Tag: george floyd

UK not deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities, says report

The UK no longer has a system rigged against people from ethnic minorities, a review has found.

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities published their report: The report of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities yesterday.

The Commission, chaired by education consultant and ex-charity boss Dr Tony Sewell, was set up last summer following the death of George Floyd and the subsequent rise of the Black Lives Matter campaign.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued the following statement: “The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities was launched to conduct a detailed, data-led examination of inequality across the entire population, and to set out a positive agenda for change.

“I want to thank Dr Tony Sewell and each of the commissioners for generously giving their time to lead this important piece of work. It is now right that the Government considers their recommendations in detail, and assesses the implications for future government policy.

“The entirety of government remains fully committed to building a fairer Britain and taking the action needed to address disparities wherever they exist.”

Commenting on the report published yesterday by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Gray said: “Institutional and structural racism exists in the UK, in both the labour market and wider society.  

“Black and Minority Ethnic workers are far more likely than White workers to be in low-paid, insecure jobs – such as temporary and agency jobs or zero hours contracts. And Black and Minority Ethnic workers have been far more likely to be exposed to Covid infection and far more likely to die – because they are far more likely to be in frontline roles. 

“This is institutional racism. And it traps too many Black and Minority Ethnic workers in poverty, insecurity and low pay.  

“We hoped that the Commission would recommend action to stamp out insecure work and make employers act to close their ethnicity pay gaps. 

“Instead, the Commission has chosen to deny the experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic workers and be complacent about the UK’s progress towards being an anti-racist society.  

“The TUC calls on politicians of all parties to stand with Black and Minority Ethnic workers and commit to ending institutional racism in the UK labour market and society – starting with bringing in mandatory ethnicity pay gap action plans and banning zero hours contracts.”    

Commenting on the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities: The Report, Dr Hodon Abdi, co-chair of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, said: “We are disappointed in the findings of this report in relation to health.

“Last month, the Workforce Race Equality Standard report was published and its stark findings demonstrated the difference of experience between ethnic minority staff and their white counterparts.

“The findings of the WRES, while shocking, revealed that NHS health workers from ethnic minority backgrounds find it harder to progress in their career, are less likely to be appointed in roles they are shortlisted for, and were more likely to suffer bullying, harassment and abuse from both patients and from other staff, than their white colleagues.

“The report presented the reality that many of our colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds face. The report was a positive starting point to begin a discussion and it presented an opportunity for health organisations to acknowledge the severity of the problem in the NHS and begin to actively tackle them with tangible solutions.

“Sadly, the CRED report seems to have ignored the findings of the WRES. We, however, are committed to addressing all equality, equity and race issues and will continue to provide proactive solutions to real problems our members and ED staff face.”

Dr David Chung, co-chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee, said: “The NHS staff survey 2020, published earlier this month, found that ethnic minority staff were more likely to be deployed onto covid wards and our own survey found that ethnic minority staff were less likely to be risk assessed, less likely to have access to appropriate PPE, and were less likely to have PPE fitted.

“The CRED report suggests a very different story and fails to recognise what is in plain sight. That, within the NHS systemic and structural racism is prevalent: across recruitment; pay; career progression and opportunity; and the experience of bullying, harassment, or abuse.

“We must be honest about racism and not gloss over the issues. We must take a proactive approach in tackling these issues and we must better support and protect staff from ethnic minority backgrounds and act to make the NHS a more equal and accepting workplace.

“If we fail to acknowledge racism within the NHS, we could fail to recognise any racism towards patients. There is a link between structural racism and health inequalities and we must admit that so we can begin to address it.

“In the College’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, we are fully committed to recognising and addressing all issues around equity, equality and race. Racism and disparities are unacceptable in our College, they are unacceptable in Emergency Medicine, and they are unacceptable in the NHS.”

Prime Minister speaks out on Black Lives Matter

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s message on Black Lives Matter:

The death of George Floyd took place thousands of miles away – in another country, under another jurisdiction – and yet we simply cannot ignore the depth of emotion that has been triggered by that spectacle, of a black man losing his life at the hands of the police.

