LONDON (AP) – The commission behind a report concluding that Britain does not have a systemic problem with racism has defended itself against critics, some of whom have argued that it underestimates the country’s historic role in slavery.
The Commission for Racial and Ethnic Equality said in a reply late Friday that the difference of opinion between the government’s support is a misrepresentation and the accusation that it is turning slavery into a positive turn.
“This misrepresentation could undermine the purpose of the report – to understand and address the causes of inequality in the UK – and any positive work that results from it,” the commission said in a statement.
The Conservative government has launched the commission’s inquiry into racial differences following last year’s Black Lives Matter movement. The panel of experts, made up of 11 members from a broad cross-section of ethnic backgrounds, concluded that although “absolute racism” exists in Britain, the country is not ‘institutionally racist’ or against ‘minorities’. .
The report, published on Wednesday, cites progress in narrowing gaps between ethnic groups in educational and economic performance, and says race is becoming “less important” as a factor in creating inequalities that are also fueled by class- and family backgrounds.
Many academics, trade union legislators and anti-racism activists were skeptical of the findings in the 258-page report, with some claiming the commission ignored barriers to equality, while others said they were continuing the legacy of Britain’s colonial past, as well. as his role in slavery.
David Olusoga, professor of public history at Manchester University and one of Britain’s leading academics on slavery, has become the latest critic.
“They are determined to favor national myths over harsh historical truths, and they (the panel) give the impression that they are people who prefer this history to be smeared under the rug,” he wrote in a piece for The Guardian newspaper published on Saturday.
In their statement published before the Olusoga article, the commission said that the idea that it was the atrocities of slavery “is so absurd because it is offensive to each of us” and described the personal attacks on its members as “irresponsible”. and dangerous. “
“We have never said that racism does not exist in society or in institutions,” he said. “We say the opposite: racism is real and we need to do more to tackle it.”
Like other countries, since the death of George Floyd, a Black American, Britain has faced an uncomfortable racial slur by a white police officer in May 2020, causing anti-racist protests around the world.
Large crowds at Black Lives Matter protests in the UK last summer called on the government and institutions to address the legacy of the British Empire and the country’s expanded profits from the slave trade.
The overthrow of a statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston in the city of Bristol in June sparked a heated debate over how to deal with Britain’s past. Many felt that such statues glorified racism and were an insult to black Britons. Others, including the prime minister, have argued that removing it erases a piece of history.