A controversial report on racial differences in the UK seeks to “normalize white supremacy” and the government must reject its findings, UN human rights experts have warned.
The report of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Differences, published at the end of March, concluded that although racism and racial injustice still exist, geography, family influence, socio-economic background, culture and religion have a greater impact had on life chances. According to the report, there is no evidence of institutional racism in areas such as policing and health.
In a statement, the UN working group of experts on people of African descent said: ‘In 2021, it is astonishing to read a report on race and ethnicity that re-packs racist tropes and stereotypes, distorts data and misplaces statistics and studies apply. decisive findings and ad hominem attacks on people of African descent. ”
The experts criticized the focus on the report’s family structure for explaining racial differences, describing it as a “deafening attempt to reject the living realities of people of African descent and other ethnic minorities in the UK”. It is said that the report could not provide convincing evidence for allegations that there was no institutional racism in the UK, but that it cited dubious evidence.
“This attempt to normalize white supremacy, despite considerable research and evidence of institutional racism, is an unfortunate transgression of the opportunity to acknowledge the atrocities of the past and the contributions of all to continue,” the statement said. added.
A spokesman for the prime minister said the UN body had misrepresented the commission’s findings.
The findings were also widely condemned by MPs, unions and campaigners for equality as ‘divisive’ and a missed opportunity for systemic change. Since its publication, at least 20 organizations and individuals listed as stakeholders in the report have distanced themselves from the findings.
The experts claim that the report omitted the analysis of institutional racism by international human rights experts, including the UN working group of experts on people of African descent in 2012 after its country visit to the UK, the 2016 concluding remarks of the committee on the elimination of races. discrimination, and the UN Special Rapporteur’s report on contemporary forms of racism following her visit to the UK in 2018.
The UN body called on the government to reject the report and insisted on ensuring the “accurate reflection of historical facts”, adding: “The distortion and falsification [these] historical facts may license further racism, the promotion of negative racial stereotypes, and racial discrimination. ”
The review behind the report was compiled by Downing Street to investigate racial differences in the UK in response to the Black Lives Matter protests last summer.
In a preface to the report, commission chairman Dr Tony Sewell said some communities were haunted by historical racism and that there was a “reluctance to acknowledge that the UK has become open and fairer”. He said the review found evidence of prejudice, but often it was a perception that the wider society could not be trusted.
The UN experts behind the statement are the chairman, Dominique Day, Ahmed Reid, Michal Balcerzak, Sabelo Gumedze and Ricardo Sunga III. The statement was endorsed by E Tendayi Achiume, the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism.
The experts also criticized the report’s ‘mythical representation of slavery’ as an attempt to purge the history of the slave trade. In a statement issued on April 2, the commission rejected the “deliberate misrepresentation” of its views on slavery, saying the report “only says that Africans preserve their humanity and culture in the face of the inhumanity of slavery. “
Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said: ‘Our view is that it [UN] report the findings incorrectly. We remain proud of the UK’s long history as a human rights champion and encourage everyone to read the original report in full. In this report, racist behavior is by no means praised and it is actually emphasized that racism and inequality are still problems for our country. ”
A spokesman for the commission said: “We are disappointed that the working group of experts of African descent have grossly misrepresented the findings of the report, and appear to be responding to negative press coverage rather than its content.
“The misleading allegations that they have failed to promote racial division, rather than constructive discussion of the issues.
‘We call on the British Government to implement the 24 practical recommendations we have made. It will improve the lives of millions and help deliver a fairer society for all races and ethnicities in the UK. ‘