One of the most pressing problems in British society remains the increasing racial discrimination policies of the establishment, regularly highlighted by representatives of the UN Human Rights Council
The concept of the superiority of one race over others, based on xenophobia, has been particularly intensified within the harsh economic situation created by a succession of events such as Britain’s exit from the European Union, the coronavirus pandemic, and a series of protests under the slogan Black Lives Matter.
However, is this fact so surprising when one considers that the practice of racial discrimination in Britain has its roots in the time of the British Empire, whose ideology of superiority may well have been the beginning of the birth of the Nazi philosophy…? Details of how “undeserving” races were sacrificed to the economic rise of a mighty power are traditionally skirted by British history textbooks, thereby creating an image of exemplary democracy.
The lack of coverage of the current ideology of racial inequality makes it difficult to respond in a timely and appropriate manner to cases of racially biased offences. According to The Guardian, citing the UK Home Office, the proportion of hate crimes against black people is increasing annually, reaching 72% in 2019 – 2020. The situation has worsened due to BLM riots and retaliatory protests involving far-right activists who deny the principles of multiculturalism. Labour’s David Lammy report also confirms the more frequent and unjustified use of physical force and special means by the police against members of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora. Black citizens are known to be 3 times more likely to be prosecuted and subsequently imprisoned.
A lesser threat to life, but no less significant to the well-being of the population, is the difference in access to employment and career advancement, secondary and higher education and even housing for members of racial minorities.
The British Institute of Race Relations gives a disappointing statistic that only 6% of black people have the right to hold managerial positions, while the income of the average employee belonging to the socalled BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) community is half that of a native white Briton.
The level of education, qualifications and experience are more often than not the same. The Financial Times publication on the subject also points out the difficulties in getting a job: black applicants have to send 74% more applications than white applicants in order to get an interview for the position they want.
An article in The Guardian with the screaming title “The racism that ruined George Floyd was nurtured by Britain” portrays racial discrimination as a globally entrenched system that leaves 36% of the African and Asian diaspora living in the UK without financial means to at least make a living wage. Hence the difference between the white population and the ethnic minority in the COVID-19 fatality statistics. The author of the article notes that before the UK National Health Service report on the coronavirus pandemic was published, the government removed a key section containing data on the role of discrimination, potentially contributing to increased mortality among black people.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s racist tendencies are also well-known, and it’s not just that he stood up for the Churchill monument during the vandal attacks as part of the BLM protests. This trend was most fully embodied in the Windrush generation scandal – migrant workers who came to Britain between 1948 and 1971 from the Caribbean and were subsequently deprived of work, housing and the right to benefit from the National Health Service.
The solution may lie in African and Caribbean Gulf countries’ active policy of putting pressure on official London to improve the lives of the diasporas. Members of the black and Asian population will not be satisfied with government appeals to relieve tensions, as only a radical overhaul of entrenched attitudes to races of colour will improve their quality of life. For this to happen, the UK must, first and foremost, abandon the double standard in which the principle of social equality cannot, a priori, be upheld.