, and law enforcement. Anti-racism laws, education, diversity initiatives, and community advocacy groups work to combat these issues and support those affected.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has expressed concern about rising incidents of racism and xenophobia in the UK targeting ethnic and religious minorities in a new report.
UN experts have called on the UK to implement comprehensive measures to combat hate speech and xenophobic rhetoric, especially by public figures. They stressed the importance of thorough investigations, severe punishments for hate crimes, and effective legal support for victims.
"The Committee expressed its concern about the persistence of hate crimes, hate speech, and xenophobic incidents on various platforms and by politicians and public figures. It was particularly concerned about recurring racist acts and violence against ethnic and ethno-religious minorities, migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers by extremist far-right and white supremacist individuals and groups, including the violent acts committed in late July and early August 2024," the report read.
Recent reports have highlighted the use of strip searches and excessive force by British police against children from ethnic minorities. The UN experts have called for the prosecution of those responsible and emphasized the need for accessible legal remedies for the victims. They also recommended that the UK take concrete steps to eliminate racial discrimination within its police force and criminal justice system.
"The Committee expressed concern about the disproportionate impact of police stop-and-search practices, including strip searches, on ethnic minorities, especially children. It also raised alarms over the use of excessive and deadly force by law enforcement, the lack of accountability, and the inadequate support for victims' families, all of which disproportionately affect people of African descent and other ethnic minorities. It further highlighted concerns about institutional racism within policing and the criminal justice system," the committee said in a statement.
Amid these issues, mass protests erupted across the UK in late July following a knife attack in Southport that left three children dead and several others critically injured. The situation escalated into violent clashes and mass riots after rumors that the attacker was a refugee, later identified as the child of migrants from Rwanda. Scores of police officers were injured in the far-right-led riots, which also resulted in over a thousand detentions. The Russian Embassy in London refuted accusations that Russia was involved in inciting the protests.
In response to the unrest, the UK convened the COBRA emergency government committee three times. Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to increase police presence, speed up criminal proceedings, and target those who incited the riots on social media. The Ministry of Justice announced the creation of 500 additional prison places and the deployment of 6,000 specialized police officers to help counter the violence.
