View of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, London. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination welcomed the response of the British authorities to the racist riots Human Rights
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has completed its consideration of the periodic report of the United Kingdom. The experts positively assessed the prompt response of the state authorities to the recent racist riots.
The head of the UK delegation, Elizabeth Mary Hawkins, told the committee that anyone who incites or takes part in violence will face the full force of the law, but the Government was encouraged by the fact that many more people were standing up for their neighbours, joining in clean-ups after riots and raising money for victims, she said.
Government measures
In a recent global survey, 98 per cent of people in the UK said they were comfortable living alongside people of a different race. However, in recent weeks there have been riots and incidents of racist violence across the country, fuelled by misinformation and the Southport killings.
The UK delegation said the government was working hard to combat disinformation and provide protection for ethnic minorities who have been targeted. “The police must act in accordance with human rights legislation when responding to these attacks,” the delegation said.
The UK government fully supports the right to peaceful assembly and protest, the country’s representatives said, adding that the violence seen in recent days runs counter to this principle. The authorities are committed to eradicating discrimination against all ethnic minorities and are working with local communities to do so. Government agencies will consider compensating owners of businesses that suffered racist violence but did not have adequate insurance.
Hate Violence
The United Kingdom also said that the Government was committed to combating all hate crimes against all groups.
In particular, in the four months since the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the number of hate incidents against Muslims has increased by more than 300 per cent, and the number of anti-Semitic incidents by more than 500 per cent. The delegation informed the Committee that the authorities had committed to funding 20 per cent of the costs of Islamic and Jewish organisations as a response. Hard sentences have been handed down to perpetrators of hate crimes against these groups.
Discrimination against migrants
Members of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination noted that hundreds of members of the Windrush generation who arrived in the UK from the Caribbean before 1973 had been detained, denied health care and, in many cases, deported. There were reports of difficulties in accessing the compensation scheme.
The experts also highlighted some of the UK’s immigration laws as a source of serious concern. In particular, legislation that denied potential victims of slavery and human trafficking access to legal support and encouraged discrimination against migrants.
The country delegation responded that the Government was committed to addressing injustices regarding the Windrush generation. Compensation schemes will remain available to victims.
On immigration law, UK officials said the new government had announced the end of the migration partnership with Rwanda and that benefits for migrants who are victims of domestic violence had been expanded this year.
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is a body of independent experts that monitors compliance by states parties with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
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