In this country and around the world his dying words – I can’t breathe – have awakened an anger and a widespread and incontrovertible, undeniable feeling of injustice, a feeling that people from black and minority ethnic groups do face discrimination: in education, in employment, in the application of the criminal law.

And we who lead and who govern simply can’t ignore those feelings because in too many cases, I am afraid, they will be founded on a cold reality.

Yes, I am proud to lead the most ethnically diverse government in the history of this country, with two of the four great offices of state held by a man and a woman of Indian origin; and yes, I am proud of the work I began to lead more than ten years ago to recruit and promote more young black people, in the police and other walks of life.

This country has made huge strides. I remember the 1970s, and the horror of the National Front. I truly believe that we are a much, much less racist society than we were, in many ways far happier and better.

But we must also frankly acknowledge that there is so much more to do – in eradicating prejudice, and creating opportunity, and the government I lead is committed to that effort.

And so I say yes, you are right, we are all right, to say Black Lives Matter; and to all those who have chosen to protest peacefully and who have insisted on social distancing – I say, yes of course I hear you, and I understand.

But I must also say that we are in a time of national trial, when for months this whole country has come together to fight a deadly plague.

After such sacrifice, we cannot now let it get out of control.

It is BAME communities who have been at the forefront of the struggle against coronavirus – whether in health care or transport or social care or any of the other essential services that have kept our country going.

And it is BAME communities, tragically, that have paid a disproportionate price.

So no, I will not support those who flout the rules on social distancing, for the obvious reason that we risk a new infection at a critical time and just as we have made huge progress.

And no, I will not support or indulge those who break the law, or attack the police, or desecrate public monuments.

We have a democracy in this country. If you want to change the urban landscape, you can stand for election, or vote for someone who will.

And so I must say clearly that those who attack public property or the police –who injure the police officers who are trying to keep us all safe – those people will face the full force of the law; not just because of the hurt and damage they are causing, but because of the damage they are doing to the cause they claim to represent.

They are hijacking a peaceful protest and undermining it in the eyes of many who might otherwise be sympathetic.

And as a society, we can and must do better.

This month, on the 22nd of June, we celebrate the arrival of the Empire Windrush in 1948, and we remember the contribution of the Afro-Caribbean workers – in the NHS and across all public services – who helped to rebuild this country after the war.

And today, once again, we face a great task: to relaunch this country after Coronavirus. So let’s work peacefully, lawfully, to defeat racism and discrimination wherever we find it, and let us continue to work together across all the communities of this country, as we put Britain back on its feet.

Protest … but do so safely

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has urged people planning to protest against racial injustice to do so in a way that safeguards them and the wider public from the on-going threat from coronavirus (COVID-19).

Mr Yousaf said: “In the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd, it is again clear that the scourge of racism continues to blight every nation on earth, and all of us must play our part in tackling it.

“I fully understand and feel the anger, and the sadness, that leads people to want to gather together and to show solidarity and community at this time.

“Unfortunately, the threat of COVID-19 is still with us and I must urge people not to attend mass gatherings, which pose a clear risk to public health, even with social distancing in place.

“The Scottish Government advice is still that no more than eight people should meet at any one time, and for those people to be from no more than two households.

“I would encourage people to explore alternative ways to make their voices heard on this vital issue, including for example through social media and by engaging friends, families and work colleagues.

“In Scotland, we value the considerable and important role of our diverse minority ethnic communities. We cannot, and will not, tolerate hate crime, prejudice or discrimination of any kind. It is not enough to simply not be a racist – we must be anti-racist, by supporting our minority ethnic communities, and condemning racism, hate and injustice wherever we find it.

“I hope we will soon be able to gather together to show our solidarity. But until then we must continue to do what is necessary to protect the health of everyone, following the guidelines. That is the best and quickest way to ensure we continue along the path of easing lockdown, and meet again sooner rather than later.”

If someone is a victim of a racist hate incident, or a witness to one, they can contact Police Scotland or one of the third party reporting centres that continue to provide a service by telephone or online.