Responding to the Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, EHRC Chair David Isaac said:
There is no place for racism and hatred in a modern Britain and we share the UN’s serious concerns about the recent spike in race hate incidents. In the weeks before and after the Brexit vote we saw reports of race hate incidents rise significantly. We support the UN’s recommendations for effective investigation and prosecution of all acts of racist hate crime and wide-ranging action better to deter and punish perpetrators.
There are concerns that the acrimonious and divisive manner in which the referendum debate was conducted exacerbated worrying divisions in British society, and has been used by a minority to legitimise race hate. The recommendation that the UK should adopt comprehensive measures to combat racist hate speech and xenophobic political discourse is therefore a welcome one. Political parties need to come together and show leadership, working with the relevant crime prevention agencies.
We also welcome the UN’s recommendations to tackle race inequality in areas such as health, education, employment and criminal justice, following our comprehensive report on this issue last week.
