A spokesperson for the Equality and Human Rights Commission said:
“As Britain’s equality regulator, our legal support fund helps individuals to seek justice by covering the costs of legal action in race discrimination cases.
“The law is clear: no one should be subjected to harassment or discrimination due to their race or ethnicity, either at work or elsewhere.
“We have longstanding concerns about the disproportionate use of stop and search by the police. We will continue to monitor this.”
Mr Tallan Bent said:
I hope that, by bringing my claim against the Metropolitan Police, I have shone a light on their failure to respect my rights, and I want people who experience mistreatment by the police to know that they can make their voice heard.
Notes to Editors:
- Mr Bent’s case settled before any claim was issued at court. The Metropolitan Police denied that they discriminated against Mr Bent, but agreed to pay him compensation as part of the settlement. The case was led by the law firm Deighton Piece Glynn, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission provided funding.
- The Equality and Human Rights Commission helped fund this case as part of our powers to provide legal assistance to victims of discrimination under section 28 Equality Act 2006.
- Our legal support fund covers the costs of taking legal action in race discrimination cases for individuals who would not otherwise be able to afford legal representation. Launched in November 2021, it will be open for a minimum of two years and will see up to £250,000 of funding allocated. So far the fund has supported people with claims of race discrimination against a variety of employers and service providers, including high street retailers, schools, airlines, banks and pubs.
- We support individuals without legal representation to access the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) to get the advice they need. Alternatively, legal practitioners can apply for support towards their clients’ cases. We are also appointing a panel of solicitors which will make it easier for these individuals to find representation and to access justice with the support of this scheme.
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