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British Government Accused of "Giving Comfort" to Racists
The United Nations was set to launch an attack on the British government's record on race relations, after condemnation from more than 30 British human rights and ethnic minority groups.
The criticism was contained in a report submitted by the groups to the U.N. committee responsible for monitoring racism. The report accused the British government of "giving comfort" to racists.
The charges came as British Home Office officials were in Geneva, where they were questioned by the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Race Discrimination (CERD) about Britain's progress in implementing recommendations made by CERD in 1997.
CERD is expected to publish its latest report on Britain in the next few weeks.
There were 49 recommendations made in the report, which was co-ordinated by Liberty and anti-racist body the 1990 Trust.
Among those who contributed to the report were the Refugee Council, the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants and relatives of black people who have died in police custody.
Their demands include the end of detention for asylum seekers and the creation of an independent police complaints authority.
On the Labor government's 1999 Immigration and Asylum Act, the report said it "created racial tensions rather than racial harmony. "And the government's dispersal of asylum seekers around the UK and making them use food vouchers instead of giving them cash, has "stigmatized" them and led to incidents of harassment, said the report.
The campaigners also point out that black people were six times more likely to be stopped and searched by police, were over-represented in the jail population and often received longer jail sentences than those given to whites.
The report highlights an increase in racial attacks over recent years, with surveys suggesting that 40 percent of Britain's ethnic minority community have suffered harassment.
A Home Office spokeswoman said: "The government has made no secret of the fact that all public services, including government departments, can and should do more to promote racial equality and tackle discrimination.
"This is a priority for the government and we have put in place a radical program of reform which will have far-reaching effects in all public services," she added.
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